Road Trippin' The USA: Central California Coast, Part 1

On our quest to visit all of the National Parks and Monuments in the United States, my husband and I are avid Road Trippers.  One such vacation had us traveling through Central California, not just on the National Park road, but also on the road to seeing a little more of our beautiful state.

As usual the first day was focused on getting out of town and to our first destination where we could start our adventure.  We headed north up Interstate 5, our goal being Pinnacles National Monument.  We exited the five and headed west, rolling through Coalinga.  Something fun in Coalinga is this Richfield Gas Station Museum – it’s a part of the R.C. Baker Memorial Museum.  It’s just there behind a fence on a corner where it was moved after being restored in 2003.  Another interesting fact about Coalinga is that every Memorial Day Weekend they host an Annual Horned Toad Derby! 

We passed through Coalinga and headed into the countryside.  This is a beautiful area with rolling hills, ranches and lush vegetation.  As you head into the hills and valleys that lie between Interstate 5 and Highway 101, you find a peaceful landscape that hasn’t yet been filled to the brim with housing tracts and strip malls.  It was a long but pleasant drive up Highway 25 to Pinnacles National Monument and we arrived early enough to set up in our campsite and then take a drive to the nearest town in search of dinner.  We found a Mexican restaurant that was celebrating Cinco de Mayo and had a great tasting meal at the Cantina Grill in Tres Pinos.  After dinner, we returned to our camp where we sat by a small fire enjoying the night.  We had made it out of town.

The following morning we headed into Pinnacles to do some exploring.  There is some amazing geology in Pinnacles National Monument, caused by ancient volcanic activity.  There is something for everyone there as it is the site of the release of endangered California Condors, it’s an excellent place for rock climbing and there are many trails for hiking at every difficulty level.  Some of the hikes even take you into caves.  It was a gorgeous place to visit and we had a nice morning of hiking and exploring the caves.  Unfortunately we were not lucky enough to see any Condors or Raptors while there.

When it was once again time to get back on the road, we headed north to the Hollister, home of the famed motorcycle rally. In 1947, during the rally, a riot broke out and bikers went a little crazy and the whole thing was blown out of proportion.  It was immortalized by Life Magazine and later an overblown version was turned into The Wild Ones for the big screen.  It’s definitely a place worth a visit and we lunched in Johnny’s Bar & Grill, the place where “it all started” or so they say.  The prime rib sandwiches weren’t as exciting as being in a famous place, though!

With one quick stop in Gilroy just to look through a garlic gift shop, we made our way to San Jose where we would be spending the next night and got settled in at a Courtyard by Marriott, my favorite hotel.  The next day we would be visiting the Winchester Mystery House as well as the San Jose Tech.  I’ll write about those next time!

Jennifer St.Antoine, Gather Travel Correspondent 

Jennifer's column, Road Trippin' The USA: Central California Coast will be published every other Friday on  Gather Essentials: Travel, opposite Fridays of her Eight Weeks Across America column.  Both columns chronicle her experiences on America's roads, including recommendations and warning for places to see, stay and eat.

You can find all of Jennifer's Road Trippin' the USA articles at www.gather.com/roadtrippintheusa

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