Hitting The Highway Past Camp Pendleton & Along The Southern California Coastline
It will never go down as one of America’s great scenic drives – it’s a freeway, after all – but Interstate 5 from Los Angeles to San Diego is a pretty piece of roadway.
Once you speed past the “El Toro Y” as it’s called (the 405 freeway ends here and joins up with the 5, forming Y-shaped ramps) and get to Dana Point, it becomes a pleasant journey.
You pass towns such as San Juan Capistrano, known for the annual return of the the Cliff Swallow birds to the old mission, go up and over steep ridges (note the hills on the east side of the freeway) and past Camp Pendleton where you’ll see helicopters and troops practicing maneuvers and also the occasional tank running along a dirt road.
There is also a good stretch where there is a beautiful view of the Southern California coastline.
I always pull over at the rest stop on a scenic overlook near Camp Pendleton to take a bathroom break or to have lunch at one of its picnic tables. It’s so calm and relaxing, I want to stay a while. But I don’t linger too long because I know I have to get to San Diego before hitting its legendary freeway traffic.
Sometimes, I’ll go down the coast. I just love driving through all those small beach towns.I’ll take Pacific Coast Highway from Seal Beach to San Clemente. I do have to get on I-5 to get around Camp Pendleton there but can re-enter the coast road at Oceanside.
One time, I took the train. I enjoyed that very much and was even able to have a couple of drinks along the way. I would do that more often but getting from PubClub World Headquarters in Hermosa Beach to the train station takes a long as the ride to San Diego. And it’s a lot more difficult.
I would like to take the train more often, but drive is pleasant and I enjoy it.
Cheers!
;
Leave a Reply