[magnus]

85 and 87 too.

Going in the other direction, I definitely agree for the 101 vs. the 5.  The 101 south of Monterey County is very pleasant during and immediately after the rainy season.  
<snip>
And as a native Californian

This mixed article usage confused me.  I had to double check it was the same person. =)
My only guess is Mick was raised in NorCal (or just not SoCal) and either temporarily lived in SoCal enough to pick up the important highway designations, or has lots of SoCal friends that have slowly converted him over time.

Or...maybe I'm just misremembering how it works.  Is "the" only reserved for the major highways?  With ever present Google Maps, it's been a while since I talked directions with a SoCal influenced person.

Apologies, completely off topic. =)

[magnus]

85 and 87 too.

Going in the other direction, I definitely agree for the 101 vs. the 5.  The 101 south of Monterey County is very pleasant during and immediately after the rainy season.  
<snip>
And as a native Californian

This mixed article usage confused me.  I had to double check it was the same person. =)
My only guess is Mick was raised in NorCal (or just not SoCal) and either temporarily lived in SoCal enough to pick up the important highway designations, or has lots of SoCal friends that have slowly converted him over time.

Or...maybe I'm just misremembering how it works.  Is "the" only reserved for the major highways?  With ever present Google Maps, it's been a while since I talked directions with a SoCal influenced person.

Apologies, completely off topic. =)