From bumper to bumper traffic to break-neck speeding on the freeways, to road rage, these days it's hard to imagine a kinder, gentler era when a road was more than a way to get from here to there and in the least amount of time. For some, a few generations ago, a road trip was an adventure and for most San Diegans, the road of choice was Highway 101.

The Carlsbad Convention & Visitors Bureau came to the table early in 2001, when Supervisor Bill Horn and Carlsbad City Councilman Matt Hall helped spark the interest in promoting California's most celebrated road. The bureau actively participates in the marketing and promotion of the legendary road and sits on the board of directors for the association.

For more than a half century, the route was the primary north-south artery linking San Diego with Los Angeles, and the rest of California with the Mexican border. It was part of a larger, grander coastal highway that ran the entire length of California and continued north all the way to Canada. Much of the road between Torrey Pines and Oceanside remains unchanged although primarily used by locals fed up with the traffic on I-5, and by commuters and tourists as a pleasant alternative to the freeway.

In 1998, the California state legislature granted all of Highway 101 historical status. Although the federal highway designation disappeared from San Diego County, the road survives to this day as Coast Highway in Oceanside, Carlsbad Boulevard in Carlsbad, Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas, Highway 101 in Solana Beach and Camino del Mar in Del Mar.

The Highway 101 Association incorporated in 2002 with representation from the north coastal cities. The group's mission is educating the public and local, county, state and federal governments about the historic highway, preservation of the route, researching the history and promoting economic development in its cities.

One of the goals of the association is the promotion of the route as a destination. “Highway 101is like Route 66, but with a view,” said John Daley, chairman of the association. Major accomplishments of the group include partnering with NCTD to wrap two of tRoute 101 Breeze buses in the image of an old woodie car; “Woodies on 101,” an annual excursion of the San Diego Woodie Club; a written history of the famous road; a full-color promotional brochure; and erecting historic street signs.

An ambitious project for the association is painting six-foot shield signs on the pavement of the road. Oceanside has the distinction of being the first north coastal city to have a replica of the old shield sign painted on the historical route at Wisconsin Avenue. The group is encouraging Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach and Del Mar to follow Oceanside's example.

“Just as Route 66 is known as the mother road of the country, Highway 101 is the mother road of California,” comments Daley. The association's board of directors encourages you to take some time, find a cool milkshake, crank up the Beach Boys, roll down the windows and cruise the 101

To learn more, go to www.divethe101.com.

Laney is the Public Relations Director for the Carlsbad Convention & Visitors Bureau