Thanksgiving Road Trip: California in a Week

Day 7: PCH to Los Angeles

We woke up early on Black Friday, not to shop, but to get a head start on our drive back to Los Angeles. A little bit of poor planning on my part had us flying the redeye back to Atlanta, and we weren’t sure what kind of traffic we’d encounter along the way. While driving down the 5 will get you to LA from San Francisco in a little less than 8 hours, we decided to take the long route all the way down the Pacific Coast Highway, CA-1.

Renowned Pacific Coast Highway

As soon as we passed the city into Pacifica, we realized that this was going to be a slow, beautiful drive. There was salt hanging in the air and the sun was shimmering across the ocean, and it was then that we realized exactly how many different climates we had seen in a single trip. Canyons to forests, forests to snow, snow to desert, desert to rocks, rocks to redwoods, redwoods to valleys, valleys to wine country, wine country to big cities, and big cities to the ocean: we’d seen it all. A few hours into the drive, we stopped in Big Sur for lunch on the cliffs, and we pulled off to take a photo of the Bixby Bridge, too. The rest of the drive was slow, winding, and gorgeous. We saw the sun set over the Pacific, and tried to see Hearst Castle just as they were closing. Covered in darkness, we decided shift over to the 101 to save a little time, and grabbed dinner at a taco stand in Santa Barbara. From there, we made our way back to LAX, crossing just over 1,500 miles as we pulled into the parking garage.

California sunset

We had a brilliant time in what surely must be the most beautiful state in the U.S., and I now feel like California’s tremendous cost of living must be a little more justified. Where else can you go skiing and surfing in the same day? We also gained tremendous respect for our ride; not even once did we feel the need to get out and stretch from driving fatigue, and after 31 hours of driving, we think Audi’s figured out the formula for a solid interior. The diesel engine in the Q5 has also turned me into an advocate for TDI. It’s a brilliant piece of machinery, and we only had to fill up three times for the duration of the trip. Considering the number of miles–and amount of up-hill, sporty driving the Q5 saw over week, there’s not much else we could’ve asked for. So, if you’re looking for an affordable, incredible road trip, I’d vote that you consider the route we took through California–it’s worth it¬–and if you’re looking for a fun, efficient way to get there, I’d consider a diesel-powered car for the drive. Taking an Audi simply gained us style and comfort points.