While the coastal scenery is stupendous all the way, one place worth keeping an eye out for on the drive along Hwy-1 is the tiny roadside community of Elk (pop. 450), 15 miles to the south of Mendocino. Elk is a wonderful little wide-spot-in-the-road, with what must be one of the oldest and most characterful service stations in California (the Elk Garage, in business since 1901) alongside a great little veggie-friendly breakfast-and-lunch road-food stop: Queenie’s Roadhouse Café (707/877-3285). Elk also boasts a general store, some quirky cliffside cabins, and a steep trail leading down to the Pacific shore at Greenwood Cove.
