>> The 55 miles from Campbell to San Francisco make for one of the nicest commutes anywhere. The journey mostly zips along the Junipero Serra Freeway, a grand and remarkably empty highway that abuts the east side of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
While scenic, the 280 is certainly not 'remarkably empty'. I make the commute from San Jose to SF everyday and wish I shared the enthusiasm of the author.
Apologies for commenting on something completely orthogonal to the point of the OP.
I grew up in the valley, and I can tell you that in 2007 the traffic on 280 and 101 going north in the morning was much lighter than it is today. As SF tech companies have grown dramatically in the last few years, so has the traffic. The same was true building up to 2001; after dotcom, the traffic went down dramatically. Of course, improvements to the highways and interchanges around that time made traffic feel even more sparse on the peninsula.
Those post-dotcom days were sad; the reason there was less traffic was the unemployment of people you knew. You felt that everywhere you went.
It's still emptier than most other freeways and expressways in the area, I think you'll agree. Even during the morning commute north, it's very reasonable except for maybe the 85 intersection (and before you get into SF, naturally). Compare that to the dreadful 101.
While scenic, the 280 is certainly not 'remarkably empty'. I make the commute from San Jose to SF everyday and wish I shared the enthusiasm of the author. Apologies for commenting on something completely orthogonal to the point of the OP.