The 101 is probably gorgeous in Oregon, but in northern California, it's a bit more inland and doesn't give you the great coastal views I am here to see. So, in a little town called Leggett, I met up with the storied California Route 1, known as the Pacific Coast Highway down south, and as the Shoreline Highway up here. And let me tell you: If you can't handle the first 22 miles of the 1 from Leggett to the sea, just turn around and take you and your sad little car home. And I thought 199 was fun. It was. This was just crazy.
But Sexy Lady isn't a sad little car...
When the signs illustrating 90-degree turns, 270-degree turns, hairpin turns, and squiggly roads become as common place as the trees... you've found yourself on Route 1. When your car's transmission groans away because the pitch and grade of the road changes as often as the road turns... When the only wildlife crazy enough to hang out by the roadside is some adorable quail that can bustle away down a steep hill... When you have to choose between clipping your mirror on the cliffside or possibly forcing an oncoming car off a cliff... When you think your own driving might make you car sick...
Oh, and do take those 15, 20, 30 mph around-the-curve-signs seriously. Seriously. Don't listen to the radio, talk to your riding companion (if you have one), look at the scenery, or chew gum. And for god's sake, don't drive this road for the first time under anything except perfect, dry, sunny conditions. I can't imagine doing this at dusk or in the fog. Never driven this road and don't quite believe me? Two words: Google. Maps. Just zoom in, and imagine a topographical zig-zag of a map underneath the two-dimensional rendering. And yes, this road is just putting you through your paces so that you can handle all the inland cuts of the Shoreline Highway as you head south. Very much the same thing on a slightly more spread-out scale.
But Sexy Lady isn't a sad little car...
When the signs illustrating 90-degree turns, 270-degree turns, hairpin turns, and squiggly roads become as common place as the trees... you've found yourself on Route 1. When your car's transmission groans away because the pitch and grade of the road changes as often as the road turns... When the only wildlife crazy enough to hang out by the roadside is some adorable quail that can bustle away down a steep hill... When you have to choose between clipping your mirror on the cliffside or possibly forcing an oncoming car off a cliff... When you think your own driving might make you car sick...
Oh, and do take those 15, 20, 30 mph around-the-curve-signs seriously. Seriously. Don't listen to the radio, talk to your riding companion (if you have one), look at the scenery, or chew gum. And for god's sake, don't drive this road for the first time under anything except perfect, dry, sunny conditions. I can't imagine doing this at dusk or in the fog. Never driven this road and don't quite believe me? Two words: Google. Maps. Just zoom in, and imagine a topographical zig-zag of a map underneath the two-dimensional rendering. And yes, this road is just putting you through your paces so that you can handle all the inland cuts of the Shoreline Highway as you head south. Very much the same thing on a slightly more spread-out scale.
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| Not all of the roadway edges were this generous with the shoulder. |
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| Celebrating my survival of the first 22 miles of CA Hwy 1 |
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