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[OM] Re: [OT] Extended stay in Californa

Subject: [OM] Re: [OT] Extended stay in Californa
From: "Jeff Keller" <jeffreyrkeller@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:55:34 -0800
Adding to what Moose already said ...

Highway 1 along the coast from north of Santa Barbara to north of
Monterey has some very beautiful scenery. The road curves so 35mph is
typical. It is a long drive.

There is probably too much snow in the Sierras to attempt seeing much
there. Highway 5 is the fast way (70mph for hours) to drive north but
it isn't scenic. Kings Canyon and Yosemite can be very scenic in the
winter but driving from highway 5 up the sloping west side of the
Sierras can be very time consuming if there is snow or heavy rain.

I like Joshua Tree but keep in mind high desert country can get cold.
It is very unlikely snow would be a problem, just the low temperature
if you aren't expecting it.

San Diego has some interesting sites. Arthur Morris (a bird
photographer) likes the area. The San Diego Wildlife Park is a huge
"open" zoo. The city and harbor have good food and some good scenery.

The drive between San Diego and LA can be brutal but can also be
fairly quick. There is very little to see. The traffic in LA itself
seems to be the worst part. If there is rain I suspect traffic would
be very slow.

North of Sacramento near Sutter Buttes is a place called Gray Lodge.
Some years there are tens of thousands of geese there. Other years it
doesn't offer much.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/wa/region2/graylodge/index.html
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=731586
Migratory birds can be hard to find unless you have a lot of time.

Probably the safest bet would be to check the road condition of
Highway 1. If a slide hasn't closed it plan for a long scenic drive
along the coast. The Monterey 17 mile drive and Point Lobos  area can
be reached without too much difficulty from the north side (Highway 1
and Highway 101 are fairly close to each other in the Salinas -
Prunedale area) if Highway 1 is washed out to the south.

Pinnacles is nice in the spring time but probably wouldn't offer much
this time of year. I like the redwood forests during the wet weather
but they are wet. Big Basin State Park, north east of Santa Cruz and
south west of San Jose has some good sized trees. There are many parks
in the area Memorial, Butano, etc but Big Basin is the biggest.

Good luck with your trip and ask more questions as you sort things out.

-jeff

On Jan 27, 2008 11:52 PM, Johan Malmström <jmalmstrom@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
> My stay in Calaiforna has been extended, so besides going to El Centro I'm 
> now also heading for Vacaville (NE of San Fransisco). My plan is to drive 
> from El Centro late thursday, stay in San Diego that night then go go north 
> by the sea. Another plan would be to go inland, passing some of the National 
> Parks on the way. I'm to arrive in Vacaville on monday, and I don't like to 
> rush things when I'm in parks so I think I stay to coast ways.
>
> If anybody has any idea of good places to stay between San Diego and San 
> Fransisco please speak out :)
>
> / Johan - 30 min to boarding.
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