Globelite Travel Marketing

Travel Guide to California

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» CA.ROAD TRIPS Get Your Motor Running by john flinn Take the wheel to explore California's highways and byways PACIFIC COAST California's coastline is dotted with dramatic features such as the Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz, above. The trip along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH or Highway 1), is one of the world's great scenic drives. For more on the area, see pages 138-145. Californians didn't invent the car, but they like to think, with some justification, that they invented the automobile lifestyle. With drive-thru grocery stores, drivethru pharmacies, drive-thru churches and even drive-thru mortuaries, one gets the feeling that if Californians could only invent a drive-thru delivery room they could happily go from cradle to grave without ever having to pull over to the curb. California is a land of supersized distances, jumbo landscapes and biggulp vistas, and the best way to see it all is on a road trip, or, better yet, a series of road trips. Here are a few of our favorites. Up the Coast Northern Californians call it "Highway 1" and Southern Californians call it the "Pacific Coast Highway"—or, simply, the "PCH"—but there's no doubt that the road that hugs the state's remarkable coastline, often close enough to feel the salt spray, is one of the world's classic driving trips. From the sun-splashed Southern California beaches to the misty redwood forests near the Oregon border, the journey, which includes a few stretches on other highways, is a touch over 1,000 miles. The sights are so numerous we can barely scratch the surface: The Hotel Del Coronado, where Marilyn Monroe frolicked in Some Like It Hot; classic surfing beaches made famous by the Beach Boys; star-studded Malibu; Riviera-like Santa Barbara; Hearst Castle; Big Sur; Santa Cruz, with its oldtimey beach boardwalk; San Francisco; Point Reyes National Seashore; artsy Mendocino; Redwood National Park. A few tips: Allow far more time than you think you need; besides the frequent diversions, the road is so winding in 2 0 1 3 t r av e l g u i d e to c a lif o rnia 81

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