Hi, just broke in my mini on this road. Highly reccomended it if you live in the area.

Stopped by the Hearst castle on the way back and the Neptune pool was spectacular.

 

My plan exactly when my car arrives in about a month. Great pictures

 

Actually, that is Hwy 1. 101 is inland from Hearst's Castle.

 

My bad you are correct.

 

I don't have my MINI yet but right after I get it, I'll need to drive from LA to SF and back during the break in period. The manual recommends varying engine and road speeds but I don't think that will be so easy on 101 or 5. I'm thinking of taking a whole day and doing a combination of Interstate, State and county roads. I suppose it'll take 9-10 hours rather than 6 but that shouldn't be a problem.

 

I'll be driving from Carmel Valley to Los Angeles soon and plan on taking 1 down to Cambria then 101 for the rest of the trip. When I've done it in my Integra it only increased my travel time by 1/2 hour, but that was not taking it at sight-seeing speed. If you don't take it often, enjoy the view and stop frequently at the turnouts. They are especially good just north of Big Sur.

Just south of Big Sur there are some fun restaurants. Nepenthe has a great view, outdoor dining (if you like) and reasonably good food. I like their Ambrosia Burger. Ventana's and the Post Ranch have more elegant fare, but may need reservations.

Just south of Nepenthe is The Coast Gallery. It is a good place to stop if you are interested in local arts and crafts.

 

Robin,
Thanks for the tips. Sounds great!

 

I did PCH from 128 to Petaluma and still have dreams of falling off those awesome cliffs! It was a blast. I just wish I was driving my MINI and not a rental Nissian Murano.

Look at these in my gallery

 

Hey is your GPS running on battery power? I don't see any adapter cable connecting to it. By the way, it is illegal to have your GPS unit on suction cup on the window in CA. Don't get caught!

 

Apparently, it is not legal but if it's low down and all it's blocking is your view of your hood... come on... work with me on this

 

It will be the cop you will want to work with you. Probably depends on how annoyed he/she is with you as to whether they site you for it.

 

It'll be a sad day when a cop pulls you over for having a Nav that's mounted low on the windshield and not obstructing the view of traffic in any way. The cops are there to promote safety, not to give tickets for that which creates no hazzard whatsoever. There are too many real hazzards like cell phone talkers, speeders, DWIers, and the like to worry about something of this sort.

 

I L-O-V-E Hwy 1 !!! And I second the Nepenthe stop and the Ambrosia Burger Great stuff!

 

We have all probably passed each other at some point along the PCH!

 

They are doing this big "Click it or Ticket" thing here in LA. It seems pretty serious, so I think they wlll be look at the inside of your car very often. I just don't want to give them an excuse to pull me over. Also there are some cities here that they actually write out tickets for your parked car without licence plate in front. I am sure they will be happy to add an extra one for GPS on windshield.

 

Most likely that it would be an add-on when you are stopped for something else. If you really annoyed the officer, he is likely to look for things to get you on. If it is borderline between a ticket and a warning, he may not bother you about it. I believe it will depend on the cop and the circumstances.

 

Nice drives, and pics. It's been a long time since I've seen the Neptune pool but I still dream about it.

I did most of my break-in in the Santa Cruz Mtns, Hwy 17 and Hwy 35 (Skyline Blvd.) from 17 to Woodside, with many detours. Mountain roads, going from fast to slow, slow to fast, repeat and add smiles.

 

Next week when my 07 MCS/a gets to dealer and into my hands, I am planning my break-in runs along the Peak to Peak for driving and viewing pleasure. It is a 55 mile run and will give me the chance to vary my speeds as needed. I figure I can do a full loop on 36 then 93 in the Frontrange then up to the PtoP.

You can get an idea of the route here: http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2114/stories/56078

Otherwise it is the Interstates around Denver and that does not even sound good. I figure if I do the PtoP and up to Estes Park about 10 times, I will be near my break-in mileage and then I can make a spirted run over to Miller Raceway in Toole, Utah for some vintage sports car racing.

I do miss the great drives up PCH, back in the days I lived in California.

Don S.
07 MCSa DS/w...etc...

 

The Estes Park run is fun, you could also head farther north to Fort Collins and run around Horsetooth Resevoir. That was one of my favorites. Or south to westbound Hwy 24 towards Lake George, some good twisties up there past Woodland Park!

 

Good suggestions, I will have to get out the old map and highlighter for some weekend driving as I will be on my own for fathers day weekend with a new MINI.

I wish I had about two weeks, then I could drive west and try out the PCH from Santa Barbara north to the first major interstate in Oregon then head back to the Frontrange. I will have to mapquest that and see how many miles I could do in a two weeks. Hummmm.

Probably have to come back and get my MINI's oil changed and a new set of tires.

Don S. (old81)
Ordered: April 8, 2007
Dark Silver Metallic MCSa, white roof/mirrors, Chrome Line Interior, English Oak, Conv. Pkg, Sport Pkg, Cold Weather Pkg, 17" Alloy Web Spoke, Steptronic Auto with Paddles (for us older guys).

 

You could probably figure on five hours from Santa Barbara to Carmel, not counting stops.

 

Thanks Robin, would that 5 hours be great road, traffic or so much to see. Does anyone know of a great ocean view small hotel in Carmel where one could keep the salt spray off the MINI

Don S (old81)

07 MCSa DS/w ...etc...

 

I made the drive from San Diego to Cambria, San Simeon, Big Sur, Monterey etc. last weekend. That drive is AWESOME! The views, the twisties, and the beautiful weather made for a perfect weekend. There were 30 MINIs and 53 people from West Coast MINI club that made the 3-day trek. We had a blast. I can't wait to do it again!

 

It is a one lane each way highway with lots of twisties. A good deal of it is on a cliff above the ocean. In the summer there can be traffic backed up behind slow moving RVs. However, the 5 hours I was talking about are mainly swift driving.

The Highlands Inn sounds like it would fit your description, except for the "small" part. It has a good ocean view and is high enough to be above the ocean spray. It is in the Carmel Highlands, about five miles south of Carmel-by-the-Sea.

The Mission Inn is a possibility. It isn't so much an ocean view as a view of the Carmel River esturary on the south edge of Carmel-by-the-Sea. It is within walking distance of the River Beach (about three or four blocks, IIRC). The buildings are converted from the ranch buildings that have been there for a very long time. It is owned by Clint Eastwood.

Otherwise, I'm not sure which hotels have ocean views. There are lots of hotels in Carmel.

 

Beautiful pictures. I have been to California one time (Santa Barbra/Santa Monica/LA area) and really want to go back just to drive up the coast line.