[JONAT] Re: San Francisco Leg tour route modification (long)

[Jerry Mouton]

After some feedback, I have changed a few details 
of the route as modified below.  Turns out that after
seeing that the first half was oriented toward 
California Missions, the second half toward Hitchcock
films, it would be remiss to omit the ideal center
point -- Mission San Juan Bautista, where James 
Stewart's condition prevented him from saving Kim 
Novack from falling off the mission tower in "Vertigo".
The interesting part about it is that this beautiful mission 
in fact has no tower -- it was added by special effects.

To get there, I am putting the Seventeen Mile Drive and 
Pebble Beach as an optional early morning ride before
we set out at 9:30 AM from Monterey.  I'll also suggest 
a stop in the Pebble Beach clubhouse restaurant for a 
light but dear breakfast.

Also found a better redwood park to stop at, and a great 
Sunday Brunch place out in the redwoods, too.

Overall tour is not affected otherwise.

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

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jerry Mouton" <jerry@moutons.org>
To: "list for jonat-chat" <jonat-chat@autox.team.net>
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 6:35 PM
Subject: 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, early risers may take 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.
The Pebble Beach Club House has a very pleasant but dear 
restaurant for a quick light breakfast.

At the official 9:30 start,  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".  We will pass Laguna Seca raceway, 
and I hope we may drive a shortcut through the property to 
see what it's like, setting for many famous races including the
annual Monterey Historic Car Races.  We'll travel some 
pleasant back roads after passing Salinas, ending up at
the picturesque Mission San Juan Bautista.  

This beautiful 
mission graces a very nicely preserved old town that maintains
the flavor of the old days in California.  An interesting point
about the mission is that it sits proudly on the escarpment
that marks the San Andreas Fault, the tectonic separation 
between the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate
(we'll be on the Pacific side).  Small quakes are the norm here,
not massive ones -- which is why the Mission has stood all this 
time.  We'll be driving back and forth across the fault
several times in the next few days.

This site was used by Alfred Hitchcock as a setting in the movie
"Vertigo".  Here, Kim Novak "falls to her death" from the 
mission tower, which strangely does not exist.  I recommend
you watch Vertigo the night before to prepare for this leg!
 
> 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.

At Henry Cowell Redwood State Park we will stop and
see them up close.  Here we can take a walking 
 tour to get a feel for just how amazingly huge -- and ancient --
 these treasures are.  Right next door is a steam railroad
entertainment park, using one of the engines used for 
logging here in days past.  Except for the giants in the parks,
most of the redwoods you will see are second growth, grown
up after being logged early in the 20th century.
 
 We'll stop for lunch Brookdale Lodge, a little mountain lodge
 with two good restaurants.  The more expensive one has a 
Sunday Brunch, the Cafe serves moderate priced good food.
The town of Boulder Creek is a little way up the road
and has many assorted restaurants with the local mountain 
color and people, for those who want something else.
> 
> 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
>