[JONAT] San Francisco leg tour route (long!)
Bob
jonat@autox.team.net
Sat Mar 13 14:15:01 2004
I agree ... sounds great !
Bob England
-----Original Message-----
From: jonat-admin@autox.team.net [mailto:jonat-admin@autox.team.net]On
Behalf Of Fazal Cader
Sent: March 12, 2004 7:20 PM
To: jonat@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [JONAT] San Francisco leg tour route (long!)
Jerry, sounds fantastic! Thank you (all) for the effort.
Fazal Cader
Executive Committee, ISC - Australia
Jaguar Owner's North American Tour - www.jonat.org
April 15, 2004 - July 4, 2004
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jerry Mouton" <jerry@moutons.org>
To: "jonat USA Tour" <jonat@autox.team.net>
Cc: "Ray Livingston" <rayl@atc.creative.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2004 9:01 AM
Subject: [JONAT] San Francisco leg tour route (long!)
> I find it hard to top Mark's really great sounding
> route through Arizona, but I wanted to let you know what
> to expect in the SF sector.
>
> Unfortunately, I have not found any great events to hook up
> with -- driving will be the highlight of this sector.
>
> We'll start in San Luis Obispo, home of XKs Unlimited and
> of one of the most beautiful of the missions that formed the
> backbone of early California. There are many great ways
> to go North from here, and I have chosen to highlight the
> California Missions and El Camino Real Saturday morning.
> We'll drive up hwy 101 -- El Camino Real -- through central
> coast vineyards and farms, up the steep Laureles Grade.
> We'll stop briefly for a rest at Mission San Miguel, which is right
> on the highway, then continue on scenic backroads to Mission
> San Antonio de Padua. This mission has been preserved
> (reconstructed, actually) in its original habitat -- wild hills and
> mountains. Most other missions are now integrated into towns
> and cities, but here you can understand how the early missions
> really looked, and what it must have felt like to live those lives.
> The mission is located in the heart of an active military base,
> Ft. Hunter-Liggett, which maintains its isolation. Its beauty
> is maintained by the Franciscan order, which still uses it as
> a church and retreat center.
>
> We'll have lunch at the Hacienda, a beautiful 1930s former guest
> house of the ranch of William Randolph Hearst, designed
> in the mission style by Julia Morgan, the famous architect
> of Hearst Castle, some miles away onthe same huge
> ranch. This sort of rustic place is the only restaurant
> for miles, but luckily it has some of the very best steaks
> and burgers I have ever tasted in my life! Watch "Citizen
> Kane" the night before to get in the mood.
>
> After lunch we'll begin the exciting run down the
> Nacimiento-Ferguson road, a narrow mountain drive with
> spectacular scenery and curves. This is the real reason
> for taking this route -- this is a spectacular mountain
> road -- like the ones in "Victory by Design".
>
> As we proceed, we will
> see the Pacific opening before us, and famous Highway 1
> twisting along the cliffs below. Turning North on Hwy 1, we'll
> take a break at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and stroll
> over to its scenic jewel -- a waterfall dropping hundreds
> of feet onto the sands of the Pacific, in a little cove of colorful
> rocks and boiling waves.
>
> Driving highway 1 will be a highlight of the trip -- it's among the
> most famous drives in the world. It hugs the cliffs above
> the Pacific, switchback after switchback, vista after vista.
> Certain times of the year, spouting whales are a common sight
> offshore -- but in May we'll have to be satisfied with the waves
> and colors of the water.
>
> We'll take another break at Pfieffer - Big Sur State Park.
> Above Big Sur we'll cross the
> famous and picturesque Bixby bridge, a real work of
> civil engineering art. Carmel-by-the-Sea is on the route,
> maybe former mayor Clint Eastwood will be driving along with
> us --could happen! Another famous Mission is in Carmel,
> if any have an interest in Early California. We will sleep in Monterey,
> site of some of John Steinbeck's novels, and the Monterey Historic
> Car races, and Pebble Beach Concours, not to mention great
> golf, and the world famous Monterey Aquarium.
>
> Sunday we'll begin with a run through the Seventeen Mile Drive
> (there's a fee), which will take us through Pebble Beach and
> some of the greatest homes and ocean views in the country.
> Then we'll drive up Hwy 1 through the Salinas River valley, where
> most of the lettuce and artichokes for the whole USA are
> grown. This valley is the locale for other Steinbeck novels,
> such as "The Red Pony".
>
> North of Monterey Bay and the many quaint beach
> towns, we'll turn inland and uphill through the Coast Range
> of mountains. This is Redwood country, and those with open
> cars will want to drop the top to see these amazing giants full-
> length. Our twisty route will be lined with them.
>
> We'll stop for lunch in Boulder Creek, a little mountain town
> with a few good restaurants. Then we'll continue a short way to
> Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Here we can take a walking
> tour to get a feel for just how amazingly huge -- and ancient --
> these treasures are.
>
> We'll climb through redwoods and toyons on ridges above
> the valleys and vistas of the Pacific below until we reach
> "Skyline Drive", a great fast curvy road on the ridge that
> overlooks both the San Francisco Bay Area and Sillicon
> Valley, but also the San Andreas earthquake fault and
> the Pacific. We'll run Skyline to its end, stopping
> for photos and rest as the spirit moves us.
>
> Then we'll drop back to Highway 1 and the Pacific coast,
> driving through the redwoods and the unusual mountains of the
> bay area. Highway 1 will take us up to San Francisco, and
> we'll take a backroads entry, cruising along Ocean Beach
> to Cliff House. We'll see surfers braving the frigid waters
> to shoot the curl or slide off the back. Past the Cliff House,
> we'll drive through Lincoln Park to the coast, where we will find
> ourselves on a hill above the Golden Gate, seeing the
> bridge from the ocean side. We'll drive the coast through
> tony neighborhoods and military parks, down to Fort Point.
> This old brick fort sits beneath the South Tower of the Golden
> Gate Bridge, just at the waterline. Hitchcock fans will
> recognize this as the place James Stewart jumped in to save
> Kim Novak from drowning in "Vertigo". It's a beautiful spot to
> see the Bay, the Bridge, Alcatraz, and the coast of Marin
> County.
>
> Retracing our steps, we'll cross the Golden Gate Bridge to
> see the city spread out from the visitor's viewing area on the
> other side. This is definitely one of the money views on our
> tour! We'll go back over and cross the city along the Marina
> waterfront, great views continue! Then to hotels for two nights --
> we have a rest day here. There are unlimited ways to enjoy
> San Francisco, and for driving I'll supply a tour map of the
> "49 Mile Scenic Drive" that introduces you to all of the city's
> neighborhoods and moods, and retraces some of our route
> from the day before. You'll be on your own to enjoy the city
> at your own pace.
>
> The tour is pretty open here, and you are welcome to drive
> right over to the Napa Valley or Sonoma Valley wine country
> to spend your extra day. We'll be driving there Tuesday over
> a very circuitous route, but those who would love a winery
> experience, it's an option open to you.
>
> Those who want the drive to Napa Valley's St. Helena,
> where we plan to stay, will recross the Golden Gate Bridge
> and rejoin Highway 1 North. We'll drive up some wonderful
> mountain roads up to "Mt. Tam", the highest point North of
> San Francisco for yet another drop dead view of the area.
> Highway 1 will take us back to the seaside, beaches and
> cliffs and probably fog. We'll drive past Point Reyes, the
> place where Sir Francis Drake is thought to have stopped
> and repaired his ships on his world-round journey. Tomales
> Bay adjacent is a major spawning ground for the Great White
> Shark, though we probably won't see any if we're lucky.
> The coast here is beautiful and alternates between bucolic
> and rugged.
>
> We'll stop for lunch at Bodega Bay, the location where
> Hitchcock filmed "The Birds". A very beautiful bay
> and resting boats provide the backdrop for our meal.
>
> Continuing up the coast, we'll turn inland along the Russian
> River Valley. This quiet and serene valley leads us back
> toward Wine Country. In fact, we will pass through many
> vineyards and orchards on the way. We'll skirt through
> Santa Rosa, where Joseph Cotten creeped us out in
> Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt".
> It's also the home of Luther Burbank, plant
> wizard. We'll enter Sonoma Valley from the North,
> passing through suburbs into rustic farmland, then into
> vineyards and wineries. We'll pass near Glen Ellen,
> Benziger, and others as we coast down to Sonoma. As
> Napa Valley has become more and more commercial and
> sophisticated, Sonoma has retained its country town
> atmosphere, and is highly recommended for restaurants,
> wineries, and just strolling around.
>
> The Sonoma Town Square is the site of the end of
> El Camino Real, on which we set out in San Luis. The
> Sonoma Mission was the last built on El Camino, and while
> it's been torn down, the Mexican Garrison buildings and
> historic Hotels are well preserved and very interesting to
> visit. We'll take a break here for folks to get that ambiance.
>
> Heading back up the valley, we'll cross the ridge
> to Napa Valley on another little twisty mountain road.
> We end up in vineyards and wineries and restaurants.
> We will stay overnight in St.. Helena, and depart the
> next morning, so those who want to really tour the
> wineries might want to get here a day early, or skip the
> Bodega Bay run and check them out. There is a huge
> wine tasting party going on here every day of the year,
> and while the free tastings of the past seem to be
> going the way of the free Bar lunch, for a modest fee
> you can taste some incredible wines. Unfortunately
> the bottle prices at the wineries have traditionally
> been among the highest, this may not be the best
> place to buy, except for special vintages which are
> available ONLY at the winery.
>
> We'll depart Napa Valley to the Northwest, through
> green vineyards, a pleasant winding valley road, few
> cars or stops. We'll just cruise over into the Coast range
> of mountains, driving through forests of redwoods and
> firs and pines. We'll take a break in Booneville, a quirky
> little town famous for its own local language, which
> is called "Boontling" and a speaker is said to be "Boont",
> as I recall. The "Horn of Zeese" cafe, the Boont word
> for "Cup of Coffee", is an example of local color --
> maybe we can grab a horn in there, or a Boont Ale.
>
> Returning to the coast, we'll stop for lunch at Mendocino,
> a very neat little seaside town. Plenty of interesting shops
> and hotels/B&Bs, as this is a famous rustic vacation destination.
> We should get a chance to see the photogenic front street by the
> small bay, and the riot of flowers that should be going
> when we pass through.
>
> Out of Mendocino, we'll be taking a fun ride through the redwoods.
> This road hss a perfect surface, mostly, with turns and switchbacks
> around the redwoods and creeks. Truly enjoyable driving!
> We'll get to Hwy 101, a more "normal" highway for most of the
> rest of the trip up to Eureka, where we'll begin the Oregon
> Sector. For about 10 miles, we'll turn off onto the "Avenue
> of the Giants", a great road through more giant redwoods --
> we will find a drive-through tree to enjoy, too, as there are
> several on the route.
>
> We'll arrive in Euraka to end our leg, and Bill Smith of
> Oregon Sector will greet us with an event of his choice.
>
> A great trip completed, another to begin!
>
> Jerry
>
> Jerry Mouton '64 E Type FHC "Laissez les bons temps rouler!"
> Jaguar Owner's North American Tour - http://jonat.org
> April 15, 2004 - July 4, 2004
>
>
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