Driving the San Andreas Fault

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Day 9

Driving the San Andreas Fault



Today was filled with twist, turns, rain and lots and lots and lots of driving. We drove from McKinleyville, CA to Mill Valley, CA – about 300 miles, via the scenic route of course making it an ALL day adventure.



We began by going through another Redwoods state park down a road entitled the Avenue of the Giants. It is impressive to see those towering giants above you and driving amongst them. A few more pictures and we get back on the highway. I then chose for us to go down the Coastal Highway, because I figure why be in California that close to the coast and not actually see the coast – so we take off towards to the coast, via CA1, also known as the Coast Highway. Little did I know to get over to the coast, you have to drive a section of extremely twisty, stomach churning road that has you doubting if you are anywhere near the coast. That road has to be the curviest I have ever been on (we have been on may curvy mountain roads) and Donald almost lost his breakfast even though he was the one driving. We saw very little traffic, so apparently others realized what kind of road it was and avoided it. But we had committed and continued waiting to get to the coast. And suddenly out of nowhere we turn another curve and there we are. No transition, no warning, it was a crazy road, but we had only just began.



The weather was not in our favor – again – but as all the other times, we keep pushing on. We stop at several pullouts and take in what little view we can with the clouds and rain. The weather really impedes your view and photo opportunities. The road takes us along the San Andreas Fault. It is a beautiful road. But it is not a coastal road like you find around the Gulf of Mexico. No, this road hugs the sides of cliffs with the ocean and rocks hundreds of feet below you. There are no parking areas at the beach. There are parking areas – they are on the cliffs and to access the beach you have to hike a ways down the cliffs – the trail down is steep and often long – a mile or so. The locals know which beaches are good to hike down to – we don’t. We do stop at a few but the tide is not low enough to give way to a beach, so we only look.



Looking down over the cliffs can be un-nerving to say the least and very disorienting – it is a LONG way down – and many areas do not have guardrails. Such beauty – such danger. There are warning signs everywhere telling you to stay away from the edge, do not climb on cliffs, do not get in the water –not everyone adheres to these signs. They are, for lack of a better word, idiots.



The beginning section of this highway is mainly comprised of farm lands and vacation homes, leaving us in search of a gas station as the car is warning us how soon we need gas. Donald is worried, but we make it to the town of Fort Bragg and fill up the car and our stomachs with lunch. The weather dries out some, making us hopeful for the remainder of the trip. We pursue onwards stopping at most areas with good views and little sky falling moisture. Most of the afternoon is filled with curves, stops, pictures, curves, stops, pictures, etc. We see a few areas that look promising for good areas for tide pools and beach walking so we begin our hike down. The rain catches up with us before we can get half of the hike in, making a very wet walk back for Stephen and I (Donald and Shelby turned back much sooner). So no tide pools for us today. We venture southward and start to see blue skies trying to peek through, but it was near the end of the day and we were so tired of riding that we did not attempt any other beaches. We really just wanted to be out of the car. Though we only drove about 300 miles, it was a slow drive – taking us around 10 hours to do so.



Driving those kinds of roads and for that long is exhausting – especially for the driver. It is also hard to take in the sights when you are the driver. Those roads force you to keep a death grip on the steering wheel and praying for a straight section of road. Fortunately I was not the driver. And to quote Donald, “I am glad we drove this road, but I never want to do it again”.



We finally make it to the hotel, but leave shortly for dinner. We opt for The Cheesecake Factory. We have never eaten at that restaurant and found the menu very extensive, portions large and the food was really good. Tomorrows is our last day of sight seeing and we are headed to the prison across the bay (Alcatraz). A little history thrown into the trip is always good.

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