Stupid Travel (Driving) question - LA to Monterey

Morrigoon · 04-12-2007, 11:29 AM

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 · 04-12-2007, 11:34 AM

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 · 04-12-2007, 11:46 AM

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 · 04-12-2007, 02:33 PM

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

Alex · 04-12-2007, 02:50 PM

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:

MouseWife · 04-12-2007, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

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.

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

Alex · 04-12-2007, 03:25 PM

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.

04-12-2007, 11:29 AM	#1
Morrigoon I throw stones at houses Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Location: Location Posts: 9,534	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. __________________ http://bash.org/?top "It is useless for sheep to pass a resolution in favor of vegetarianism while wolves remain of a different opinion." -- William Randolph Inge
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04-12-2007, 11:34 AM	#2
MouseWife Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Da' Beach Posts: 2,957	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. __________________ Summa' time....when the livins' easy.........
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04-12-2007, 11:46 AM	#3
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	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.
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04-12-2007, 02:33 PM	#4
MouseWife Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Da' Beach Posts: 2,957	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 __________________ Summa' time....when the livins' easy.........
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04-12-2007, 02:50 PM	#5
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	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:
	Submit to Quotes

04-12-2007, 03:25 PM	#7
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	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.
	Submit to Quotes