Summer Vacations: Where To Go OUTSIDE California's Border

CALIFORNIA - Years ago, when we lived in central California, we'd head over to Morro Bay on weekends.

Morro Bay is sort of a Half Moon Bay lookalike. In 2013, it counted 1,613 fewer residents. But traffic is a lot better on the Central Coast Morro than at the intersection of state Highway 92 and state Highway 1 in Half Moon Bay at 11:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning.

On our sojourns, Morro Bay was small enough for me to at least twice recognize the license plate holder of a particular Datsun truck on which the salty air of the sea had taken its ugly toll.

The license plate around the black-and-white California plate said: "I Live Where You Vacation."

Each time I saw it, I chuckled.

But it was true. Whoever owned this forever-parked Morro Bay haul-around lived in this cool city.

And I, I was a visitor.

These days, 18 million Californians could display the samely-named aluminum license frame around their own unique California plate, saying a smug "Hello" to all these tourists we see driving on our freeways with the bar code stickers on their rental car windshields.

It would seem everyone comes to see us.

Surprisingly, according to WalletHub, California ranks only 22nd of the 50 States we call United when it comes to the website's 2016’s Best & Worst States for Summer Road Trips.

It would seem we'd be a lot higher.

California is ranked first in America when it comes to "Fun and Scenic Attractions" compared to the rest of the country, according to the survey.

Disneyland, Yosemite, Fisherman's Wharf. What other state can boast of a similar lineup?

But the Golden State is penalized for "Driving and Lodging Costs."

WalletHub says we're dead last of 50 states when it comes to getting there, and staying there.

Number 50 of 50 for "Highest Average Gas Prices." Number 47 of 50 for "Lowest Price of Camping."

Ouch.

Out-of-state respondents probably take a second look when their credit card bills arrive after that Big Sur Highway 1 experience, full of $200+ room charges .

So, Californians, let's turn the car around.

Gas up.

Where should we Californians head, crossing our borders - let's say here in the West - for the best "Summer Road Trip," according to WalletHub?

Well, head north.

Number 1, not only here in the West, but in all of the 50 states, according to WalletHub, is Oregon.

The Beaver state boasts the second-rated "Fun and Scenic Attractions" ranking in the country, and is 5th in "Road Conditions and Safety," according to the survey.

Oregon also far surpasses California when it comes to "Number of Nightlife Options Per 100,000 Residents." WalletHub says Oregon is fifth in the country when it comes to hanging out at night. California ranks 41st.

Next, a whisker away, is nationally second-ranked Nevada. Camping up in the Sierra, or down on the desert floor near Jackpot is considered the least expensive nightly camping arrangement in America. And respondents marveled at Nevada's roads, ranking the Silver state's roads second in the country in quality.

The quality of California's roads were considered the worst in the entire country.

You can see the full WalletHub survey result here.

Click on the interactive map below to find your best "Summer Road Trip," according to WalletHub.

Also on Patch: The 50 'Safest Cities' in California

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WalletHub Sources: Data used to create these rankings were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Park Service, the Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety, the National Conference of State Legislatures, AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report, the American Scenic Byways, CarMD, Kayak.com, Koa.com, Tripadvisor, BetterBridges, TRIP, and WalletHub research.

-image via Ian Sane/Flickr, embed via WalletHub