California, Here We Come!

Right back where we started from...literally. Ellyn and I first met, fell in love, and married in California. After more than 3 1/2 months and 6,000 miles, we cross the border from Oregon into California on US 101. Our first stop is at Camper Corral in Klamath, on the northern edge of Redwood National Park. We are only staying for two nights but we find out that they are closing the park after we leave for the winter.

The next day we took a tour of Redwood National Park in our car. We drove down the scenic drive which parallels US 101 and goes very closely between the giant redwood trees. Although we took lots of pictures, they do not do justice to these trees, which can get as tall as 320 feet. At the end, we turned down a gravel road which goes out to the shoreline. Out there we stopped to have a lunch we packed ahead and then drove to Fern Canyon. Lined with ferns, this canyon is like something out of Jurassic Park, mainly because part of the second movie was filmed here. Finally we visited Lady Bird Johnson Grove, dedicated in 1969. There are some very fine trees in this area and a nice and informative nature walk. We learned lots about the trees in this area.

Next day, off to Eureka, staying on US 101. We stopped in Trinidad, CA, to have lunch and see the fishing port there, which features cranes to pull the fishing boats out of the water. This is because they have very little breakwater and protection from the ocean waves. We also stopped in Arcata so Ellyn could visit a jewelry store there. We stopped in front of a salvage store where we bought a couple handfuls of switch and outlet cover plates for her sister, Laura, to decorate and sell at flea markets.

In the morning, we went to the Samoa Cookhouse for a great breakfast, and then to Blue Ox Millwork, where they use antique wodworking tools to make some amazing, special order pieces for Victorian-style homes. We also toured an area of town where they have many of this type house which have been restored. Then on down US 101 to a stretch of old US 101 known as the Avenue of the Giants. We drove through and stopped once but found that stopping in the RV was a challenge, so we got back onto US 101 about 2/3 of the way through and continued on to Gaberville for the night.

Next day, we decided to leave the RV and take the car back up to Avenue of the Giants and see Founder's Grove, which has several fallen redwoods which are mostly still intact. The size of these trees is even more apparent when you are able to walk their length. When we returned to the RV, we decided to continue straight through to Pacifica, CA, our final destination on our Spring/Summer tour of the USA. Ellyn's sister lives here and we are staying for 5 weeks. We will celebrate the Jewish High Holy Days here and Ellyn's birthday before heading on towards Florida and Sun-N-Fun for our winter stay.