Expert: Ernest Tufft - 12/15/2007

Question
HI Ernest, I am traveling to San Diego on business and bringing my husband along.  We plan to drive from San Diego to the Bay area to visit some friends of ours.  Our issue is two things - one, we're on a budget and two, we only have one day for the road trip up.  My conference ends at noon on a Wednesday and we'd like to arrive in Oakland, CA that evening.  Mapquest tells me that the quickest route is up highway 5 however it doesn't look very senic and I was hoping to see more of the coast.  We'd be willing to stay overnight somewhere and arrive in Oakland Thursday by noon however I just want to be sure it is worth the extra cost to rent the car longer and rent a room.  What do you recommend?  Is there anywhere along the way that you absolutely wouldn't want us to miss?  Thank you so much for your help!

Answer
Thanks for the question Danielle.  I may need a clarification on the question since you give both a 6 hour and 24 hour time frame for getting from San Diego to Oakland.  If 6 hours is all you have, then you really have no choice but to drive I-5.  This will be a 7-8 hour trip in reality, even with the briefest of gas/bathroom stops in the great central valley.  I-5 is certainly not the scenic route, but it still is much more interesting than much of Texas or the Midwestern states as far as my experience shows.  The drive up and over the mountains via the "Grapevine" is exhilerating, and the transition from tumbleweed desert with rusty oil pumpers through America's richest agricultural farms is mildly interesting.  This drive is enhanced somewhat by the barren beauty of mountains on the western side, and the periodic appearance of the California aqueduct, one of the world's most important water transfer systems.   Even so, I would recommend flying in this situation.  There are budget flights available.  If you have 24 hours, and are still leaving at noon from LA, I recommend staying the night in the San Luis Obispo/Paso Robles/Morro Bay area of the central coast.  Morro Bay has some good discount motels that will allow you to wake up in the morning to the stunning beauty of the Pacific Ocean, quaint fishing fleet, and the impressive rock for which the town is named.  From there, you can drive scenic highway 1 to Carmel/Monterey, then cross back over to highway 101 and continue to Oakland.  On the second day, however, you still won't be able to arrive by noon, but would likely arrive in the evening.  Highway 1 is a twisty coastal road that will take several hours.  A faster route would be to skip the coastal route and take highway 101 directly toward Oakland.  Highway 101 traverses the coastal valleys and is not without scenic value.  Even so, to arrive in Oakland by noon, you will need to leave Paso Robles perhaps before dawn.  There are a great many things that "can't be missed" along any of these routes, but given your limited time, you really don't have time for anything but enjoyment of what can be seen out the car window.  Come to think of it, considering rental car and gas costs, a couple of commuter flight tickets to Oakland airport sounds like the best idea.  Anyway, I hope this helps...If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.