Avenue of the Giants

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[youtube=RfwY5pWRIKA]

We pull out on the highway quickly running out of daylight. We cross the border with no fan fare, there are no check points any longer to check for fruits and vegetables. We arrive in Crescent City, and remember we are hungry. We spot a Burger King with a parking lot that seems large enough for our entrance and exit and stop to dine on Whoppers. Our plan is to make it to Eureka about 80 miles down the coast before stopping, so dinner is now or never. After dining on our gourmet burgers we again head off down the coast but this time it is different. You cannot see anything, there are no street lights, no towns, just you the highway, the sound of the ocean and darkness.

Soon we turn slightly inwards and start on the Redwood Highway, starting through the Smith River National Recreation Area. ( Redwood National Park) This is a two lane road, opposing traffic and again the lane is not very wide. You pass by large looming shadows that stand guard duty in total silence, they are the first of the giant redwoods. Although you cannot make them out with fine detail their presence is known just by their massive span. You find your self on a winding road taking you up, down and around steep corners. About half-way into the area we come to a small village that features a tall statue of Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe. Still we push on in total darkness and silence, Larry needs all his concentration to maneuver around these curves.

Suddenly the lanes open up and we find ourselves again in flatter land and coming into the city of Eureka. If you remember your history, when gold was found in California, Eureka was the shout they cried. There is a large body of water to our right, it is Humbolt Bay and there are lights seeming to go straight out into the water, it’s the bridge to take you to its point. We are on a four lane highway now with a center median but again it is dark. We set the GPS to take us to the RV park, and turn mid way through town back north. It says to go about 2 miles and then it says turn right, which we do, we ended up in a car lot. After several tries to turn our rig around we again head down the highway towards Eureka, and try to reset the GPS and it again tells us the same thing. We need someplace to pull into and try to re set this device and we find a shopping mall and its large enough for us to maneuver.

We pull in and head towards the rear of this lot and as we come around the last buildings corner we run into the local police, just sitting there, completely hidden from view, even the road. I think we startled him as much as he startled us, for he immediately started his car and started to leave, when Larry flagged him over. We asked directions for the RV park and he proceeded to provide them, thanking him we left and again headed north on the highway. Now I have told you before that without a GPS one would have a hard time finding these parks, well this one proved to be the hardest of all. You turn onto a road that is several companies with large machinery, and as you continue down this road it winds around a corner and completely hidden from view is the entrance to this park. We stopped for a few just to make sure it was an RV part and not a junk lot.

It is about 11pm and we pull in and as usual when you are a late arrival you check a map of available spots, fill out a slip and simply pull in, which we did. We did not bother to hook up since it was so late, so we dry camped using our propane and nothing else. In the morning we were able to see where we had pulled into. It looked like this place was originally here and these companies moved in afterwards. It was OK for its location and after haggling for a refund for not using any utilities, we head out. We start off down the highway and soon come to our first turnoff, a small city called Ferndale.

This town was founded during the hay day of the lumber industry. The very wealthy came in and built their homes down in this valley, they fashioned them after Victorian homes they left behind. You cross over the Fern Bridge which crosses over a mostly dry river. The town is a quaint assortment of homes and business fronts all in this turn of the century design. After several snaps we head off again over the bridge, since we left early we did not have any breakfast or coffee, as you exit the bridge and turn on to the highway there is a row of small business fronts. One is a cafe, which we hope will provide coffee to go. It is the small town classic cafe, tables to your right with white table cloths and napkins and a vase with a flower in the middle. The counter is to your left and has several town folk sitting enjoying their brew. We ask for two coffees to go and are directed to a large urn with cups.

As I start to fill our cups, it is evident that this pot is almost empty, the coffee resembled the black goo that oozes from old engines, still we need some coffee and this is better than nothing. But after putting 6-7 creamers into mine and it still had the coloring of ebony wood I had my doubts if I did want to drink this stuff. I ambled over to the cashier and stated to him that now in deed the urn was empty and he glanced down at our cups. He stated that he would not let us go out unless we had freshly brewed coffee with fresh cream. He removed the urn and brought us new coffee and fresh cream and apologized for the bad gunk. At least good service is alive and well in Ferndale. Loaded with fresh coffee and the presence of mind that people can be nice, we again pull onto 101.

A few miles down the road the Avenue of the Giants off ramp looms into view and we exit crossing under the freeway and entering a towering forest with giant trees so tall your neck hurts from looking up to their top. The forest is dark from lack of light from these giants and soon we find a wide spot and pull over. Dogs in tow we start out on a small walk admiring these trees who have stood here for hundreds of years. On the ground is a mulch of ferns, needles and redwood bark making your steps fall silent and cushioning you feet. Ferns sprout up here and there adding some green against the red color of the trees. Those that were hit by lightning have either fallen of have burned hollow allowing you to step inside, large enough for two or three people to lay down if needed and would afford comfortable shelter from rain or snow.

Continuing down the avenue we constantly need to dodge the bicycle riders who seem to think they own the road and actually challenge you to pass them. You come to several little stores in the park that let you purchase supplies if camping and small pieces of red wood carved into interesting shapes for astronomical prices. The entire loop is about 38 miles but you are afforded the opportunity to exit at many places and pick up 101, which we do, you could stay all day but alas we have a time line to keep to. Back down the highway we are passing logging mills and trucks loaded with giant logs all the while more giant redwoods dot the hills around us. This part is a four lane highway which changes from time to time to a very narrow two lane going around corners which challenge your driving skills. Loaded logging trucks are very large, I thought we were large, however next to one of those rigs, it’s like comparing jelly beans to russet potatoes.

The redwoods soon start to vanish and oak trees take their place and the hills become lower until they almost vanish, for you are traveling inland, far away from the coast. We come to a town called Willets that was host to an event called Earth Dance, a large field with some tents left was host to a huge crowd of ? I would say late blooming flower children since we were not too far from San Francisco. That and we saw several hitch hiking down the highway and they fit the picture. Willets is also the point where you can take the Skunk Train around the rugged coast line and end up in Fort Bragg, the trip is round trip but you can stay overnight in Bragg to sightsee and return the next day. Since this coast line is too rugged and craggy for a straight road, this line boasts the most turns, scenery and trestles than any other line affording you some of the most beautiful scenery around.

The scenery is now oaks and dry arid brush cover most are acacia type bushes. We soon are on the part of the 101 coming into the Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino valley. Now during our trip down the 101 every place they have decided to improve this road, they have turned it inland, made 4-6 lanes of traffic and called it a "freeway". So we find our selves on this freeway passing miles of grape vines all lined up perfectly. Some of the vineyards have marked their grapes so you can tell which ones you are passing by. Merlot, Shiraz and many others are growing large clusters of grapes. Tasting rooms and winery’s are as common as gas stations and offer you a taste of their wine for free as well a generous discounts should you prefer to buy some.

Continuing down this freeway soon proved to be the most uncomfortable part of our trip. Since we left Alaska and crossed over the dirt highways, we had picked several pounds of pea-gravel, which until now had stayed on the car trailer, just out of reach under the car. We had come through the Yukon, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, upper California, been on other dirt roads, pull offs climbed hills, swerved around corners and had not lost a rock, not until now. This road was so badly damaged from the large truck traffic and we bounced so hard that we lost most of our gravel. This might sound petty, but since we discovered our cargo we had checked it each night to see if it was still there, and it had become a part of us. We had laughed, that when we arrived at our relatives we would give them the rocks as a token of our trip and a trophy from the Yukon. So somewhere in Mendocino County there are gravel rocks sitting by the roadside a long way from their home.

During our trip through the Yukon and B.C. we had lost some time from the snow storms and now needed to decide our next course of travel. We could continue down 101 and through San Francisco, or turn inland and go through Oakland and head towards the 5 and follow down to our next destination. We chose the inland route and turned towards San Rafael and the bridge. This is the first time I had been on this bridge and was thrilled to be able to cross during the daylight. It is a two level bridge, traffic going east is on the bottom and west travelers are afforded the best view on top. It is an impressive bridge from the distance and once you are onto it you are allowed a fantastic view of the bay. Off to your right is the faint outline of the Golden Gate Bridge, shrouded in fog it looks ghost like, much like a mirage. There is a large tanker moored to a wharf unloading is cargo. Dotting the coast line are large outcropping of rocks threatening to sink any vessel that should come to close. You exit the bridge and find yourself on the freeway leading to Oakland and more traffic than we have seen on our entire trip.

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Photos

Oregon Dunes
These dunes go on for miles and encroach into the nearby town.

Oregon Lighthouse
A lonley light house stands guard over an Oregon Coastline.

Sunset
A beautiful end to a perfect day.

Beach Dogs
Digger and Cody play in the water.

Victorian Ferndale
A fastenating town to visit and explore.

Hollow Tree
This hollow tree offers both wildlife and visitors a place of refruge.

The Forest
Lush green ferns grow on the shaded forest floor under the watch of the giant redwoods.

Vanished Redwoods
Once you leave the forest the hills change quickly from redwoods to pine and cedar trees.

Grapevines
Grapevines are as far as the eye can see.

To The San Rafael Bridge
The San Rafael Bridge is an impressive structure.

Double-Decker Bridge
Crossing the bridge driving east, while west bound cars are on the upper level.

Windmill Generators
Giant windmills dot the barren hillsides near Livermore.