Rise and Shine it’s 5 am! Today was packed of great sights ahead as we headed out of Sonoma County. We were lucky to follow highway 1 out of town which followed the coast line. The views were amazing as we drove on cliffs several feet above the ocean. The excitement started as soon as we got our first peek of the ocean, quiet and calm before the rush of surfers hit the waves. Our excitement ended a couple hours later after it took us nearly an hour to drive 12 miles. Twists and turns in the road from the coast to the inland made for a beautiful site but left the small adventurer car sick and the other adventurer anxious to see our next destination.
After getting back on track and onto a more direct route, althought it was much more rugged with evidence of several mudslides that had ripped away half the road giving way to difficult passings on one way roads. When the tretcherous road ended we followed vineyard after vineyard into the small California town of Healdsburg. The day before, Clayton crossed paths with a fellow traveler in the parking lot of the hotel who had mentioned an incredible tree house that we had to check out in Healdsburg. The little kid in both of us said “right on!” and the search was on. We searched and searched for the tree and after googling the tree house and coming up empty on an address Clayton decided to call to find their location. Long story short it was top secret as the giant tree house was actually a vacation home and due to privacy, they did not want tourists stopping by to take pictures.We even asked a local who seemed very secretive and did not spill a word. We totally understood, grabbed a pastry in the local bakery and hopped back in the Roaring Glacier to explore the Redwoods.
As we made our way to our next stop, Leggert, CA we were in awe of the change in scenery as we encountered the beginning of the Redwood Forest. The trees stood hundreds of feet tall above the road, strong, old, and majestic. When we pulled into Leggert, home of the
‘drive through tree’, we quickly learned that the Roaring Glacier was far too tall and wide to make the drive through the tree. We made our way into the small town with big trees and couldn’t believe the size of the tree. The Chandelier Tree stood 316 feet tall and was nearly 2400 years old. It was fascinating to watch people drive through (especially when a Mercedes broke down momentarily while inside the tree!). Since the Roaring Glacier was too well equipped for the drive we walked through, admiring the beast from inside. After a stroll around the rest of the park and a lovely visit inside the crowded gift shop, we were ready to see more Redwood Forest. Here we come!
We drove up highway 101 as the fog and clouds periodically rolled in. With a simple turn around a bend we were surprised by the vast Pacific Ocean. We pulled off for a quick pit stop to take a big whiff of the salty ocean breeze and watch as kids flew kites and picked sea shells. What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Before we made it to our campsite for the night we drove through a few more CA towns: Eureka, Humboldt and finally Crescent City.
Our campsite was nestled in the Jedediah Smith Campgrounds, inside of the Redwood Forest. Usually we are not all that excited for a campground but boy was this different! It felt like we were in the rain forest as we were surrounded by tall Redwoods, broken trees, bushes, vines growing along the greenery, a recent word of a visiting rainforest panther (black bear!) and a constant mist from above. We set up camp and met our neighbors for the night who mentioned to us about a beautiful river, a close walk from the campsite. We didn’t hesitate as were ready to get our legs moving after a long day in the car. Within 5 minutes we had ventured through the rain forest, down a log staircase and were speechless. The Smith River ran behind the campground in such a peaceful way, we would have never known it was there. We learned it was the only river in CA that was not dammed, making the water crystal clear and very clean. We could see all the way to the bottom of the river where thousands of stones lay smooth and polished from years of wear from the water. After a few pictures and attempts at skipping stones, we headed back to our campsite for a delicious birthday dinner: noodle bowls and beer next to a perfect campfire. Although she was 1,400 miles away on her birthday Ashley still got spoiled by her family who she misses very much and is so grateful to have! A big thank you for the shoes Chelsea and Max (they are perfect! You guys are the best!) and the bag of awesome goodies, Wilbanks (can’t wait to snuggle up in the slippers)! It was the perfect ending to a great day. Off to bed in hopes that the bears will find someone else to bother…stay tuned!
Total miles for the day: 470
Miles per gallon: 18.6
The Land of Enchantment
Our first peek at the ocean on the trip so far....along highway 1.
The vineyards went on forever but we decided it was a little too early to stop for a sample!
Bike race along the vineyards, seems distracting to the racer!
Berries along the side of the road. Should we stop for breakfast?
Inside the town we stopped for breakfast, Healdsberg, CA.
Redwoods here we come!
Attempting to drive through the tree, our car was too tall!
So we decided to watch the other cars come through.
This tree is HUGE. (316 ft. high, 21 ft. in diameter, 2400 yeards old)
Standing tall.
Dinosaurs used to eat off these.
Inside of a tree that had fallen over long ago.
Since we were in town we decided to stop by...beautiful campus.
Crashing waves, but too cold to surf em.
We're coastin'.
An ocean breeze surrounds us.
Green from the street to the sky. It is like a rainforest.
"I love the Redwoods!"-Clayton
Our campsite, nesteled amongst the big redwoods.
Roaring Glacier.
Time to lock up the food!
Clayton imitating the uprooted Redwood.
Looks much scarier than it really was....the climb down to the Smith River.
The Smith River is the only river in CA that is not dammed.
This is why it's so clear, we could see all the way to the bottom.
Much more peaceful than a day on the San Fransicso streets.
Birthday dinner! Yum.
Happy campers excited for some much needed sleep.
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