书城外语英语PARTY——时尚之国·美国
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第21章 人文景观Human Landscapes(1)

California State Route 1加州一号公路

加州一号公路从旧金山北边的Leggett开始,一直在太平洋沿岸蜿蜒曲折,直到洛杉矶南部的圣克莱门特,全长超过1000公里。由于得天独厚的地理环境,它的一边是碧波万顷的太平洋,一边则是陡峭高耸的悬崖山脉,风景美不胜收,被称为世界上最美丽的一条公路。

两大城市之间,1号公路连接了数个明珠一般的小镇,它们散落在太平洋沿岸,以清静和优美的环境着称。它们城区内大多有着名的海景公路,比如San Cruz的西部悬崖路,Monterey的Pacific View大街以及16英里道。这些街道一边是大洋,一边则散布着非常美丽的别墅和公园,让人心旷神怡。而且由于交通不便,这些地方都很幽静,居民的日子也很悠闲。实际上,在1号公路上,经常可以见到建筑在临海山顶或悬崖上的别墅,它们远离人烟,隐没在树林之中,面朝大海,身价不凡。难以置信的是,连接两个全美最发达城市的1号公路上竟然有许多保持了原始乡村风貌的小镇,Half Moon Bay(半月湾)虽然离旧金山只有40公里,但安静偏僻,只有每年的10月中的南瓜节才热闹非凡,在这个万圣节前的狂欢中,会选出世界上最大的南瓜——上届冠军南瓜重达半吨!

这条公路另一个吸引人的地方是密布国家和州立公园,如果一一列明,是一个长长的名单,这么说吧,你每过一个小镇就会碰到一个大型公园,这种公园里没有人文景致,而是以原始自然风貌取胜。这其中Big Sur是其中最着名的一个。由于Big Sur在一个突出的海角上,又身陷非常险峻的山脉之中,因此有许多适合的徒步小道,跨越山涧和树林,抵达海边或者山顶,短短的几千米漫步,你就可以站在高山之上俯瞰蓝色的太平洋,或者欣赏幽深山谷里树林的多姿多彩,因此被称为全美最浪漫的步行小道。

实际上,这样的景点,在1号公路上比比皆是,值得称道的是,这些地方都有专门的区域供野营和攀登,并且有周到的水电设施和详细的指南。这么做一方面为旅行者提供最大的帮助,另一方面又让旅行者不随意乱走,破坏原始的自然生态。

Highway 1, legislatively deemed California State Route 1, runs along the Pacific coast for most of the length of the U.S. state of California. In Southern California it is known as the Pacific Coast Highway or P.C.H., and in parts of central California, it is known as the Cabrillo Highway

The highway is famous for some of the most beautiful coastlinecoastline n.海岸线 in the world, which contributed to its designation as an AllAmerican Road. From the north, the highway passes through the cities of Ferndale, Fort Bragg and Bodega Bay before joining with U.S. Highway 101 and entering San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge. The highway continues south on the west coast of the San Francisco Peninsula, passing through Devil,s Slide, on through Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz and Monterey. Several miles south of Carmel, Highway 1 crosses the scenic Bixby Creek Bridge, a reinforced concretereinforced concrete n.钢筋混凝土 arch with a 320foot span that passes over the Bixby Creek gorge. The highway then continues south through the cliffs of Big Sur, then past Hearst Castle, and on to the coastal cities of San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, and Santa Barbara. It then connects to such Southern California beach cities as Ventura, Oxnard, Malibu, Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Torrance. South of the Los Angeles area, P.C.H. winds through cities which include Long Beach, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and Dana Point.

For most of its length from roughly San Luis Obispo northward Highway 1 is a winding, two lane road with occasional passing lanes, except between Watsonville and Santa Cruz, where it is a multilane freeway, between Colma and Daly City, where it is cosigned with Interstate 280 and again a multilane freeway, and in San Francisco, where it is 6 lane wide 19th Avenue and Park Presidio Boulevard, a major approach to the Golden Gate Bridge. State parks and small coastal towns can be found amongst hundreds of miles of wilderness. Along the southern length, P.C.H. is a wide, multilaned boulevard and is even part of a freewayfreeway n.高速公路 as it is cosigned with U.S. Highway 101 in the Ventura and Oxnard area.

Highway 1 follows the Pacific coastline from Baja to the top of the Olympic Peninsula. The most scenic is the 139 miles from Monterey to Morro Bay near San Luis Obispo.

John L.D. Roberts, M.D., from New York founded the town of Seaside in 1887 on land he had purchased from an uncle. Subsequently, he became postmaster, planner and county supervisor as well as a rural country doctor who visited patients on horseback. He dreamed of a road that would take him from his home in Monterey quickly to patients in need. One day a shipwreckshipwreck n.船只失事, 海难, 遇难 required Dr. Roberts to ride to Point Sur, taking him nearly four hours to reach Point Sur to care for the injured. He recognized the need for a road and photographed the land between San Simeon and Carmel and has been credited with being the first surveyor of this rocky stretch of coast.

Construction on Highway One began in 1919. Initial estimates came in at $1.5 million. Federal funds were appropriated and in 1921 voters approved additional state funds. San Quentin Prison set up three temporary prison camps to provide the labor for the road. One was set up by Little Sur River, one at Kirk Creek and later one was established at Anderson Creek. Inmates were paid 35 cents per day and their prison sentences reduced in return for their hard work. Locals like John Steinbeck also worked on the road.

Seventy thousand pounds of dynamitedynamite n.炸药, 〈俚〉能产生不凡效果的人或物 vt.炸毁, 使失败 blasted through the granite, marble and sandstone of the rugged terrain and lime was smelted for making concrete. The heaviest construction was in the 65mile section between Spruce Creek and the area north of San Simeon. More than 10 million cubic yards of rock was blown away. In 1945, work crews found some of the original dynamite sticks under a section of the road. Although the construction was essential, much devastation was caused by dynamiting and later bulldozing and scars and subsequent repairs are visible.

From the 33 bridges constructed with Highway One comes the famous Bixby Rainbow Bridge at Big Sur that we know from automobile commercials. Eight hundred twentyfive trucks brought in 6,600 cubic yards of concrete and 600,000 pounds of reinforcing steel. The rainbow archrainbow arch 虹式拱 was first formed with 300,000 board feet of Douglas fir.

Maintenance, like all roads, is ongoing. In the 80year life span of the Pacific Coast Highway the most damage was from landslides. Winter storms cause erosion, resulting in the closing of the highway for extended periods. But when spring comes the road opens and once again tourists and natives alike enjoy the scenic drive.