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The long and winding road...
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Christina Strawbridge
Heading South on HWY 101 from the Bay Area, the route, also known as El Camino Real (The Royal Road), has become very familiar to me over the last 25 years. The famous road that once linked the Spanish missions, pueblos and presidios, and connected the states of California, Portland and Washington has been transformed through "progress" and now serves the appetite of the traveler. The changes have been subtle as development has taken over in many of the sleepy towns that made up the historic route. The old motels, service stations, fruit stands and family rest stops and have been replaced by outlet malls, large apartment complexes and fast food establishments. The once golden hills that turn brilliant green in the winter have been planted
28 • Benicia Magazine
with hundreds of thousands of grape vines. This change has given the Central Coast region significant presence in the wine industry, producing both intriguing and up and coming wineries. For many years, our retreat has been Pismo Beach. It takes about 3 and half hours to get there from Benicia. Time enough to unwind once you have made it through San Jose traffic. The trip goes by quickly, as long as you have satellite radio and a smartphone to stay connected. We once owned a 2nd home in Pismo; actually many different homes that were part of our "fixer upper-flip or flop" phase in life. The attraction to Pismo was that it seemed to be the last of authentic California beach towns. With its long stretches of endless beach, romantic sunsets, boardwalk and, of course, the world famous clam chowder what's not to love?
