PCH trip! Sort of?

Kinja'd!!! "Tapas" (tapas)
08/15/2017 at 01:00 • Filed to: None

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I left San Francisco for LA today.

I started later than I would have liked. Lift showed a trip price of like $25 on Sunday evening. Come Monday morning, it’s $132.

Great.

Public transport it is for me. Hour and half later at like 10:20, I reach the rental place at SFO airport.

I got lucky with the only Boostang convertible in the fauncey exec aisle. So despite the cold as balls weather, I proceeded to do California tourist shit.

Ok I have pictures below...wait.

The weather was crap (overcast, cold with a slight drizzle) and because the landslide blocking the first half of 101, it was pretty late by the time I got to see any coastline.

So I dawdled along a bit more than I should and I’m still 2 hours from LA.

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Cars I saw but couldn’t take a picture of: Navy blue Ford GT, followed by a Sepang blue Audi R8, Ferrari 308, 2 2018(?) C Class wagons and a 3 series wagon. McLaren was setting up their display at some spa right outside Monterey...there were no cars (I drove in through the service entrance to peek and then left) - but I saw 2 orange P1s on 101 heading north toward Monterey as I was driving south.


DISCUSSION (9)


Kinja'd!!! RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire > Tapas
08/15/2017 at 02:02

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Dunno, I’d be happy as a clam tooling around in a Mustang convertible on the PCH with a belly full of In-N-Out.

Here for work or vacation?


Kinja'd!!! Tapas > RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire
08/15/2017 at 04:11

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I am happy. It just didn’t live up to the hype.

On vacation. Heading to Monterey later in the week for pebble beach :)


Kinja'd!!! Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Tapas
08/15/2017 at 08:24

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I love the PCH trips I have done with my girlfriend. It sucks with the bridge being out and the giant land slide in the way. That area is the highlight of the trip. Last time I did it, I was heading North from San Luis Osbispo at like 630am. Made the road wide open the whole way to Big Sur so it was perfect. Ended up in Big Basin Redwood forest afterwards before noon. Some spectacular driving there as well. I had a ‘12 Mini Cooper S in manual for that trip so it was wonderful (aside from the 2 quarts of oil it went through in 1k miles lol, thanks Turo!).

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Next time I do the trip will be in my Miata though so I’m pumped for that. I REALLY wanted to do that part during my cross country drive in October but I dont think that will be possible just yet. Will be hitting it ASAP though once it opens.


Kinja'd!!! StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Tapas
08/15/2017 at 08:47

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Nice! Did this drive the opposite way last year in that exact same car! Was so much fun driving all the way up with the top down.


Kinja'd!!! Tapas > StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
08/15/2017 at 11:50

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Lol I might just do it the opposite way to maybe Pismo. Then f I go further north on 1, I’ll have to turn around and then go back up I5


Kinja'd!!! Tapas > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
08/15/2017 at 11:57

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Wow! I guess I will at least cover a part of that land slide affected area. I’ll have to turn around Midway and go up I5 again, so I’ll have to plan accordingly.

What places would you consider unmissable between Monterey and Pismo?


Kinja'd!!! Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Tapas
08/15/2017 at 13:46

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I kind of never keep track of where I am along that road. No cell service and no road signs or anything makes it hard to figure it out anyways. Its just fun to not think about any of that and just drive for a few hours of beautiful scenery. The stuff in Big Sur is well worth checking out if you have time to do a bit of hiking or just a stroll down to a beach (that picture is from a beach at Big Sur).

But yeah if you head inland as a detour, definitely take the 101 instead of the 5. Theres at least slightly more to see and its a little less deserty. It takes a little longer but its fine assuming you dont travel during rush hours.


Kinja'd!!! Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief > Tapas
08/19/2017 at 00:02

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I was just where the slide was last week, camping in Big Sur. You’ll want to turn off at Monterey and then head inland and south. You can rejoin at Pismo Beach. If you try going any further there’s a detour and it’s very slow. 3.6 hrs on Google maps according to a paper posted by the campground.


Kinja'd!!! Tapas > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief
08/19/2017 at 03:50

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I know the big Sur is amazing. I couldn’t do it in my trip either ways (sf to la and back) because if this. I couldn’t afford to add 4 more hours of driving to my days