California’s Iconic Coastline Drive Is Almost Fixed!
I know, that view doesn’t suggest that anything is broken, does it?
This shot gives you an idea of the incredible beauty of a drive along California’s iconic highway one – running from Washington all the way down to Southern California – and this is Big Sur, south of Monterey, skating along the Pacific Ocean, where winter wether can wreck havoc on the coastline…
This shows you what happens when torrential rain and mudslides take out the highway – which is what happened at the beginning of the year!
But good news for travel fans! Highway 1 along Big Sur is expected to reopen by April 30, because work to repair a huge piece of roadway that crumbled during a storm is nearly two months ahead of schedule, Caltrans announced recently.
As you can see from this photo, the scenic highway one makes its way along California’s rugged coastal cliffs, and has been closed since Jan. 28, when heavy rain triggered a landslide!
The washout left a 150-foot gap in the road!
This photo from 2011 shows you what happens when the hillside gives way: and this highway has suffered from multiple washouts over the past few years…a shame since it’s one of the most gorgeous drives in the world:
Yes, this area, about two hours south of San Francisco, is truly spectacular – but the coastline doesn’t give much room for a road, and that’s why it’s a constant battle against nature…but worth it!
Just north of Highway 1 in Big Sur is the coastal community of Carmel, and north of that is Monterey, home to this:
This is Monterey’s legendary “Cannery Row”, and it’s also the home for some local residents:
Yes, that giant fish and some colorful jellyfish live at Monterey’s Aquarium, home to so much sea life to see up close!
Check out one of the world’s most incredible Aquariums by clicking on my story here:
If you think this one is cool, don’t forget that Shanghai’s Aquarium has an UNDERWATER ESCALATOR:
WOW!
CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE!
If you keep driving along the coast through Northern California, the state of Oregon offers some incredible coastline as well:
Here’s a look at Oregon’s gorgeous beaches, and a drive-thru Redwood tree as well:
Click here for more!
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Categories: Art, Exotic Travel, Memoirs, nature, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir, Uncategorized
Gorgeous! I’ve wanted to visit Big Sur ever since I watched The Sandpiper (1965)! 🙂
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Yes, we were just in Central California last weekend and it spectacularly beautiful, rugged and serene! Thanks for commenting!
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I’m thinking that post-vaccination, a road trip is in order! So gorgeous.
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Absolutely stunning. I read about these sorts of areas and drives in the American crime thrillers I’m obsessed by and of course the highway makes for memorable shots in films, too. I love the idea of a road trip through California. 😂
So this was closed in January and will reopen by the end of April, giving them approx 3 months to restore the damage. Wow. We’ve had roadworks in our corner of the UK for simply resurfacing a stupid little roundabout going on for 2.5 YEARS!
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HA! One reason they work so fast on this is due to the fact it’s the ONLY road for hundreds of miles! If it goes out the area is literally cut off from society! Thanks for commenting!
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Aah, okay, makes sense.
Our roundabout is the one main road to get people into the next city, though there are back routes if you want to take a detour. Still, it’s a crappy city so I suppose we’re not in a rush to get there 😂
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Well, the repair work in Los Angeles is really bad as well!
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I drove this once a long time ago. It is breathtaking!
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It really is! Thanks for commenting!
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You’re welcome, John!
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Highway 1 has the most important scene in the children’s novel I’ve been working on—quite a drive but certainly not one to take if you’re in a rush to get somewhere.
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Wow, hope to get the chance to read that soon!
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Great story and pictures John! We just competed our trip to down 101 and Highway 1 to San Francisco and I was completely wowed (again) by the Oregon and California coasts. Both are incredible! I’m happy that the section south of San Francisco will reopen soon as we’d like to do that trip again too. We did it years ago but later attempts met with the washed out road.
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Woah, the washout! I’d love to make that drive –
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It’s incredible…goes on south AND north of San Francisco and truly spectacular, but it does wash out from storm frequently! Thanks for commenting as always!
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That must be an amazing drive to do, and it has featured in so many films too.
Best wishes, pete.
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You are right Pete – on both counts!
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One of the world’s iconic roads and one I would love to drive!
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A truly spectacular way to see California’s coastlines high is more rugged than many people think! Thanks as always for the comment, great hearing from you!
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Yes! I have spoken to folks who have driven it and seen it featured on TV shows and it is certainly on my travel bucket list!
You are most welcome! I enjoy your posts!! 🙂
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A very beautiful and scenic drive. We have a similar scenario in South Africa with our Chapman’s Peak which has been the subject of mud slides and rock falls.
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We will be going to SA as I’ve said Robbie and will want to experience as much of its beauty as we can..after such a long trip, why not stay longer?
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Yes, our trip to New Zealand was also a one in a lifetime trip as it was a 21 hour flight with a short stop in Sydney. 10 hour time difference. We made the most of it.
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WOW. You live in a spectacular tip of the world but you are so far from so much!
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Such a breathtaking vista!
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It really is, and much more rugged in places than people realize! Thanks for the comment!
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