This was our first venture into northern California above
Napa County (wine, of course). Spectacular is the operative word for the
terrain starting with the Redwoods, continuing on with the coast and finally with
the small towns that have not fallen prey to progress. In fact, some of the
locals in the smaller communities were protesting highway improvements funded
by the Recovery Act to widen some parts of Highway 101. It was a flashback
to the 60’s. I think we discovered where the Hippies have relocated. Tie-dyes,
headbands, shorts and Birkenstocks are still the norm and shaving is
infrequent. Many street performers are plying their trade as gas stations,
local markets and restaurants. Small donations pay their rent, or so they say.
We also saw more medical marijuana facilities than we’ve ever seen. Really
cool, man!
Perhaps it was the timing of our visit. While we were in
Benbow, there was a three day Reggae festival happening down the highways about
14 miles south of us. Driving by, it looked like a Woodstock type of event.
Sadly, we could not get tickets, they were sold out. To give you an idea of the
numbers of fans, our RV park was getting $20 a day for parking and running
buses to the event.
The redwoods begin in Willits, California or so the sign
says that the town bought from Reno, Nevada, that crosses 101 and now reads
Gateway to the Redwoods. The further north you drive, the denser the forests
become. The trees are simply astonishing, in size and number. The redwoods, as we
learned, can grow to a greater height than any other tree. The current record
is something like 374 feet and the some of the giants are well over a thousand
years old. Considering that one felled tree can market for over $100,000, it is
no surprise that logging these forests is tightly managed. It takes at least 30
years for a tree to become ready for market. Examples of overharvested forest spots are easy to spot. The roots, no more than 2 feet deep
spread out from the trunk rather than deep in the soil to support their trunk
size and weight. All this gives anyone who has had a redwood deck or chair
an appreciation of the cost. Properly maintained, your deck or chair will last
for generations.
We took two train rides in the redwoods, the first from Willits to Northspur, an old logging camp; the second on private property that had an old narrow gauge line at Confusion Hill. We love train rides.
Day trips from our park included Eureka, CA, CA Hwy 1 along
the coast from Mendocino to Leggett and local attractions in the Redwoods. Our
park, by the way, was an attraction in itself. We had a nine hole golf course
on site and the historic Benbow Inn across the highway. By far the best RV resort we've visited to date. Level sites, nice people and great amenities.
Eureka, CA was an unplanned day trip that turned out to be
enlightening and fun. When we asked about the nearest Walmart location at the
park office, we were told Eureka about 70 miles away was the closest. This was
the longest drive to the market and full service car wash we’ve
ever made. We started out and drove through the Avenue of the Giants road to
view the redwood forest, then on to Eureka. It is a commercial center for
fishing and logging located in Humboldt Bay of about 27,000 people.
The Walmart is located as one of the anchor stores in the single shopping mall
of the town. Old town has some interesting Victorian buildings and the bay port has some good seafood restaurants. That’s it.
The coast drive was fabulous. The northern California coast
is rugged for the most part and nothing like we SoCal guys are used to. Finding
a sandy beach is much harder than down south and getting to it often requires a
hike down from the highway. The terrain though is breathtaking. Mendocino is a
charming city, also Victorian in theme, with many small specialty shops. Carol
was in shopping heaven and we're moving there in the very near future if Carol has her way.
Well, off to the central coast with a rest stop in San Juan
Batista and then on to Paso Robles, CA. Take care and keep on truckin….. I think Carol might (read know) be sick of trees and curvy narrow roads.
Thom & Carol
Eureka Victorian Carson Mansion
The Pink Lady - Eureka
Old Redwood
Timeline of Growth
World's Largest Woodcarving
Northspur Logging Camp
Mendocino Bay
Carol's Shopping Heaven 1
Shopping Heaven 2
Our Campsite
Campsite from Hole # 7 on course
