Car Travel

Although there are excellent services along U.S. 101, long, lonesome stretches separate towns (with their resident gas stations and mechanics) along Highway 1, and services are even fewer and farther between on the smaller roads. If you're running low on fuel and see a gas station, stop for a refill. Driving directly to Mendocino from San Francisco is quicker if, instead of driving up the coast on Highway 1, you take U.S. 101 north to Highway 128 west (from Cloverdale) to Highway 1 north. The quickest way to the far North Coast from the Bay Area is a straight shot up U.S. 101, which runs inland all way until Eureka. Weather sometimes forces closure of parts of Highway 1, but it's rare. For information on the condition of roads in Northern California, call the Caltrans Highway Information Network's voice-activated system.

Road Conditions

Caltrans (800/427-7623. www.dot.ca.gov.)