Day Two – There Were Twists! There Were Turns! Some Really Big Trees! But No Big Foot.

After a really slow start, we wandered into town for some breakfast. Once nourished with coffee and breakfast sandwiches, we loaded up and hit the road.

It was sunny when we left Cloverdale but the roads were wet from last night’s rain. The fog was high and had started to creep into the valleys.

This is a really good road that has been recently paved with nice easy turns that are easy to maneuver.

We stopped in Boonville for a rest and an energy drink. The town was unusually busy and the local sheriff explained that there was a parade planned in an hour and a half. We decided we should hit the road again.

As we made our way west, the fog intensified. Visibility was very poor in some places.

We made it to the PCH, aka Highway 1 as we followed the Navarro River to the Pacific Ocean. We would also cross the Eel and Elk rivers as they ended their journeys into the Pacific.

We knew there was an ocean to our left because we could smell the sea air but we really couldn’t see it.

We passed through several coastal communities including Mendocino and Fort Bragg. As the highway begins to turn inland, it merges with Highway 101 – the Redwood Highway.

We had forgotten how long this stretch was and today was particularly grueling due to the wet roads and the constant switchbacks. Tom was exhausted from avoiding the wet redwood needles on the road that are really slippery.

We finally made it to Leggett and stopped for a well earned rest. We ate lunch at the Peg House which is a building made entirely without nails. Only wooden pegs. We ate outside and were treated to a free concert. One we would have normally avoided but hey, it was free.

After a good long rest, we headed for the Drive-thru Tree – a Coastal Redwood that you can drive a car through! These are some big trees!

Then we headed north and went drove the Avenue of the Giants. This stretch of road offers views of some of California’s largest Coast Redwoods and it’s just a beautiful drive. There were many references to Big Foot… we did not see Big Foot.

We rolled into Eureka around 4:30 and were pretty exhausted. Tomorrow we go to Gold Beach, Oregon and then we’ll turn around and return to California to stay the night in Crescent City. We’re hoping for some lighthouse pictures!

Today’s barn pic: