10-Day California Coastal Excursion
September 16 to 26, 2001
Leaving San Diego on Sunday, the 16th, we headed up I-15 to I-210, or at least I thought we could get I-210 from the 15 in Rancho Cucamonga. My Rand McNally is two years old now, shouldn't that dashed line be solid by now? Didn't I read that Governor Gray Davis dedicated that portion of long-awaited Interstate a few months ago? I guess not. We ended up going through Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Claremont and La Verne on scenic Foothill Blvd., also part of "Historic Rte. 66". We stopped at a historic McDonalds for a quick healthy snack and proceeded to catch the real I-210 in San Dimas. Below is a photo of the McDonalds "Classic".
We passed Santa Barbara and made our first night's stop at El Capitan State Beach. You can always tell if you're at a California State Park or Beach by checking the showers. If you have to insert a quarter to get any water, you know where you are. Our camp spot had a decent ocean view and there was a paved trail that connected El Capitan with Refugio State Beach, 2-1/2 miles down the road. That made a nice run for me the next morning. We covered over 250 miles the first day, leaving a short jaunt to the world-famous Madonna Inn the next day. Below is a view from our camp spot and Lorri on the beach.
