We were up a little earlier today as we have a fair number of miles to go and want to have plenty of time in the tall timber. Leaving the hotel around 9 we headed south for Redwood State & National Park.
Our first stop was Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Here we picked up some info on the various Redwood park sites and while there picked up stamps and cards.
In Prairie Creek SP we did two short walks to specific redwoods, first the "Corkscrew" Redwood followed by the largest tree in this section of the park system. In any case the trees are huge.
Continuing south we came upon a group of elk grazing in the fields adjacent to the highway. Needless to say, the elk discovery resulted in a stop for photos.
Soon thereafter we took a chance that the Lady Bird Johnson Grove (national park) would be open and so it was. There were printed signs speaking to the congressional stalemate and the porta-johns were locked but walk-in access to the park was not restricted. In any case we did the 1.5 mile hike through the grove and again stood on the spot where Lady Bird was honored by then president Richard Nixon.
Arriving in Eureka around lunch time we decided to stop for a brief respite. After a few errant turns in our driving we came upon a large marina and since "all" large marinas have some type of restaurant, we were in luck. Sitting on the waterfront at Cafe Marina we had a variety of entrees and clam chowder. It was a good lunch and a good break from the day's long drives.
As we departed the restaurant Greg was attracted to a National Weather Service operation in the marina area. Not sure if the weather folks have been working for the past three weeks or not; in any case they've provided some pretty good weather for our recent travels.
Continuing down the coast we entered the "Avenue of the Giants" near Pepperwood, CA. The "avenue" took us through a large section of old growth redwoods and into Humboldt Redwoods State Park. In the park we stopped at a visitor center for general info on redwoods and a suggestion for a brief walk through the trees. The volunteer at the center directed us to a local trail that we traversed for a 40 minute hike through the standing and fallen trees. One cross-section of a fallen redwood suggested it's date of birth around 1,100 years ago; just imagine the history that transpired during its lifetime from around the year 900 to its fall in 2006. The world's tallest coastal redwood measured at 379 feet tall, dubbed Hyperion, is located in the Humboldt park though its location is not common knowledge.
So around 5 it was time to continue the journey. Before us lay one of the state's and perhaps the country's most serpentine and narrow two-lane highways, California HWY-1 through Mendocino County from Leggett to Fort Bragg. Though the 39-mile stretch of highway has a posted speed limit of 55 MPH, there are only a few stretches, perhaps less than 5 miles where one can safely exceed 30-35 mph and many of the curves necessitate speeds that could be matched by a fast walker. If the curves weren't enough to get your attention, the large trees encroaching on the highway right-of-way ensure that you don't stray to far. It's a great highway and a memorable drive for those that survive (we went in with four and all came out safely).
We arrived in Fort Bragg around 6:45 just as the sun was setting.
Greg had noted that General U.S. Grant had been stationed at Fort Bragg early in his career and it had driven him to drink. Well that's understandable; for an outsider there's just not much to do and they have a great micro-brewery in town.
After another good dinner at the North Coast Brewing Company while watching the final innings of the Red Sox vs. Tigers game we retired to our Best Western accommodations.
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