California - Approximately 163,696 square miles, the third largest state by area! I have been to The Golden State a few times. Once on a wonderful adventure with my two boys as we traveled to San Jose, San Francisco, and Sonoma. I also lived in Palo Alto when I was just a wee three years old while my dad completed his Post Doctoral Fellowship at Stanford University. My memory falls short of those days so I was thrilled to be able to visit again, especially the places my mom remembers fondly. While in Northern California, and along the northern coast, time was well spent; attending a beautiful long weekend wedding, exploring the Redwood National and State Forest, stopping in Eureka, driving down the Pacific Coast Highway, and tasting some delicious wine in Napa.
The beginning of my California adventure actually started while still staying in Oregon. Having not seen one of my dearest friends since leaving Cincinnati I was over the moon to attend her daughter’s wedding in San Diego. It was fortunate for me that I was already on the west coast and able to easily fly in for a beautiful long weekend celebration. Steve and I were planning on only going as far south as San Francisco with our journey, so the opportunity to visit San Diego, share special time with my amazing friend, and celebrate such a wonderful occasion was amazing! Merci beaucoup to Theresa, Todd, Kristen, and Clayton - Bravo!
Early morning flight to San Diego!
Amazing family with a wedding full of beauty, laughter and love!
Upon our exit from Oregon Steve and I had to be inspected before setting our Scamper wheels into California. Apparently since we had New York plates they were looking for gypsy moth evidence.
No gypsy moths to be found!
On our long drive to see Redwood National and State Park our camping locations included Cracker Barrel, Walmart, and a free casino parking lot - only the finest glamping! We made a short stop stretching our legs to see Crescent City and the ocean along the way.
Coastal view near Crescent City, CA
Redwood National and State Forest - an experience to remember. If I knew anything previously about Redwoods it was that they were very big and very tall. Until I was surrounded by these magnificent trees I didn’t realize how minuscule those descriptive words were. As we started our slow drive through the park I was truly overcome by the height and quantity of Redwoods. The route was eerily quiet, very few travelers this time of year, and we were both in awe of these enormous trees so close to the roadsides. We decided to take advantage of some extra time and pulled over for a peaceful rest among the magnificence. The first sense that hit me when stepping out of the car was how mysteriously quiet it was. Except for a car or two that passed during the next several hours there was no sound. The air was cool and damp. Various shades of textured browns and lush greens surrounded us. The canopy and denseness of trees prevented too much sun from peaking in. We were comfortably swaddled by this grand forest. This was magical and we both knew our time here was beyond special.
We were able to squeeze one hike into the forest before heading back over to the coast. The trail was quiet, with just one passionate tree hugger sighting (see photos) along the way. We allowed the experience to quietly soak in - just us and the Redwoods.
Continuing south on the 101 we took a break for some ocean shenanigans and made a quick stop in Eureka. This currently quiet quaint town was past tourist season and provided wonderful victorian and historical eye candy!
Driving from Eureka to reach the Pacific Coast Highway 1 intersection was a tedious slow moving adventure. The narrow, twisting, sharply curved 101 along this portion was precarious, especially with the Scamp. Needless to say no photos were taken during the drive, however I’ve included a map with the crazy road below.
Once we finally made it to the Pacific Coast Highway 1 the first item of business was to pull over to have a few moments of solitude and relaxation from the strenuous drive. Not a bad view - let the sunshine in!!
After two more overnights - another casino parking lot and a California Highway Rest Area - we arrived safely in Napa. We wanted to check out “Buena Vista Winery” (my mom had been there years ago) and take a walk about the city of Napa before heading to our next destination - San Francisco. Thanks for following along - see you soon!!
Beuna Vista Winery, Napa Valley, CA
Napa, CA
Coddiwompling “To Travel in a Purposeful Manner Towards a Vague Destination”
“I love driving; driving along the California coastline the best drive in the world.” -Al Jardine
“I’m not really a Hollywood person. Not that I don’t like L.A., but I’m just a Northern California guy.” -Clint Eastwood
Link to Steve’s music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4fW5lsWiZG5TcOlhukK4pu?si=2NngXMjoR7mUJLreexbIAw&utm_source=native-share-menu (Let me know if you are interested in purchasing a CD/$10.)