Time Travel from Gaviota Beach to Orcutt, California
On The History Highway
with Curt Cragg

Since the early Padres laid the path of the El Camino Real, Californians have been fascinated with the romance of the Coast Highway. Even today the pristine shore of the Pacific Ocean appears seemingly unchanged along the Gaviota coast north of Santa Barbara. This journey ends at Gaviota Beach where the route of Highway 101 turns inland and travels through coastal valleys in northern Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey Counties. In fact, if you have traveled this route north you know that your next glimpse of the Pacific Ocean won’t be seen until you cross the Golden Gate of San Francisco.

In the early 1900’s as the automobile was dawning on America, adventurous travelers set out to make the journey from Los Angeles to San Francisco to see what this unspoiled coast was like. Through the magic of time travel I can take you back on a journey along a portion of the inland valley route from Gaviota Beach to the oilfields of Orcutt, in the northern part of Santa Barbara County.

My time machine is a Chevrolet touring car and although it is not quite as romantic as the notion of traveling “Back to the Future” in a silver Delorean, we’re less likely to stick out like sore thumb. When we pop into the 40’s and 50’s our car will change to a more modern coupe.

So jump in and enjoy the ride as we travel on the History Highway; California’s historic Highway 101! And don’t worry, we’ll be stopping at plenty of service stations along the way.

Better begin with a road map so you know where we're going to land.


C Cragg