The Drive » Hwy 1 crosses
into Ventura County, winding
alongside the ocean and windy
Point Mugu. In Oxnard, join Hwy
101 northbound beyond Ventura,
a jumping-off point for boat trips
to Channel Islands, to Santa
Barbara, just over 70 miles from
Malibu Pier.
5 Santa Barbara
Seaside Santa Barbara
has almost perfect
weather and a string of
idyllic beaches, where
surfers, kite flyers, dog
walkers and surfers
mingle (for our walk,
see p194). Get a close-
up of the city’s iconic
Mediterranean-style
architecture along State
St downtown or from the
county courthouse (www.
santabarbaracourthouse.org;
1100 Anacapa St; admission
free; h8:30am-4:30pm Mon-
Fri, 10am-4:30pm Sat & Sun),
its tower rising above the
red-tiled rooftops. Gaze
south toward the busy
harborfront and Stearns
Wharf (www.stearnswharf.
org; c) or north to
the historic Spanish
mission church (see
p295). Santa Barbara’s
balmy climate is also
perfect for growing
grapes. A 45-minute
drive northwest along
Hwy 154, visit the Santa
Ynez Valley wine country
(see p187), made famous
by the 2004 movie
Sideways. Hit wine-
tasting rooms in Los
Olivos, then take Foxen
Canyon Rd north past
more wineries to rejoin
Hwy 101.54 p46
The Drive » Keep following
fast Hwy 101 northbound or
detour west onto slow Hwy
1, which squiggles along
the Pacific coastline past
Guadalupe, gateway to North
America’s largest sand dunes.
Both highways meet up again
in Pismo Beach, 100 miles
northwest of Santa Barbara.6 Pismo Beach
A classic California beach
town, Pismo Beach has a
long, lazy stretch of sand
for swimming, surfing
and strolling out onto
the pier at sunset. After
digging into bowls of clam
chowder and baskets of
fried seafood at surf-
casual cafes, check out
the retro family fun at the
bowling alley, billiards
halls and bars uphill from
the beach, or dash 10
miles up Hwy 101 to the
vintage Sunset Drive-In
(www.fairoakstheatre.net; 255
Elks Lane, San Luis Obispo; c),
where you can put your
feet up on the dash and
munch on bottomless bags
of popcorn while watchingHollywood blockbuster
double-features.5 p46
The Drive » Follow Hwy 101
north past San Luis Obispo,
exiting onto Hwy 1 west to
landmark Morro Rock in Morro
Bay (see p179). North of
Cayucos, Hwy 1 rolls through
bucolic pasture lands, only
swinging back to the coast at
Cambria. Ten miles further north
stands Hearst Castle, about 60
miles from Pismo Beach.7 Around
Hearst Castle
Hilltop Hearst Castle
(%info 805-927-2020,
reservations 800-444-
4445; http://www.hearstcastle.
org; tours adult/child from
$25/12; hdaily, call for hr) is
California’s most famous
monument to wealth
and ambition. William
Randolph Hearst, the
early-20th-century
newspaper magnate,
entertained Hollywood
stars and royalty at this
fantasy estate furnished
with European antiques,
accented by shimmering
pools and surrounded by
flowering gardens. Try toTRIP HIGHLIGHT
TRIP HIGHLIGHTTROUBLE-FREE ROAD TRIPPING
In coastal areas, thick fog may impede driving –
slow down and if it’s too soupy, get off the road.
Along coastal cliffs, watch out for falling rocks and
mudslides that could damage or disable your car
if struck. For current highway conditions, including
road closures (which aren’t uncommon during the
rainy winter season) and construction updates, call
%800-427-7623 or visit http://www.dot.ca.gov.NORTHERN.CALIFORNIA.1
.PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAYS