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San Jose to Cambria is almost exactly 200 miles and 3 hours. (An extra 5mph shaves 15 minutes off the trip.) The distance from San Jose to Cambria is almost exactly the same as that to San Luis Obispo, so the mileage signs for SLO along Highway 101 work well.
Traffic is always slow at the 85/101 merge; get to the leftmost lane early, because the merge loses the right two lanes. In addition, the two long southbound hill climbs tend to make traffic slow down and bunch up. Now that the road has been widened, things are not as bad as they used to be. Still, things don't really loosen up till you get to Morgan Hill. After Gilroy the traffic gets even lighter.
If you're traveling on a weekday, make the effort to get past the 85/101 merge area by about 3PM if possible. Once you're past this point, the traffic keeps thinning out as you go south.
Salinas to Cambria is almost exactly two hours if you do about 75mph on 101 (except in King City, farther south.)
The long, straight bridge at Soledad (over the Salinas River) is almost exactly halfway between San Jose and Cambria, at the 100-mile point.
You enter King City on a very long, S-curved bridge over the Salinas River (again!). King City, about 110 miles south of San Jose, is the home of a CHP training center. Keep your speed at or below 70 while approaching the city. About 5 minutes past Greenfield is a good place to back off. I drop to 68mph at the Scheid Winery: you can't miss their large American flag on the southbound side of the freeway. But if you want to be safer, slow a few minutes earlier, as you pass Greenfield.
In King City I'd occasionally stop for lunch and a rest stop. Margie's Diner, formerly Keefer's Restaurant, has good food and huge portions. Margie's is at the Canal Street exit.
At the south end of King City, the speed limit goes up to 70mph for 40 miles. Don't be tempted to floor it just yet: wait a few minutes till you pass the truck stop at Wildhorse Road. Sometimes the CHP wait at that on-ramp. When you're safely past Wildhorse and there's no sign of CHP, then you can push it up to 75; some drivers go right on up to 80.
You may note the "Patrolled by Aircraft" signs and the mile-marker stripes every mile on the shoulder in this 70mph stretch. In over 150 weekly trips during 1998-2001, I only saw a "suspicious" light plane once. I believe CHP flies Interstate 5 but almost never flies 101.
A few minutes south of Wildhorse Road you cross the Salinas River...again.
Camp Roberts, formerly a huge California National Guard camp (and a WWII Army training camp before that), occupies most of the 70mph zone. When you get to the spot with all the buildings (many are in disrepair, probably dating back to WWII), you've just crossed the line from Monterey to San Luis Obispo county.
Special thanks to Sgt David B. Medzyk, USANG, who provided some info on the current uses of Camp Roberts:
Camp Roberts is known as "the most active, inactive post in the world!" True, while many of the barracks and chapels are in total disrepair — at least the ones seen from highway 101 &mdash 3/4 of the cantonment area has been rebuilt and repaired and is in year 'round use by all branches of the military, not just the National Guard. The Airfield is active, as well as the drop zones for airborne operations. We have active tank and howitzer ranges, along with new rifle, pistol and machine gun ranges. We have just built a 1000yd sniper range for the Special Forces and Rangers to practice on, after they parachute into camp.
The Navy regularly flies practice bombing runs onto the impact area, and the Pt. Hueneme SEABEES are a common sight. US Marines use our facilities for combat vehicle training, and the Navy SEALS can be seen using the Nacimiento river for their training.
As for the National Guard, units from the western US use the post often, as we have the good fortune of being far away from any heavy populations and are able to fire the largest artillery pieces in the inventory. Camp Roberts is the home training ground for the 40th Infantry Division, well known and respected from deeds and exploits during WWII and Korea (the 40th was the command that re-took the Phillippines, and was the instrumental force behind the breakout from the "Punchbowl" and Heartbreak Ridge campaigns in Korea).
Camp Roberts is currently undergoing selective destruction of unused and decrepit buildings and facilities. We will slowly change the face of the post into a more modern training area, and open up areas for civilian usage. For the complete story of Camp "Bob", come on by the museum. Mr. Davis has built the museum into a wonderful storyboard of history and artifacts.
The East Garrison is home to the Manuever And Training Equipment Site (MATES), where all heavy assets of the 40th Infantry Division are maintained, stored and issued out to the battalions for training. There are over 200 M1A1 Abrams Tanks; more than 100 155mm self propelled howitzers; nearly 100 M2A2 Infantry Fighting Vehicles; over 400 more tracked combat and support vehicles; almost 400 heavy truck and wheeled vehicles and well over 2000 small arms, mortars and 25mm automatic cannon (I work in the Armament shop and maintain all the weapons systems). Some of this warfighting capability is noticed every summer, as large multiple explosions can be heard and felt as far away as Atascadero!
Thanks, Dave!
The first time you make the trip, Camp Roberts seems to go on forever. Enjoy the wide open spaces, the oak trees, and the occasional grazing cattle or sheep. If you're good, you might spot a few old chapels on the camp property.
There's a rest area within the Camp Roberts section of the trip, about five miles before you cross into San Luis Obispo county. At that point, you're 48 miles from Cambria: at my speed I make it home from that point in about 45 minutes.
Paso Robles, a city of about 22000, straddles Highway 101. As in King City, you enter the town on a long, curving bridge, but this one doesn't cross a river &mdash it just crosses Spring Street and the Amtrak tracks. It's not quite as specatcular as the one at King City, but it ain't bad.
At the south end of Paso Robles, take the exit for Highway 46 west to Cambria/Hearst Castle. Highway 46 is a very scenic drive, which is good if you get stuck behind a motorhome &mdash but there are plenty of passing opportunities. The road is posted at 55, but I usually go between 60 and 65. Beware that CHP cruises the road with radar on! Almost every week on my trip home, I would spot the CHP cruiser in late afternoon, so be careful. If you're doing over 65 you'll get a ticket. The drive from Paso to Cambria is about 25-30 minutes.
About halfway to Cambria, there's a mileage sign ("Hiway-1 11; Cambria 15") . Shortly west of this point, there's a great scenic lookout. If the weather is clear, the view is worth a short stop. You can see 20 miles south to Morro Bay &mdash look for the three stacks of the power plant and the 676-foot-high Morro Rock.
The end of 46 joins Highway 1 at a blinker. Turn right (north), and Cambria is about 4 miles. The town of San Simeon is about 6 miles farther north, and Hearst Castle is a mile past that.
Cambria's business district consists of the East Village and West Village, occupying opposite ends of Main Street. Main is perhaps two miles long; it's about a 20-minute walk from one end to the other. Though we use the terms "east" and "west," Main Street actually flows more in a SE-NW direction. So if you think it should be "South Village" and "North Village," you're not really wrong &mdash it's just that we call 'em east and west.
There are three traffic lights on Highway 1. Main Street lies to the east of Highway 1 (on the right, the inland side, if you're heading north); to the left/west are residential streets. If you turn right at the southernmost light &mdash at Ardath/Main &mdash you'll follow Main Street past the elementary school, through some open space, and to the East Village part of Cambria. As you continue (westbound) along Main, you'll get to the West Village, and then rejoin Highway 1 at the northernmost light (Windsor Blvd).
Cambria Drive, between the two northernmost lights, connects Highway 1 to Main between the East and West Villages, slightly closer to the West.
A free trolley bus runs continuously every hour, 9 to 6, Friday through Monday (Thursday too in summer). Stops are located along Main Street, on Moonstone Beach Drive (where most of the hotels are), and at Shamel Park.
Radio reception along Highway 101 is limited: mostly Spanish and Country. Listener-supported KKUP, at 91.5 in Cupertino, is either interesting or boring, depending on the program. Commercial station KPIG, at 107.5, is often more interesting, playing a good variety with a slight country flavor. Both stations should come in well from Gilroy to (maybe) King City, depending on terrain. (You may not be able to pick up KPIG till you get to Prunedale.) South of King City on 101, it's back to Spanish and Country.
When you're on Highway 46 and can see the ocean, you can pick up our local station, which used to be KOTR. Now it's a feed from KPIG (called KPYG on 94.9).
In 2003, local station KTEA began operations. KTEA plays "Old-Time music for the Central Coast," with a variety of jazz, big-band, and show tunes. Commercial announcements are minimal. Tune in 103.5 when you get into town.
If instead you're a Public Radio fan, you can tune in KCBX Central Coast Public Radio at 90.1 or 90.9.
But KPYG really has the edge in clear reception in town.
Cambria is at the ocean, so it can get very chilly. Bring a sweatshirt and windbreaker and dress in layers for the changing conditions. You need the nylon layer for the wind &mdash otherwise it'll chill you right through a sweatshirt. The weather can change from a warm, sunny day to a chilly, foggy one — sometimes more than once a day!
In spring, expect clear, sunny days, with wind increasing along the ocean about midday. The wind can get quite cold.
During summer months it can be foggy or windy along the ocean, whereas in town, it can be sunny and warmer, but still sometimes breezy. Fall is the best time of year, just like in San Francisco, when winds are light.
Hourly weather observations from atop my house, 100 yards from the Pacific, can be found here. Near the ocean, temperatures usually get up just to the low 60s in the daytime; if it's windy it can be very chilly, but in the sun it's quite comfortable. In town, especially in the East Village, it's generally warmer. In the sunny hills east of town — especially in the agricultural area along Santa Rosa Creek Road — it can be 30 degrees warmer than at the ocean!
On weekends, parking on Main Street gets a little tough. There are a couple of parking lots off Main: In the West Village, there's a lot off Sheffield one block off Main (Sheffield is across from the Pewter Plough Playhouse, next to the Pine Tree restaurant). In the East Village, there's a lot on the block behind the Chevron station. Street parking can be tight, but people are always coming and going.
An incomplete list, in alphabetical order. When asked which is our favorite, the answer depends on which meal. I prefer some for lunch, others for dinner, some with a small group, others with a crowd. Comments are my personal views, of course.
Besides the beautiful Pacific, the great restaurants, the romantic hotels along Moonstone Beach Drive, and the shops, Hearst Castle is our big visitor draw.
If you like to walk along the ocean, here are a few suggestions. Moonstone beach gives you a choice of the beach or a blufftop boardwalk. To get to the beach you'll have to find stairs or look for an easy climb down.
At Shamel Park, 1/2 mile west of Highway 1 on Windsor Blvd, you'll have a choice of lawn, playground, or easy-access beach. From Shamel park, walk out the side gate of the parking lot, and continue south on Nottingham, along the ocean bluffs. There are two blufftop open-space areas, with benches, five minutes' walk from Shamel.
Four miles north of the entrance to Hearst Castle on Highway 1, elephant seals haul out every winter to give birth to their pups. You can't miss the busy parking lot. At that location are informational signs and volunteer docents (Friends of the Elephant Seal) to help explain these huge sea mammals.
The beach is loaded with elephant seals from November to April; you don't have to pay for parking and trudge through miles of sand like at Ano Nuevo State Reserve near San Francisco.