Stupid Travel (Driving) question - LA to Monterey

[Kevy Baby]

I figured somebody here would know the best answer. A coworker is driving tomorrow morning from LA to Monterey. What is the fastest route? Should he go straight up the 101, or go up the I-5 and cut across somewhere?

Suggestions appreciated!

[Alex]

They're almost the same.

I-5 north to 152 West is 343 miles.
101 north is 344 miles.

Google lists the first route as 5 hours 28 minutes and the latter as 5 hours 50 minutes.

So unless time is absolutely crucial it is a wash. That said, I've done both drives many times and the time of day would play a huge role since the traffic between LA and Santa Barbara seems to really slow down that time while once you get to Valencia I've never hit traffic north of there (except once but that was because the Grapevine was actually closed).

But if time is not extremely pressing then I'd go with 101. More places to stop, more things to see while driving.

[MouseWife]

I looked up on mapquest :

4: Merge onto I-805 N. 25.3 miles

5: I-805 N becomes I-5 N. 247.1 miles

6: Take the CA-46 exit toward LOST HILLS / PASO ROBLES. 0.3 miles

7: Turn LEFT onto CA-46 / PASO ROBLES HWY. Continue to follow CA-46 W. 63.7 miles

8: Merge onto US-101 N. 95.1 miles

9: Take the exit toward MONTEREY PENINSULA. 0.2 miles

10: Turn RIGHT onto S SANBORN RD

Ya know, it takes a helluva long time to get there!!! From here, my house, over 7 hours to go 452 miles!!

I needed to know, also, as this is something we are doing.

Agh!!! Long drive...Oh, probably don't need the 805 info, that is from San Diego...but, I'm leaving it just for reference...I guess...

[Alex]

Taking the CA-46 route is an option. It is actually 20 miles shorter than the other two options but time wise is in between them because the speed limit on CA-46 is 55 so that 65 mile zig can take 75-90 minutes depending on who you get stuck behind and if traffic allows passing.

[MouseWife]

Thanks for that, Alex.

I've been wanting to head up there for the weekend and wondering how long it would take both ways and how much time we would actually have there.

Okay, anyone stay at the Asilomar Conference Grounds? It looks pretty and relaxing. Hubster wants to stay at the Portola Plaza {again} but the pictures from the ACG look like 'escape'.

[Kevy Baby]

I love this place! Thank you so much for the quick responses.

He had already looked on one of the Mapping sites, but I knew that someone here would have actual experience.

[DreadPirateRoberts]

Okay, anyone stay at the Asilomar Conference Grounds? It looks pretty and relaxing. Hubster wants to stay at the Portola Plaza {again} but the pictures from the ACG look like 'escape'.

I stayed there once about 20 years ago for a conference, it was a nice place, not sure how much has changed. The ocean water is cold there. I went in to about my ankles and got an ice cream headache!

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

I've always taken 101 up north. It's a nice drive scenery wise compared to going thru Bakersfield. ;) A stop at Andersons Pea Soup is always a must. :)

[MouseWife]

I stayed there once about 20 years ago for a conference, it was a nice place, not sure how much has changed. The ocean water is cold there. I went in to about my ankles and got an ice cream headache!


LOL It looks like it hasn't changed. Reminds me of {and is run by the same company} Yosemites' lodging. And, I won't be going in the water. Ooo, that is something I should see, if they have a pool. If they don't then I guess it is the Portola Plaza. We have our son and the pool is a major source of entertainment.

We've been a lot but I also appreciate these comments. We always come down from San Francisco and the 1 {and 101} are beautiful but they take soooo long. We don't have the leisure of a lot of time these days. :(
I wondered what the difference was between the two choices.

So, taking the 101 {1} may be faster in some instances due to traffic?

[blueerica]

Gotta say, while the 101 was pretty, it seemed horribly slow. Of course, BTD & I were driving it through the middle of the night - not great for visibility on the barely lit highway (past the Santa Barbara area).

[Alex]

No, my experience is that 101 north is the more likely to be severely impacted by traffic, at least as far as Santa Barbara. But "more likely" is still not all that often.

But if you don't care about anything other than getting their as soon as possible then I'd probably take the 5 to 152 route.

And if you're a Pea Soup person (which I don't understand, the soup is ok but everything else they serve is horrible) you can still that since there is one in Santa Nella (a couple miles beyond the 152 interchange).

[Morrigoon]

101 is a prettier drive, but with more stopping. Remember that it's not always a freeway. So it'll take you a lot longer on the 101.

[MouseWife]

Ya know, reminds me of the time the Hubster took the 1 {101, whichever, 1 is along the coast directly and the 101 a little inland?} from Knotts down to Dana Point.

Ohmygawd. Never again. Never. Sure, it was 'nice' but it took freakin' hours upon hours. No thanks.

blueerica~same thing for us. We left Monterey and headed off towards San Simeon and the kids were groaning 'We've only gone 10 miles????' {oh, wait, that was me....}. Since we still enjoy the view we just make up the time by making sure to leave Monterey earlier in the day so we can arrive in San Simeon right at sunset. {after stopping for lunch at Julia Pffiefer Burns for lunch and photos...}.

I so want to go now.

[Alex]

1 is a much slower road than 101. With a few exceptions 101 is multilane highway. With pretty much no exceptions 1 is two lane road and matches the coast curve for curve.

[MouseWife]

That is what we normally take.

We did that also from San Francisco up into Florence, OR.

We kept seeing a father/son along the route, staying at the same places. They were going to Seattle and we asked if they would continue on along the 1 and they said they couldn't take it anymore!! LOL

[BarTopDancer]

Gotta say, while the 101 was pretty, it seemed horribly slow. Of course, BTD & I were driving it through the middle of the night - not great for visibility on the barely lit highway (past the Santa Barbara area).

God that was a long drive. It seemed faster driving home when we could see the towns in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure the cereal killing great-white shark clowns and the UFOs didn't help either.

[blueerica]

Cereal Killers! :D

[Alex]

1 only runs from Santa Barbara to Leggett, CA (well, technically it runs all the way down into LA but most people wouldn't use it south of Santa Barbara).

So by the time you reached Florence, 1 was several hundred miles into the background. Unless everybody was doing incredibly short days I don't see how it would take more than two days to drive the entire length. I have driven the entire length of 101 (from LA up around the Olympic peninsula and then down Puget Sound to Olympia). It's a nice drive but they've done too many improvements on it and now it frequently feels too much like an interstate (San Luis Obispo to Santa Rosa and then norther Oregon coast particularly).

For no reason other than you mentioning it, here's my photo from the one time we stopped and slept in Florence:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/7/7049199_78b9164e4c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/obfusciatrist/7049199/)

[BarTopDancer]

Cereal Killers! :D

They all float down here. Until the UFO car light takes them away.

[MouseWife]

1 only runs from Santa Barbara to Leggett, CA (well, technically it runs all the way down into LA but most people wouldn't use it south of Santa Barbara).

So by the time you reached Florence, 1 was several hundred miles into the background. Unless everybody was doing incredibly short days I don't see how it would take more than two days to drive the entire length.



Hmm. Well, hmm. I guess not the one but along the coast all the way and it took forever. Now that you mention it, we did have quite a bit inland but it was still two lanes and a long drive. Windy, curvey. Long. Woozy.

We took our time, four nights. We started off from Frisco, first night in Fort Bragg, second in Eureka, Crescent City, then Florence.

Ah, I don't remember that from Florence. We stayed at the Best Western right as you hit the town, before you cross the bridge {heading north}. It seemed quite old but they said it was from the 70s' or later. {the design was quite older to me}. Across the bridge was a quaint little seaport village. Perhaps {since we didn't go past the highway that we then took into Portland} that was up there?

We did go in to the Taco Bell. I remember because I rang the bell for such good service. :D

Doh, I need to make a photo bucket account....I have so many pics....

[Alex]

Yeah, that drive on 1 between SF and Fort Bragg is pretty slow (especially if you get stuck behind someone afraid of sharp turns and tall cliffs. Not quite as bad as through Big Sur area but a lot longer.

You were off of 1 about an hour after leaving Fort Bragg. But considering the roads I find myself on during some of our weekend drives, all of 101 feels like an interstate to me.

Couldn't tell you about that motel in Florence. I am amazed I even remembered it was in Florence, let alone the local geography.

Hope you did some good sightseeing in Eureka since you only drove 80 miles that day in getting to Crescent City. If Florence is where you cut back over to 5 for the final push into Portland then you picked the best of the cutovers for pretty coast range driving.

[MouseWife]

Yep, that day we did only drive a short bit. But, we really wanted to stay in Eureka and Crescent City {we had a free night at the hotel there, that was awesome, btw}.

We really did take our time. Actually, if we had more $$ and time, I'd do it again and stop even more.

And, not necessarily those two places. All over. Eureka didn't have a helluva lot but the hotel was nice {we had a fireplace, indoor/outdoor pool, breakfast} overlooking the ocean. Crescent City, ah, that Hampton Inn was very comfy. And, right along the ocean. We walked right over to the Battery Point Lighthouse. I totally recommend this place, even though it is in the middle of nowhere and in tsunami warning area, it is peaceful and beautiful.

The lighthouse, well, you can only get to it during low tide!

And, I think, also, that the time we turned in was a good time. We had beautiful views greenery from Florence to Portland. {or whenever we hit the major freeway}.

I am dying here, trying to set up another little trip. Since checking rates last night, they've gone up about {at least} $50. :mad: I should have just booked the rooms last night....:(

[MouseWife]

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s66/MouseWife/P9250099.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s66/MouseWife/P9260146.jpg

First one is Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, CA

Second is Battery Point Lighthouse, Crescent City

[Not Afraid]

God! I want to get in my car a drive the hell away from here! My Sister used to live in Gualala, CA (which is on the coast at the southern end of Mendicino County). We used to do the 10 hour drive from LB to Gualala in a day but the end result was worth it. Once we got off the 101 in Petaluma (Hi SL), drove through lamb country to Bodega Bay life became incredibly good.

One trip we stopped in Berkely, then Gualala then continued along the coast to Trinidad to stay in some lovely little cottages. That was a GREAT trip!

I've always been fascinated by the Lost Coast of California. One day, I will go exploring there.

[Kevy Baby]

101 is a prettier drive, but with more stopping. Remember that it's not always a freeway. So it'll take you a lot longer on the 101.To the best of my recollection, while the 101 is not a freeway the entire trip, there are no stop signs or lights to get in the way. There used to be four (or was it five) signals as you went through Santa Barbara, but those were (finally) removed and the freeway put through about 15 years ago.

When I went to Cal Poly SLO, I made the drive between SLO and OC MANY times and know the route well. I always took the San Marcos Pass past lake Cachuma - it shaves about 20 minutes off the drive.

And BTW: talked my coworker into taking the 101. Since he is leaving at 4:00 tomorrow morning, I don't think he will run into too much traffic.

[Alex]

I could be wrong but my recollection is that the first stoplight on 101 after LA is in San Francisco.

[MouseWife]

God! I want to get in my car a drive the hell away from here!...Once we got off the 101 in Petaluma (Hi SL), drove through lamb country to Bodega Bay life became incredibly good.

I've always been fascinated by the Lost Coast of California. One day, I will go exploring there.


Okay, what can you tell me about Bodega Bay? We only stopped for gas there and I couldn't figure out what to do in the brief time we had except look around as we drove away.

Ah, there was so much that we passed. That is why I'd love to take even more time, next time. To stop at the darn Bigfoot store {I will buy one of those wooden statues}, do all of those funky little side of the road museums, etc. We did a little but there was so much more.

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s66/MouseWife/P9260143.jpg

This was cute. The big Paul Bunyun spoke. He talked to me as I was leaving and even winked at me. ;) That cracked me the heck up.

[Alex]

Many times in the area but I don't think I've ever actually stopped in Bodega Bay (setting for Hitchcock's The Birds). However, the nearby miniscule burg of Bodega has a biker bar (easy to find as it is one of only about four buildings "downtown") that on Saturdays served grilled oysters out on the patio. I don't eat bivalves but Lani assures me that are wonderful.

In honor of another random mention. My photo of our magnet from the Bigfoot store.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/240/449558292_5f9a8cdf6c.jpg

[MouseWife]

Hey! Yes, we drove right past that. :( For some reason, time wise, we couldn't stop. But, we did take time a short way past that to stop and look at some {gak!} I can't remember darn it, deer looking creatures.

Ah, I'll skip the bar. We usually have a minor with us.

But, I did want to stop there. I do remember it from 'The Birds'. I thought you could visit the school and that maybe there is a B&B? Just from the road I couldn't see anything {except the backside of everything or the bay and boats}.

[Alex]

The patio is kid accessible.

If the deer-like animal was down by the Bigfoot store then I think it was probably just a deer. But if you were farther north, say around Redwoods National Park (north of Eureka) they may have been Roosevelt elk. They have a couple good sized herds up there and they're frequently right off the road.

[Snowflake]

God! I want to get in my car a drive the hell away from here! My Sister used to live in Gualala, CA (which is on the coast at the southern end of Mendicino County). We used to do the 10 hour drive from LB to Gualala in a day but the end result was worth it. Once we got off the 101 in Petaluma (Hi SL), drove through lamb country to Bodega Bay life became incredibly good.

One trip we stopped in Berkely, then Gualala then continued along the coast to Trinidad to stay in some lovely little cottages. That was a GREAT trip!

I've always been fascinated by the Lost Coast of California. One day, I will go exploring there.

I'm with you, I had a painter friend from the East Coast who used to come out every spring to paint and would stay for months. She rented a cottage and it was foggy, mysterious, beautiful and untocuhed, I've not been up there in far too many years. Alas, she has since passed on and I don't know what happened to her art, she always promised me one.

[MouseWife]

The patio is kid accessible.

If the deer-like animal was down by the Bigfoot store then I think it was probably just a deer. But if you were farther north, say around Redwoods National Park (north of Eureka) they may have been Roosevelt elk. They have a couple good sized herds up there and they're frequently right off the road.

Um...yes, it was elk. Thank you. I swear, how I forget such simple things....

There were a bunch of them in what I took for a dry creek/river bed. Two males were going at it, ramming one another. AND lovely were the raspberries growing wild along the highway.

Snowflake, the description of the artists' cottage is lovely.

[Not Afraid]

We took the train to Seattle one Spring. We were traveling through the beautiful and snowy Cascades while facing each other in our seats. Chris got to see what was coming and i saw things after we passed them. Suddenly he starts stuttering and pointing and finally blurts out LLAMA! I saw them 2 seconds later. They were Elk.


We also saw a heard of Rosevelt Elk in a forest of birch trees on the far Northern California Coast. Incredibly beautiful site!

[MouseWife]

LOL Okay, well, at least he said something.

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s66/MouseWife/P9260139.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s66/MouseWife/P9260134.jpg

And, what a bummer. We took a videocamcorder with us and it didn't work. :(

The train...oooo, that would be nice. :snap: