The self-driving loop on the West Coast of the United States starting from Vancouver has come to an end. The total journey was 5,000 kilometers, which was the longest self-driving trip for the author. There are many experiences to share, but I don’t know where to start. Let’s divide it into several parts:
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Specific Routes and Attractions
From Vancouver to San Diego, I chose to take the coastal highway. For the return trip, as I was in a hurry, I took Highway 5. Washington 101, Oregon 101, California Highway 1 and 101. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to enjoy some parts of California Highway 1 as it was under construction. In terms of cities, the sequence was Vancouver – Seattle – Small towns along Oregon 101 – San Francisco – Santa Barbara – San Diego – Los Angeles – Sacramento – Redding – Portland – Vancouver. Although it seems fulfilling, I actually missed almost all the national parks, such as Yosemite, Lassen Volcano, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Redwood, and so on and so forth. In less than 20 days, it was impossible to cover everything. Moreover, California in summer was really too hot, and I didn’t really want to go to the parks to be exposed to the sun.
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Expenses
I drove a Tesla for this self-driving trip. The electricity cost for 5,000 kilometers was $350. If it were a gasoline car, the cost would be at least three times higher. I chose ordinary express hotels like Best Western throughout the trip. The average price of a standard room during the summer was around $250 per night. There was a phenomenon: Hotels in big cities were much cheaper due to fierce competition. For example, in Sacramento and Portland, a four-star hotel cost only $200 per night, but in small towns like Bandon along the Oregon 101 coast, a two-star hotel cost $300. -
Attractions Not Highly Recommended
I don’t want to introduce too many recommended attractions, but I want to say some not-so-recommended ones. The first one is Santa Monica in Los Angeles. There were so many people, it was terrifying, and… very old. Of course, this is relatively subjective and depends on personal opinions. Another not recommended one is SeaWorld in San Diego. Personally, I think its cost performance is much lower than that of the San Diego Zoo. The specific attractions not recommended have been posted in previous articles, and you can check them. -
Weather
On the Pacific Coast during the summer vacation, it was basically foggy in the morning and cleared up in the afternoon. If your morning itinerary was all about seeing the sea, it is recommended to adjust it. The weather in Washington, Oregon, and along the California coast was relatively pleasant, but it was really hot inland in California, with the daily maximum temperature hovering around 40°C. Actually, spring would be more comfortable for this route. Among them, the most comfortable weather was in San Diego: the lowest temperature was 20°C and the highest was 25°C. As a city at around 30 degrees latitude, such a spring-like weather throughout the year really enhanced the travel experience. -
Safety
Fortunately, I didn’t encounter any troubles throughout the entire trip. Even in San Francisco and Los Angeles, I wasn’t smashed by cars or harassed by homeless people. But from the perception, the downtown areas of big cities in the United States were indeed more intimidating than in Vancouver. Luxury stores even had armed security guards. - Driving
The difficulty of driving on American highways felt slightly more challenging than in Canada, but there was no scene of "crazy drivers everywhere". The driving experience in big cities like Los Angeles was generally good, except for a slightly higher number of speedsters.