G13 East (Bitterwater Road and King City Road)

This county road starts out in King City as Bitterwater Road. It is signed off US101 as a way to access East Pinnacles (146 does not go through Pinnacles National Monument, so to access it off US101 you will have to do this road, or perhaps 198, though this is probably faster.) West Pinnacles is accessed only off US101. I've never seen access signs for the Pinnacles National Monument off I5, though its not far from I5 to Pinnacles. From I5 take 198 to 25 for East Pinnacles or 198 to US101 to 146 to access West Pinnacles. The highway starts in Monterey county and ends in San Benito county. It is fast and wide. Faster than a lot of two lane California highways that run through similar hills.

This set is from August 1996. I have done US101 countless times over the past fifteen years in Monterey county, but only twice have I explored some of the back roads that connect US101 with other highways, National Forests, and monuments.

This is looking back towards the Los Padres National Forest, Arroyo Seco, Jolon, and Lockwood.

I had to pull off here to clean the bug splats and dust off my windshield. The wind is blowing the branches and leaves to the left distinctly. This was a very high wind road the day I did it.

This is probably near the county line. The hills in this area are distinctly yellow, as opposed to the maize or tan color seen in other parts of the Coast Range. You can probably see this set of hills easily from US101. In the springtime, these hills become bright, blazing green in a heavy rain year.

This is probably a mile or two past the San Benito county line. The mountain to the extreme left is probably in Pinnacles National Monument. The mountains in the center horizon are probably between 25 and the Panoche Valley (J1 in San Benito and Fresno County.)