West Coast Journey Down U.S. Route 101 to San Francisco

So, my wife is a full-time college student, and had a week long break in-between spring and summer semesters. We have traveled the length of the continental United States during my time in the military, as moving was a frequent occurrence. One place that we have never driven through is the San Francisco bay area, as it was never viewed as an expedient way to travel through the state of California.

So, out of the blue, my wife approached me and asked if I would like to take a trip with her to San Francisco. She told me that San Francisco was on her "bucket list"--- for whatever reason... We live in the Seattle metropolitan area which makes the journey a 2-3 day trip by vehicle, so we decided to take our 15 year old son on a trip a few days after he got out of school for summer break.

We decided to drive down the iconic coastal highway, U.S. Route 101, and to take our time, soaking up the atmosphere and tranquility that can only be appreciated by someone who has experienced such a journey...

In this day and age, people tend travel by airplane when vacationing versus taking the scenic route, and they miss out on experiencing the beauty that only the road can give you. Here are some pictures I took along the way during our trip...

Just south of Cannon Beach, Oregon. This is by far, one of my favorite beaches that Oregon has to offer. This is not a picture of the town, but of the scenery surrounding. My wife and I have stayed there multiple times while I was still serving in the military, whenever I had time, we would take off to the coast. If you find yourself in the area, visit this town as you will not be sorry. The friendly coastal atmosphere of the people is welcoming, and the scenic landscape is beautiful and well worth the time to see for yourself.

This is the opposite view from the picture above. As you can see, Oregon has some beautiful beaches that are secluded and well worth the drive.

Just south of Newport, Oregon along US Route 101 is a place known as Devil's Churn. There is an information center and a rest stop with bathroom facilities along with a trail leading down to the shoreline so you can get up close and personal to this beast if you so dare...The rhythmic orchestration of the power of the waves is something that has to be seen to be fully appreciated.

Another view from along the trail leading down to the shoreline. My son and I walked down to the bottom of the trail, and truthfully, it only took 15 minutes, tops. If you find yourself along this coastal journey, then stop by this lesser-known attraction. There is something hypnotic associated with the power being demonstrated by mother nature with this one.

As we reached the southern coast of Oregon, the sun came out, and we stopped to take in the scenery of the southern Oregon beaches. Really, any stop along this section of 101 is picnic worthy. 101 is littered with small coastal towns filled with attractions, but our trip was to make to San Francisco, so we stopped only when needed (to refuel, etc..).

Now, the Redwoods...

Source: https://www.videezy.com/free-video/redwoods

There are sections of the trip that take you through thick forests of Redwoods, which are giant trees that are unique to this part of the country. Truly giants grow within these forests, and the road twists and turns to accommodate for the mountainous terrain. The stock photo above is due to me not taking anything worth sharing during this section of the trip. I live in Washington state where forests are plentiful, but during the majority of this section of the highway, there are few areas where you can pull off to properly take any photos. Most are directly associated with tourist attractions, and we pushed forward only stopping for fuel.

After a couple of days of taking our time along the coast, and staying in coastal hotels, we finally arrive at the Golden Gate bridge. Now, this thing is picture worthy, and iconic at the same time. We arrived mid-day, so the warm, June heat along with the coastal breeze made the experience well worth the trip. The temperature was moderate, mid-70's, which was in sharp contrast to the blistering heat experienced along the path in northern California.

Fishermans Wharf... We have arrived. Full of tourists, overcrowded, yet inviting at the same time. San Francisco is much like any other coastal town, laid back, easygoing, but at the same time, it is a large city, so you see a mixture of everyone together, co-mingling and benefiting from their differences. I now see the attraction to this tourist destination. People from all walks of life congregate along the piers. Merchants and restaurants litter the urban landscape, but it is what it is in this part of the city. The Wharf is world-renowned for its attractiveness to tourists from all over the globe.

A trip downtown to take in the sights and attractions led me to this odd shaped building. The Transamerica Pyramid is a staggering 853 feet tall and, for now, is the city's tallest building. I was later told that they are close to the completion of another tower, which I did not take a picture of, that will surpass that height. The new tower is called, Salesforce Tower, but is still under construction, will overtake the Transamerica Pyramid by towering at 1,070 feet once completed with construction.

Love On Haight is a testament to the hippy-cultural roots that somewhat defines San Francisco's historical lineage. The Haight-Ashbury neighborhood has been home to many of the cultural icons that shaped the 60's in America. This brightly painted storefront is indicative of the hippie culture of the 1960's. San Francisco is kind of the "de facto" home to the hippie culture as the history of the city is deeply entrenched with iconic figures that helped shape the "Turn on, tune In, drop out" counter-culture movement.

The graffiti that litters the city is somewhat reminiscent of the urban environment. Most cities enjoy their share of graffiti, but San Francisco's style is quite easy on the eyes. Words of power fill the painting as seen above. I do not know if this was just graffiti or was in actuality, some sort of display of art. Either way, it caught my eye as we toured the city.

The San Francisco City Hall is a building that only the capital in Washington overshadows as the architecture and gold accents glisten in the California sun. Truly, this building was built to speak power and wealth, and what a fitting city to construct this magnificent use of government funds than in the city that welcomes anarchists and capitalist, alike.

Here is a rare picture of me, enjoying a beer at one of the thousands of restaurants that fill the city streets. All-in-all, San Francisco is much like any other large city. Full of entrepreneurs, and welcoming of tourists that feed the city's unquenchable thirst to turn a dollar. With one of the nation's highest costs of living, expect to pay top dollar for both your room, and for meals. I could not imagine living in this city with rent prices in excess of $3,400, on average, for a one bedroom apartment.

My wife made reservations near the Wharf in a great location. The hotel accommodations were decent and the hotel had good online ratings to support the quality of the stay. We were one block from the piers, in the central tourist district of the city, within walking distance to all the tourist attractions.

We stayed one night, and found out the hard way that unless you book your hotel well-beforehand, good luck finding a room in this city the same day. So, although we did not get to enjoy the entirety of what San Francisco has to offer, we did have a great time in this bustling city by the bay. The above photo was taken on our way out of the city, as we headed back north towards home.

The journey took us 5 days total, with 3 days down, and 2 days up, but could be done by someone in much less time if their desire was to reach San Francisco in the quickest way possible, but the time spent on the road enjoying the scenery as it passes you by is well worth the extra day or two it will take you. The highway is littered with attractions and it would take someone a lifetime to visit them all.

Hope you enjoyed my my story and photos, and if you feel as if this is a worthy post, please upvote, and/ or comment below.