USA: Hwy-101 South: California

(posted by Kizzy)

Hi all!
We carry on our drive towards California, by now we must have covered 350-plus miles of Coastal Oregon's landscape. We did not stop much because we're quite looking forward to the promise of sunny weather but the Oregon coast had a few more things to show us.

Vista, hwy-101

Prehistoric Gardens, Oregon

Vista, hwy-101

Thomas Creek bridge, Brookings, Oregon

Our introduction to California was the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, said to be the most perfect of all redwood forests. These trees are tall and wide  and very very old.  Some live to 2000 years old.. !  You have to stop and wonder, and pay your respects to these ladies.

First impressions were great, the sun was out and we got this really great spot in the camping ground overlooking a beautiful lake. We were so happy! On this camp site we had a bear safe 'cupboard' to store our food - this made me feel a bit unease but anyway we got our tent ready and spent the rest of the afternoon bathing and walking by the lake!

our backyard, tent site B34!

Home

Bear safe food storage

It's a rocky and not  sandy lake, which has its limitations, but we felt humbled to be able to bathe in its waters and enjoy the scenic views of the redwoods.

We headed for dinner in Crescent City and got a table at the Chart Room restaurant, where we watched in amazement this kid who was hired to entertain a birthday party. He was one of these balloon-artist-types, and there was no end to his imagination. He's creating hats for this birthday party of 15-20 people and for each person he created a new design!

Outside the restaurant there was more entertainment: this local colony of sea lions that has a lazy spot in the fishing harbor behind the restaurant, and on a daily basis spent sometime soaking up the soon. Perfect photo opportunity!

Fishing nets

sundown at the harbor

We're in the redwoods county and here you don't have to look for them, they find you, seriously, it's like look around.

There were so many trails to choose from but these ones stood out for their variety and personality:

Trail: Stout Grove, length 0.6 miles, climbing 40ft
This a really nice and short loop trail, past the park's tallest tree and a number of swimming holes along the Smith river - "the world's most scenic stand of the redwoods". We could've reached it from our tent spot, but we were advised to drive because we wanted to pick up another trail that was further down the road. It's definitely worth it. Think of trees in the traditional sense, they usually look the same don't they? Well here you get an introduction to 'Wonderland'. Not one tree is the same and each of them will challenge gravity and common sense.

Trail: Boy Scout Tree, length 5.3 miles, climbing 750ft
This one is very close to my heart because it celebrated our 4th year marriage anniversary. It was perfect, the pace and distance were right, we talked loads and had the opportunity to appreciate our time together and remember our journey.

The Boy Scout tree is 'a giant double tree resembling the two-finger boy scout salute', and you will see why.

Nevertheless, there's is plenty of tough competition.

I choose some separate photos of the trees, where we felt you can see a 'personality'. We leave it with you to make sense of it...

Popeye?

No comment

The camera would not stop clicking. There were so many different angles and different perspectives you get from seeing these ladies. And depending on the time of the day, they will show a different personality.

Our journey took us further south to Crescent City, where we stopped to get our washing done. Here we met a curious retired and very active cyclist, who invested some of his time to give us some essential 'advice' on where to go and what to do next. From him, we got more detail about the stranded whale in Klamath river. There are many versions, and this is the one you are getting from me: the whale traveled up river to give birth, the baby managed to return to the sea but because the water levels were low and its considerable size the whale got stranded.

According to locals, the whale had now been here for 30 days. Unfortunately it did not come out of the water too high for us to get a good look  - how inconsiderate!

From this same guy, we took advice to follow some of the scenic drives that gave us more great photos and experiences: the Coastal drive in Klamath area and Fern Canyon.

Klamath Area - Yurok Loop Trail
We detoured from hwy-101 into the narrow and scenic Coastal drive, partially paved, offering close looks at Klamath river and breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. Here we enjoyed privileged access to a protected beach and picnic area at the mouth of Wilson creek. Very different from all others we have been too.  We walked a good 15 minutes or more before we could see the ocean, the beach had a desolate feel.... beautifully empty! We found out  that this was a sacred Yurok Indian ground and we could see why...

Fern Canyon
Fern Canyon is also a must, we heard that scenes for the movie Jurassic Park were filmed here. The drive to the Canyon was not very pleasant, the road was not well sign posted, we had to second guess all the time, it is narrow and windy, and it was hard to know if we were close or not. When we finally got there, we had to drive an additional 10 minutes from Gold Bluffs Beach on an unpaved road with potholes that almost destroyed our car.... but, ok it was worth it!

Of our next stop our travel guide said "the most attractive and enjoyable town on the far north coast of California, Arcata"... Uhm. Arcata... Our first introduction to Arcata was the town Plaza, completely dominated by a group of 'locals'. A bit like hippie ville, young and old, enjoying the sun, with their dogs and guitars lounging in the park, and it seemed that they'd be spending the night there. Actually they did.

A local

The next day we had the chance to experience the Saturday 'Farmer's market' that attracts folk from all over the place. It was great, people growing their vegetables or baking and selling it in this market place. There was a general feel that all of them shared something in common: a carefree attitude. Everyone looked so happy and relaxed. I said to Col 'I want what they're having'!

Farmer's Market, Arcata

DYI yarns

We said goodbye to Arcata and headed to its neighbour: Eureka. They were both great, but it was hard to make out what was the thriving industry here. They both share an arty and eco type 'philosophy' of life. Eureka looks like the older sister of Arcata, a bit more pretty and mature. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the time of the year we visited, but there was hardly anyone on the streets and it was a Saturday! Maybe they all headed off to the 'Saturday market' in Arcata...

Romano Gabriel - garden artist, Eureka

Wall mural, Eureka

Remember that guy who gave us really good advice in the laundromat? Well, we owe him another entry. He suggested we stopped at the Chapman's Gem and Mineral Shop & Museum in Fortuna. Wow. This place has a massive collection of all things 'rock and stone', it's so beautiful that it defies logic. There's so much variety and quantity, and these stones come from all corners of the world. Col and I spent a good hour or two there, literally just looking at rock and stone.

It was a good stop, but our destination was the Avenue of Giants, the stretch of historic hwy-101 through the redwood county of Humboldt County. It earned its name because this avenue is lined by groves of massive trees.

And every now and then you come across some great tourist traps. There's plenty for every taste, we picked a few:

In Redcrest is the Eternal Tree House

Eternal Col!

In Myers Flat is the Shrine Drive-Thru Tree - Col drove through the tree and I made my way to get the best photo. At the same time a group of German tourists arrived to the location and you should have seen the frenzy of photo taking. If you didn't know better you'd think Col was some movie star!

That's my man in the car!

The cheering crowd

Also in Myers Flat you get the One-Log Houses

'Mi casa es su casa!'

But I have to say that my all time favourite was Confusion Hill, there are various versions and this is the one you heard from me: sometime ago some dude decided to build a house on the side of a hill and then spent most of his life 'sorting out' balance issues in the house. A family now runs this 'anomaly' as part of a business opportunity, where they explore the oddities of such a choice of architecture. They also told us that the area has a strong magnetic pull so weird things happen here and it seems that normal rules of physics do not apply.

I'm standing on the floor of the house

By the way Col''s standing on the wall

It was more or less around this point that we left hwy-101 and joined hwy-1 on a beautiful drive over the rugged coastal mountains through the coast of the logging and fishing communities of Rockport and Westport. We spent the night at the Westport Inn and Deli, where we had the pleasure of meeting and chatting to Otto, the manager. We were both touched and moved by his histories and his charismatic presence.

with Otto

I think Westport was my favourite place, a mix of characters and personalities who blend perfectly with the eerie town look and rugged coastal landscape. Almost as if out of an Hitchcock movie.

Here we also met the artist responsible for the Westport Whale blogspot. We were first attracted to his house by the uplifting messages he displayed in his garden and also an outdoor whale installation he is working on.

You can find out more about the installation on the blog site

On the morning of our departure we caught up with him tidying up his garden and had a short and friendly conversation.

We stopped for lunch at the picturesque town of Mendocino, famous for featuring on TV shows like Murder, she wrote and numerous movies. The village and surrounding headlands can be visited in a day. We headed to the beach, where perched on the hill we watched as people built 'houses' with the drift wood.

The views are great and many winter and spring visitors come here to see the migration of gray whales headed north on their return from the Baja California lagoons, where their calves were born. We, unfortunately didn't see any.

It's now 31st July and we've completed 5 months of traveling. We begin to feel a bit of pressure to reach L.A and at this point we're rushing through the coast to reach our destination. The southernmost 40 miles of Mendocino coastline are almost totally undeveloped and virtually uninhabited. On average we drove 3 to 4 hours a day, sometimes more because we had to allow the time to stop in between and take stock of the beautiful vistas.

We took a break in the old lugging port town of Gualala. Here Col enjoyed one of his best dinners at the Bones Roadhouse restaurant. I was not so lucky with my meal, but Col swears by it.

Something to share: most diners on the coast will  have the walls covered with funny things like license plates and funny messages. We found a few good ones here...

The waitress notice Col taking the picture above of the hippie sign  - such a tourist thing to do! - and  as we left she said - "your using the wrong exit!".. chortle chortle.. "

Whilst waiting for our table at Bones we started chatting with this happy couple and they recommended that on our way south we should stop at the Spud Point Crab to enjoy the best clam chowder in Bodega Bay. Well, we followed their advice and, oh my days, it was better than good it was 'quite lovely'. I wish it didn't have to end. It was the best I've ever had!

You will notice that as we approach San Francisco the names of town and villages begin to have a very distinct Spanish flair. In Bodega Bay we took a short drive to Bodega Head, following the friendly advice from the visitors centre. We were told that there had been many sightings of whales that day and also from there we should be able to see sea lions and sharks.

We must have just missed them because we did not see the whales, nor sea lions or sharks. But we're still hopeful. As you drive along the coast, it becomes a theme, you know to watch wales. What we did find  - and we were not disappointed - were beautiful vistas of the rugged coast and we watched intently as a swarm of busy bees tended to their flowers.

From Bodega Bay we made haste to San Francisco, where we arrived on 1st August. You will be getting Col's update on San Francisco and then I will post on the remainder journey in Cali.

A few thoughts
We celebrated 4 years of marriage on the 28/07/2011. Wow. We feel we're still babies but we both recognise that we did not see time go past. We had 4 good years and it's getting better. We're very thankful for having a great family, good and loyal friends and being able to enjoy good food and good wine. Personally, I thank all the restaurants that we ate at because 'I can't cook', and I'm so thankful that Col was able to see past my 'limitation' and embrace the possibilities.

During this journey we learned that our friends Liam and Sadia became proud parents of a beautiful baby girl, Farah. And whilst staying in Arcata we had the chance to skype with them and get to know Farah. We're so happy for you! And happy for Farah too who made it out and is healthy and beautiful. Our thoughts are with you.


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