Northern Cali in a droptop Benz – PCH, Redwoods, Golden Gate, Windows XP Hill

August 31, 2025

In August of ’22 I took a week off to go to Northern cali for a reggae festival. The show was great, but I was even more stoked to rent a Mercedes SLK for a week to explore California. Having been to So’Cal before, I knew that I now needed to see what the northern half of the state had to offer. Such majestic sites as the Pacific Coast Highway, the Golden Gate Bridge, the redwood forests, and of course, the Windows XP Hill.

After securing my reservation on Turo, something like $70 a day, I ventured into Oakland to pick up my rental. An older lady giving hella Karen vibes met me outside while walking her poodle. The car was ready. After taking the keys, I dipped and left that bitch in the dust until next week, hoping I wouldn’t damage it in anyway and have to witness her Karen side that I knew was aching to rip me a new one if I came back with so much as a scratch.

It was definitely the perfect car for a Karen. But for the next week, I would use it to its full potential. Hopping on the Oakland Bay Bridge and crossing into San Francisco was a nightmare of traffic, and an $8 toll. But once I was clear of that mess and heading south towards, I threw on Akon’s I’m So Paid, and hit the gas.

Redwoods

The redwood forest lay between San Jose and Santa Cruz, and it was a beautiful drive indeed. There are loads of other pockets of redwoods sprinkled across the northern half of the state too, this Big Basin Redwood State Park was my favorite though. Would you believe its California’s oldest state park?

Pacific Coast Highway

The PCH runs the entire length of California. I had done the southern portion north of LA before, but never ventured further than Santa Barbara. So for this trip, I made sure to head as far south as Monterey, and back north as far as the little seaside town of Nicks Cove.

Over the next week I would do this loop in different variations, sometimes heading north, sometimes south on the 1.

Lonely beaches

There were dozens, maybe hundreds, of places to pull off the road and walk down to the beach. At some points the road was right at sea level, and at others, you could only see the beach from atop a huge cliff.

They all had one thing in common: intense wind and cold.

Golden Gate Bridge

I made sure to drive across this bridge several times. My thoughts? Very red. Very tall. Really classic vibe too, like it was built in the 30s or something.

Windows XP Hill

Heading north across the Golden Gate and out of ‘Frisco. One of my primary goals was the fabled Windows XP Hill. I had gazed upon it in photos for years, but never thought I would get the chance to see it in person. I had the exact coordinates and made my way there in the morning light.

Little did I know, this part of Cali is hotter than Satan’s taint. I got a wild sunburn.

Known as Bliss, this famous hill is located in Sonoma county, in a dusty farm region. I had memorized the hill’s every curve and knew that I would recognize it when I saw it.

I crested a hill cruising down Highway 12, and gleaming in the sun, I finally laid eyes upon its majestic beauty. Though its lush fields of green had been replaced with vineyards long ago, you could still see its faded glorious silhouette.

I didn’t even stop the car to get a picture. The heat was on the limits of human survivability, I shit you not. I had the top down and the AC blasting and was driving as fast as I could. My balls were still melting into the seat.