Hello, We have been driving on PCH since the late 40s. Our dad was an adventurer. He liked driving and his line of Buick sedans was always large enough to handle a couple of young kids in the back seat always messing around. But, the goal was to see places he had liked from his earlier “single days” traveling and experiences. On our family road trips to Monterrey, CA (then S.F. Bay area) the direct route from our Westside of Long Beach house was to go up Highway 101 (3 blocks from our house) up the coast through Santa Monica and beyond. As little kids, the new cities we drove through along the coast always looked different, despite being a city with a coastal beach and the endless ocean just steps away from the highway. Santa Monica was a larger city and although it was still being built up along the coast, those homes had great beachfront locations. Jnaki That city always had a strong part in our own relationships during college and beyond. My wife’s grand parents bought a house in Santa Monica when the grandfather worked at a local college. She visited them often when she was a little girl. The house was a few blocks inland high on the cliff. Santa Monica was a destination. Later on, as a developing college student couple during 1966, one of our date nights out, as a matter of fact, our 2nd date was Santa Monica + the outstanding pier. The bright colorful lights, the attractions and the great long wide beach for daytime strolls and relaxing was just perfect. We had parked between several large homes in a private parking lot. Some of the spaces between homes were owned by various corporations and used them as “pay as you go/come,” private parking lots for beach fanatics. The city owned lots filled up fast and then the search was on for a “close to the water” location for the parking space. We found one and the El Camino stayed there all day and into the night as we messed around on the pier, lunch on the sand and a nice warm afternoon nap on the blanket close to the water’s edge. A nice sunset dinner, topped it off. Then by that time, a short walk to the “lit up” pier and now, the attractions the pier offered. Since the space our El Camino took was an all day/night spot, we were definitely getting our money’s worth. So, at the end of the day/night adventures, we walked back to the darkened parking lot to the lonely El Camino. It was our home away from home as our travels started that day/night and have not stopped in the years to come, including our daily jaunts to the So Cal beach areas for some respite of getting on in age… yikes!’ Note: One time, the city of Santa Monica put on a huge show/display of Elephant’s history, journey’s and world wide attention to So Cal residents. We parked in almost the same beach side lot to walk to the art display tents propped up along the beach and city owned parking lots. Yes, Elephants and their plight world wide was eye opening.
The Jalopy Journal
