If I had to list only one occupation on my resume, I might be inclined to list “professional road tripper.”
I am always down for a good road trip, whether it’s for the day or for the week. I love to explore the vastness of California’s highways and back roads, and even after 13-plus years of living in this state and taking off on road trips at least once a month, I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface. The hubs and I have even started pinning a giant map of California with places we’ve been (really been, not just driven through), and the entire region above I-80 is embarrassingly bare. (One day!)
One of our favorite things about living in Southern California — and having family and friends in Northern California — is the opportunity to take a different route every time we visit them. We live for the back roads of the Eastern Sierra and the Central Valley, and relish any drive that doesn’t take us past the odoriferous ranches of Highway 5.
Over the holidays, Will and I jetted up the 5 to visit family in Marin… over the 80 to spend New Year’s Eve in Tahoe… back across the state for a friend’s birthday bash in Salinas… and from there, we had the freedom to choose our own path home.
Few people think of Salinas when they think of California’s vineyards, but this agricultural valley is actually the largest wine grape-producing region in the state (though the more chichi Napa and Sonoma take all the fame).
Besides being home to over 20 wineries (including one called Wrath — how perfect is that?), Salinas is also known as the “Salad Bowl of the World.” The valley grows over 30 percent of the world’s lettuce! If you’ve ever bought bagged lettuce, chances are, it came from this little-known region near the Central Coast.
We love driving through rolling hillsides and sprawling ranch land, so a scenic detour along River Road heading south was a must.
Known as the River Road Wine Trail, this two-lane road meanders through the Santa Lucia Highlands from Salinas to Soledad. We were well past the harvest season, but it made for a more interesting view of the vineyards with their grapevines bare and resting for the winter. The few grapes that did remain had dried naturally in the sun to become raisins!
At the end of the Wine Trail, we made our way onto Highway 101 for a few minutes and exited Jolon Road near King City. We chose Jolon Road because it looked desolate; on a map, it’s bound by Los Padres National Forest on one side and the Santa Lucia Mountains on the other. The lone road took us through groves of California oaks and acres of idyllic ranches.
We passed the site of the former Dutton Hotel, an adobe structure built in 1829 on what was then the El Camino Real. The hotel (turned stage stop turned general store turned saloon turned post office turned army bivouac area) changed hands several times in the course of history (newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst was an owner at one point), eventually ending up in ruin after decades of vandalism and exposure to the elements. The remnants of the building are now on the National Register of Historic Places.
We continued on Jolon Road past Fort Hunter Liggett, the largest United States Army Reserve command post and, ironically, a live-fire training facility with the most tranquil views out their barracks.
From Jolon Road, we turned onto Interlake Road for a glimpse of Nacimiento Lake.
The road straddles two lakes, and somewhere over that ridge lies Lake San Antonio (we could barely see the speck of blue from the road).
As the sun was starting to set behind the range, we reveled in the last few turns on these forgotten roads before making our way back to a civilized highway. What could’ve been a straightforward five-hour drive home turned into eight — but we wouldn’t trade getting “lost” for anything.
19 Comments
Frank Ciccarelli
March 8, 2020 at 4:08 pmKeep taking those photos…
Linda from Garden Betty
March 9, 2020 at 7:45 pmI will! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed this.
srini1990
May 25, 2015 at 1:03 amGreat post. I look forward to taking one these roads soon.
Linda Ly
May 29, 2015 at 8:25 pmThank you! You’ll certainly enjoy the drive. 🙂
Laurie
January 22, 2014 at 12:10 pmSo pretty! The photo at the top makes me want to cycle. What a perfect road for a nice long (40-60 mile) bike ride.
Linda Ly
January 23, 2014 at 2:51 pmI was thinking that on our drive as well! Those wide open hills are so ideal for mountain biking.
Cheryl Jackson
January 18, 2014 at 5:16 pmCheryl Jackson liked this on Facebook.
Amber Snow
January 18, 2014 at 5:16 pmAmber Snow liked this on Facebook.
theGardenBetty
January 18, 2014 at 5:01 pmI love getting “lost” in the middle of California. On the Central Valley Back Roads http://t.co/oaquH9BgGV #travel < TY for RT! @rockmaven56
theGardenBetty
January 17, 2014 at 9:01 pmA California road trip always means getting “lost” in the best possible way. On the Central Valley Back Roads http://t.co/8Y44yUY6pa #travel
theGardenBetty
January 17, 2014 at 3:02 pmCalifornia’s forgotten roads offer so much more than its civilized highways. On the Central Valley Back Roads http://t.co/c6TNBdoW0y #travel
theGardenBetty
January 17, 2014 at 9:02 amFrom the River Road Wine Trail to the Interlake Road that straddles 2 lakes: On the Central Valley Back Roads http://t.co/rprgRdeinq #travel
theGardenBetty
January 16, 2014 at 6:01 pmYou never know where you’ll end up on these forgotten roads. On the Central Valley Back Roads http://t.co/vcbzKNvWLS #california #travel
rockmaven56
January 16, 2014 at 12:38 pmRT @theGardenBetty: I love getting “lost” in the middle of California. On the Central Valley Back Roads http://t.co/oaquH9BgGV #roadtrip #t…
theGardenBetty
January 16, 2014 at 12:04 pmI love getting “lost” in the middle of California. On the Central Valley Back Roads http://t.co/oaquH9BgGV #roadtrip #travel
Cary Bradley
January 16, 2014 at 8:01 amThanks for the photo trip! Spent some idyllic weekends at Nacimiento with dear friends who were fortunate to build a beautiful getaway house there. Lovely, lovely place. One of my favorite in California, which as you know, has many, many, many!
Linda Ly
January 16, 2014 at 2:46 pmI haven’t been to Nacimiento yet, but friends have said that’s one of their favorite places to take a boat out and just relax. I’m looking forward to it one warm summer day!
Cary Bradley
January 16, 2014 at 6:20 amCannot wait to read this! A girl after my own heart! Love those CA back roads!
theGardenBetty
January 16, 2014 at 6:00 amBlogged on Garden Betty: On the Central Valley Back Roads http://t.co/b7jDRyPbx0