Nothing beats a sunny drive next to the coast.
As summertime rapidly approaches, beach towns and scenic drives along the ocean become crowded with weekend adventurers who just want to smell the scent of salt in the air, and darken the freckles on their face before they return to their cubicle Monday morning. As a California girl who has lived throughout the state, I understand the feeling, and am often out on the road with every Tom, Dick and Harry trying to catch a few rays in my glorious two days off of work. Here are a few of my favorite beach driving spots on the California Coast.
U.S. Highway 101 South between Avila Beach and Pismo Beach: As a former Gaucho, I did the drive between Sacramento and Santa Barbara more times than I can count, and there was always one spot on the drive that I waited for with increasing anticipation. Just as you drive through San Luis Obispo and Avila Beach, U.S. 101 veers to the right and you are suddenly driving along the coastline, with the Pacific spread out in front of you, a mass of shimmering blue, perfect waves coming in off of the Avila point and picturesque Pismo Beach spread out below you. Anyone who ever made this drive with me as their passenger knows that I immediately stuck my face out the window in a vain effort to catch a whiff of sea air as we flew down the road. Sun-kissed glow and freckles, party of one.
Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz; From West, to East to Opal: Driving through any part of Santa Cruz on a sunny day is sure to be one of the better people watching events you’ve ever imagined. From local surfers riding bikes to their favorite spot, to sunscreen encrusted tourists with fanny packs and broad brimmed hats getting in the way of the surfers, Santa Cruz is a melting pot of people from all walks of life. However, the best view of this drive is not the people, it’s the ocean. Along these few miles of coastline are some of the better surf spots in Northern California. From Pleasure Point, all the way up to Steamers, this coastline is a perfect stretch of road for slow cruising, and enjoying the sun beams as they bounce off of the perfect slow rollers that ease their way in before crashing on the beach.
U.S. Highway 1 South from Los Padres National Forest to Cambria: While most of Highway 1 is beautiful, this section of the drive is particularly note-worthy. Driving along the tree-lined winding highway you have stretches of ocean, and then stretches of pure woodlands. The sun comes through the leaves in dappled patches and the smell of ocean and forest washes away the smells of baking pavement and exhaust. As you leave the forest, Hearst Castle is set into the hillside on your left, the rambling mansion of Spanish adobe and turrets set into the San Simeon hills. The picture-perfect castle and a fiery horizon as the sun sets over the ocean combine for the perfect end to a day of coastline driving.
The moral of the story is take the time to enjoy summertime driving. Revel in driving along in the sunshine without anywhere specific to be. Enjoy your car, the bright day and the sound of waves smashing into the sand. Because when Monday rolls around and you are back in your windowless cubicle, you’ll hate yourself for not taking the opportunity to get some freckles of your own.
-KF
