C alifornia is calling, dudes. As we cruise north from Los Angeles along the rippling Pacific coast, a lone surfer with a bushy blond hairdo drifts into view on a wobbly breaker as if transported from the 1960s surf scene. This is Beach Boys territory — our route is through Pacific Palisades, Ventura County and Santa Cruz, all namechecked in Surfin’ USA — and, almost in time with the waves, we roll past dunes bathed in golden sun.
Moments later, my earbuds crank out California Girls , America’s ultimate never-grow-old nostalgia trip. What sublime timing. If this sounds like I’m driving the fabled Pacific Coast Highway in a top-down T-Bird or Little Deuce Coupe, think again.
Agreed, State Route 1 brings all those amped-up road trip fantasies to life, but times they are a-changin’. While rockslides, washouts and wildfires lead to regular closures on that old road, there’s a smarter, more sustainable way to savour America’s sunniest coast..