Thanks to the earthquake of 1929, in which a large part of Santa Barbara crashed, downtown has a very specific mission atmosphere with its red-roofed roofs, stucco walls and galleries wherever possible. In the years of reconstruction, city administrators were so gripped by the Spanish revival that was then popular that they consistently set up the entire city. As a result, it has more of a Mediterranean town than of an American city where planning always played the second violin. Apart from acquaintances who enjoy life here (America photographer David Muench for example), a visit to two places in Santa Barbara is worthwhile: the mission post and a very nice bookstore, Earthling Books. The mission post was one of the most important in the chain. The church has been well restored and the museum is one of the better ones on the chain.

Big Sur
Bixby Creek Bridge is therefore the gateway to the wilder part of Route One. The bridge itself was built in 1932 and was then the longest concrete bridge in the world. The old coastal road follows the edge of the river to reconnect to Route One at Andrew Molera State Park. This state park is located on the site of one of the first settlements on this stretch of coast. John 'Juan Bautista' Roger Cooper came here in the fifties of the last century, built a cabin and set up a ferry anchor. This is an excellent place to camp.

A little further lies Big Sur (to El Pais Grande del Sur: the large part south of Carmel), the forested valley of the Big Sur River. The village of Big Sur is not much. Until well into the twentieth century it was a hinterland, the only real village between Monterey (Carmel) and Hearst Castle. The name Big Sur is used for the entire stretch of coast between Point Sur Lighthouse and San Simeon (Hearst Castle). Of the entire west coast of the United States, which is actually worth everywhere, this is the most spectacular part, with the mountains rising more than fifteen hundred meters from the sea, in which the road seems to be carved. Big Sur Village was once about the end of civilization. Until 1954 there was no electricity. That made the place attractive for the writer Henry Miller and his friends. Between 1945 and 1962 Miller lived regularly in the hills - the quieter periods of his life. It also attracted the hippies who set up bacchanals here in the 1960s, the journalist Hunter Thompson (better known as Gonzo) then stayed there for a few years. These days it is New Age adepts and ecotourists who moor here.

The views are fantastic but just watching is not enough. Beaches and forests make this an outdoor area; that's the reason people come here. For example, you can take a walk in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park for a picnic or visit Pfeiffer Beach.

South of Big Sur begins the stretch of coast that was literally impassable until 1937. The dual carriageway was constructed after twenty years of construction, including by forced laborers (convicted prisoners). The landscape is getting rougher, more impressive. The trees are disappearing and the road that rubs closer and closer to the mountainside demands all the attention. Warnings about rock shifts are not empty shouts - the chance that you have to drive around a sliding part is considerable.
Further on the route, San Simeon (Hearst Castle), south of Big Sur Village is Jules Pfeiffer Burns State Park. The park is located on both sides of Route One and offers, besides a waterfall, beautiful views of the Pacific and, for those who want to take a walk, forests with redwoods on the slopes of the Santa Lucia Mountains.
Route One leads along the coast, via three stopping places that hardly deserve the name village, to San Simeon. Lucia, Pacific Valley and Gorda have petrol and civilians, and it will stop there. Between Pacific Valley and Gorda you will pass a few beautiful beaches where hang gliders regularly drop by in good weather. There are forty kilometers between Gorda and San Simeon with a few smaller state parks but otherwise without facilities.

At the southern end of the Big Sur the mountains become less high and less steep, and gradually rolling hills with grassland dominate. On top of a hill there is Hearst Castle, the bizarre 'castle' that the newspaper magnate built here in the hills. The building is a mess of all kinds of styles and often borders on the kitsch, but nevertheless remains extremely interesting. The historical photos give an extra dimension to what remains of this man and his gigantic taste. There is a small museum in the Visitor center, near where the trains leave that will take you to the house. In the museum a lot about Hearst, his life and the time in which he lived. There are a number of different tours to do through the house. If you are coming for the first time, we recommend the Introductory Tour which shows the house and the two large swimming pools. In addition, there are tours that highlight a specific part of the house or gardens. It is wise to make reservations in advance. Because San Simeon is the most popular destination in California after Disneyland, the town of Cambria, a few kilometers further south, has become quite touristy. For such a busy place it has actually remained pretty nice. And those who spend the night here can nicely split the route along the coast into two parts.

Then you pass Morro Bay, this has as always recognizable point, the large monolith standing in front of the town in the sea - Morro Rock. The thing stands out in such a way that the rock already stood out in 1542 during the first explorations of this coast enough to make a note of it. Morro Bay is a fishing village with quite a few restaurants that know how to make the catch. A kind of lagoon is located south of the city, in Morro Bay State Park, where many birds can be seen.

San Luis Obispo, located approximately midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, was originally set up entirely around the mission post. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is said to be the first place where missionaries began their red tile roofs that have now become so characteristic of the entire state as mission style. San Luis, as it is commonly called, is a lively and pleasant town, good for a longer stay. Famous is the Madonna Inn, a high-kitsch decorated motel, with more than a hundred rooms that all differ in terms of theme. San Luis can also boast the world's only Bubble Gum Alley. That is the name for a pedestrian area in downtown, between Garden and Broad Streets on Higuera Street, where since the 1950s, the city's young people have chalked their names and other information on the walls with chewing gum instead of paint cans. Higuera Street is closed on Thursday evening for a farmers market and street party with live music. We have had the most spectacular part of Route One here. The road to the south becomes wider, especially where it becomes Route 101. The route stays close to the coastline but still so far away that you don't see much water anymore. The landscape remains beautiful, but in a different way than at Big Sur. The places along this route are nice
or unobtrusive middle of the road like Lompoc, which is the care center for the large Vandenberg Air Force Base. About seven kilometers from Lompoc, between Route 1 and US 101, there is still a mission station on Mission 246, Mission La Purisima. Here you may get the best idea of what life looked like from all the mission posts in the early years that the settlers lived here. The mission was pretty dilapidated when it was completely restored in the 1930s by the Works Projects Administration, one of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal agencies.

If there is still a need for a real tourist trap, then one should mainly stop in Solvang. This fake Danish village has been around since 1911, when a group of Danish immigrants set up a cooperative community there. Solvang is unique because it gives a picture of what Americans who have never been to Europe think of when they think of Europe. As such, the town has some sociological value, but that is all. One does not get there at all if a little earlier, just above Santa Maria, you have taken Route 166. This beautiful road leads through the Sierra Madre Mountains to Ventura. These inhospitable areas show a completely different side of California - make sure you have a full tank, there are few facilities along this road. If you have just followed Route 1 from Lompoc you will arrive at US 101 in the direction of Santa Barbara. The coastline here has the most beautiful beaches in California, for example at Gaviota and Refugio State Beaches. There is also a lot of surfing here. If you see Volkswagen vans parked, you know it's time for Surf's Up. High above Refugio State Beach, in the Santa Inez Mountains, lies the ranch where Ronald Reagan always showed his most outdoors side.

In this 4-star route you will drive along the coastline, where there are plenty of opportunities to stop for a picnic on the coast. Don't forget your picnic stuff!

General information:
The coastal route
The California coastline has a length of 1350 km and consists for the most part of rugged and rocky areas. The south of this coastline, however, is blessed with beautiful sandy beaches. There are four major rivers that cross the state, namely the Sacramento River, the San Joaquin River, the Salinas River and the Colorado River that
forms the border between the state and Arizona. The latter river also gives water to major cities such as Los Angeles.
There was a time when Cambria, Big Sur, and other villages on the coast of Central California were completely isolated and known for their seclusion and tranquility. Times have changed. Not only has the road, which until 1937 died on both sides, now been fully extended. After Big Sur was discovered by hippies and other people in the 1960s,
This has become a first-rate tourist destination. The most important reason for this is the beautiful and impressive landscape. As far as southern California is concerned, Route One starts in San Francisco. In fact, this coastal road begins on the Canadian border and follows the entire Pacific coast. Those who want to take the time can follow the entire route from Mexico to Canada, and will never be bored. But in this route it is limited to the south of San Francisco, and then you actually only start at Monterey, about two hundred kilometers further south. Although the stretch between San Francisco and Santa Cruz is very beautiful in some parts and with its endless dunes shows a completely different side of the state, Route
One really spectacular from Monterey. When Pacific Highway near Santa Monica gets hold of Los Angeles, he loses much of his appeal. Bixby Creek Bridge, some twenty miles south of Carmel, is considered the beginning of the Central Coast.