Watsonville, in fact, is the source of many of the gourmet strawberries sold throughout the U.S. as well as Red Delicious, Pippin, and cider apples. In the Central Valley, the State Capitol, Sacramento and the cities of Fresno and Bakersfield claim the high population honor. The primary nature of most of the Central Valley is still agricultural except for state government related activities and some computer related businesses in the Sacramento area. The nature of the Northern Coast of California can most easily be seen by viewing the Ewok episode of the Star Wars trilogy. The Redwood forest seen in that movie is part of Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park which extends from the rocky coast of the Pacific up through 2,500 foot mountains which are less than 15 miles from the sea.
Many trails are available as well as nicely isolated campsites for tents through large RVs.
This rugged route hugs the cliffs along the coastline for much of the trip including a turnout just north of the Golden Gate Bridge providing a great view of San Francisco across the bay, an abandoned WWII gun emplacement also just north of SF, and a bird's eye view of the town of Stinson Beach from hundreds of feet above it along the cliffside route of Highway One. Many also visit the wine country near Napa to sample and purchase world renowned California wines or view the Victorian Mansions throughout this region up through Santa Rosa and Petaluma. Reyes National Seashore is also an interesting stop along the way whether to view the 15 foot displacement of a fence line caused by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, or to hike out a couple of miles to the seashore itself. There is presently no access charge for use of this extensive park. Pigeon Point Lighthouse shows up about half way to Santa Cruz along Route 1 and is known for its tidepools.