Hi All, That's good advice. We had a fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains this morning. It was a few acres and seems to be out now. I have a few opinions and advice about my neck of the woods. I won't be offended by others observations. As far as sightseeing, stick to Highway 1 on the coast unless you are in a hurry. There are many nice places along the central and northern California: San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Cambria, Hearst Castle, Big Sur ,Carmel, Cannery Row and the Aquarium in Monterey, Capitola, the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Half Moon Bay, Ocean Beach and Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, Mill Valley, Muir Woods, Fort Bragg, and Mendocino. I'm sure I left many great spots out. In general, Highway 1 has moderate speed limits and gentle hills. I don't have much experience further north past California, other than stunning Crater Lake and Puget Sound. If you are in a rush, consider Interstate 5 but be forewarned that anything below 75mph is considered slow lane speed on that road. Highway 101 is a more relaxed than I-5. In either case, take it slow and easy on the infamous Grapevine incline or avoid it altogether. Some folks just call the Grapevine "The Bus Killer". Skirting around it is worth the time. Also, the Highway 152 "Pacheco Pass" route from I-5 to the San Francisco/San Jose area is perilous at best, even for vans running a stout engine conversion and topnotch suspension modifications. A bus in good shape can should be able to handle the 205/580/680 approach into the S. F. area from I-5. The same goes for Highway 1. I would say Highway 101 has the least challenging approach and departure to and from San Francisco, but Highway 1 is the most scenic. I hope this helps. Depending on the time and date, I game for a Vangathering in Santa Cruz. Raymond From: Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2015 8:37 AM Subject: Re: a trip from Los Angeles to Vancouver Island...now fire map That fire is not impacting Kalaloch or the rain forest, but anyone planning a trip to WA or OR this summer should bookmark this page and check it frequently. It's predicted to be another bad fire year: http://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/information/firemap.aspx It's easy to avoid the fire danger, but not so easy to avoid the smoke. Stuart -----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Alistair Bell Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2015 7:27 AM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Re: a trip from Los Angeles to Vancouver Island... Well, maybe not this year. Dry year and there is a forest fire burning right now |
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