Pacific Coast Highway

[Tuckervill]

Thinking about driving back from the Corvallis, OR area to Sacramento via the 101 (cutting over to Sac at the appropriate point, of course).

It's a 2000 mile drive home to Arkansas. Will this be a significantly harder or tedious drive as opposed to freeway driving (Portland to Boise to SLC to Denver)? Curvy and steep? Touristy and trafficky?

My son gets travel weary after two weeks on the road, so if we need to bail and head east before Redding or Sacramento, is there a route back to or between I-84 and I-80 that we should avoid? One to definitely try? Further, are there any good 1-2 hour rides (mountain or road) in So. OR or N. CA that we could get out of the car for?

THANKS!
Karen
crossposted in the NW folder, too.

[mimitabby]

ULTRA CURVY ROADS!!
slow, slow, slow, speed limits (of necessity) expensive gas stations; beautiful scenery.

[roguedog]

tucker... you can cut over in mendocino (128), if need be.. and it'd be a gorgeous albeit slightly curvy road. It'll take you to 101 and then you can go thru gorgeous wine country. Lots of rides out there. I just don't know the specific routes.


You can cut over in Sonoma too.. go thru Occidental. I forget what road/highway though takes you there.. You can look it up though. Or take 116 east thru Guerneville till you hit 101.

You should really check out the Pt Reyes area though. It's pretty with lots of hikes.

There's rides all through Sonoma and Marin. Heck, take him up Mt Tam for a jaunt (evil grin).

[Tuckervill]

If what Mimi says is true of the 101, we probably won't do it. I've been hunting it up and we could just do it from Newport, OR and then cut over to Redding, then Reno, and not go all the way to Sacramento.

It will just depend on what we feel like when we get ready for the drive home.

Thanks!
Karen

[xeney]

Well, it's curvy, but it's a highway, not a crazy back road. I hate driving on super winding mountain roads, and I get carsick, but we've done that route lots of times and I don't have trouble with it. It's a very beautiful drive.

[Tuckervill]

Thanks, Xeney, that is useful information!

I looked at someone's bike travelogue online and their pictures show it as a highway. We have those kinds of highways here in the Ozarks (just not the same elevations!) so I know how to drive them.

Karen

[bmccasland]

Tucker,
I used to live in the Redding area, and the road over the mountain, through Susanville is pretty. CA 44 > CA 36, and then US 395 past Honey Lake will take you to Reno. Would drive the route a few times a year for my job. It's a pretty drive through forests, some views of Mt. Lassen, high alpine meadows, and not too twisty windy. There's a good coffee shop (espresso) in Susanville. Across the street from the HS as I recall. From there, probably take US 95 to Lost Wages (LasVegas), then state highway to Kingman, AZ. Interstate 40 will then take you east to Arkansas. But stop in Flagstaff, AZ, get off the road and go to Macy's Bakery. Great funky bakery (not white bread and donuts) and coffee shop - it's on Beaver Street. I used to live in Flag. Miss Macy's... Or across the street is the Beaver Street Brew Pub - good restaurant and microbrews.

Happy traveling!

[mimitabby]

yeah, when we drove it no one got carsick, but we really really really got tired of all the curves.

[KnottedYet]

I've heard a couple folks talking about how they biked it, and loved it.

Someday....