Apr 18, 2013 - Avenue of the Giants

Day 45 of The Big Trip Our driving distance was a little more than 100 miles, which really taxed our endurance. The scenery changed drastically as we entered the coastal range. The roadside poppies were beautiful. We arrived at a beautiful RV park, just south of Garberville shortly after noon. Jim and Sandi had driven the Avenue of the Giants, but we never had; so off we went to see these magnificent trees. The drive is 32-miles long, with stops along the way to see groves of old-growth redwoods. Stepping into one of those groves gave me...

Sep 27, 2012 - benbow rv - garberville, ca

big red wood trees everywhere.. pic of tree of life, look carefully, see the branches, that look like there is a whole other tree growing up? couple pic's of big tree shows perspective of how big they really are. Just down the road, - elk hanging out, the big guy had himself a nice group, when they crossed the road, one of his ladies strayed from the group. He looked around and then started to scream, almost like high pitched screach/whistle?

Apr 23, 2012 - I Warned You

Fortuna, CA. Posted Monday, 4-23-2012 Mid afternoon. 64 Deg. partly coudy, NW wind @ 6 mph. Forecast tonight = Overcast with rain showers. Fog overnight. Low of 52F. Winds from the South at 5 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20%. Well, I warned you that I may not have an Internet connection while out here along the California Coast, and sure enough, that's just what happened. I've kind of kept track of what happened and when it happened by writing it down on a word procesor, and so now, I'll try to copy and past it here. Oh, and when I opened...

Feb 14, 2012 - Pacific Coast, Oregon and California

We have been slowly working our way down US 101 along the Pacific Coast of Oregon and California on our way to the warm, dry desert country of the Southwest. Our first stop was the little town of Neskowin, Oregon, located a few miles north of Lincoln City. The campground where we stayed, Neskowin Creek Resort, has been a favorite of ours for some time, and it is an easy walk to the beach. It’s been a bit stormy lately, so the ocean was very active with an off-shore wind resulting in a lot of spray blowing off the tops of some of the larger...

Aug 21, 2011 - Martinez, CA to Burlington Campground, CA

We stopped in Healdsburg, California for some wine tasting. The fancy options were a little too fancy, so we tasted wine made by a former skater under the Hobo label, and some wine made by brothers. Then we headed north, picking up a hitchhiker along the way who smelled up the car for the remainder of the trip. She introduced us to the phrase "nifty groovy" and also talked about the "hippie aristocracy" in Mendocino County and Garberville. Per her, she had been working at Winna Rainbow camp, run by Wavy Gravy of Woodstock fame. We camped...

Apr 15, 2009 - Avenue of the Giants

With breakfast out of the way and lunch packed we begin a journey up Hwy. 101 and the Avenue of the Giants. We are located in Humboldt County home of the Redwoods. Soon after beginning we discover an interesting side trip, The Lost Cove. In the '20's when the famous route 1 coastal highway was built, this area was deemed too rugged for a road. It became an isolated fishing village. Once you arrive, it becomes a relatively flat seaside resort set amidst a long stretch of sheer ocean cliffs. The area is managed by the Dept of Interior(BLM)....

Mar 26, 2009 - Garberville, CA

We spent a comfortable 3 nights at the RV campground at the Benbow "Resort." The campground was little more than a parking lot beside the hwy, but was neat and well tended. One day, with the weather sunny (unusual for this area) and cool, we drove to the coastal town of Shelter Cove. This is a small community of houses with a small airport, golf course and general store, at a beautiful spot at the south end of the Lost Coast. A huge new house on the bluff above the ocean was selling for under $1 million (a bargain at CA ocean front prices)...

Jan 6, 2009 - Avenue of the Giants

This morning we left Eureka again heading south along California highway # 101. Our plan was to only travel about 60 miles for the day so that we could stop and tour “The Avenue of the Giants”. The night before we had identified a RV Park that we thought sounded good in a local newspaper ad. The park was about 55 miles south of Eureka at a place called Myers Flats. We were both surprised and disappointed with the RV Park when we arrived. It was pretty dumpy, rundown and in no way compared to the ad we had seen. We decided not to stay there...

Sep 24, 2008 - Dat /Eighteen " Pygmies to Giants"

First, a lesson in astronomy. The earth rotates around its axis once every 24 hours and revolves around the sun once every 365 days. This miracle of nature results in the sun rising 3 hours earlier in Georgia than in California. Therefore, Amy and Jan, when it is 9:30 AM in South Carolina or Georgia, it is actually 6:30 AM in California. Got it? So, we started the day a little earlier than planned but thanks for the advice, Jan. Drove north for 50 miles on 101 b and then took 116 along the Russian River to Jenner. At Salt Point State Park,...

Jul 21, 2008 - On to Northern California

We travelled from Morgan Hill through San Jose, where we took a wrong turn and ended up downtown, We viewed San Francisco across the Bay, then by Berkeley, Oakland and the long bridge, thankfully reconstructed after the earthquake, but we did not know it was a toll bridge till we were almost at the tollbooth! Then north through more vines and other fruit till we came to the redwood forest just south of where we stopped at Garberville. One of the disadvantages of travelling with a trailer is the inability to stop at will to take photographs,...

May 1, 2008 - Garberville, CA - Giant Redwoods Country

As we continue north, we start getting into the giant redwood groves. They are spectacular and can stand over 300 feet high. Lilli and Allana are amazed at them and love to explore. Lilli lost her first two teeth in her young life. Both girls are fantastic travelers and we are all having a ball. We will be visiting Eureka and Ferndale, both victorian cities in Northern California. Will post photos when able.

Jun 26, 2007 - Traveling to the Redwoods

L- We were on the move again today. We're headed to Garberville, CA. A sign on the way into Calistoga said that vehicles longer than 30 feet from kingpin to rear bumper are not recommended on the two routes north out of town. Robert spoke with one of the firefighters located at the fairgrounds monitoring the wildfire we saw last night. The firefighter suggested that we go west to Rt. 101 along a narrow, curvy road. It was an scary trip. Our rig is so wide, narrow roads leave little room on the sides. Richardsgrove Campground and RV appeared...