ON THE ROAD AGAIN.
Day 70 – Cold last night, 35 degrees & clear when we got up at 7:45 a.m. We got ready quickly & packed a lunch. Headed out with our hot coffee, anticipating a long day ahead. Lots of back roads to travel – never know what you’ll find. Oh boy!
Checked the weather for here & the status of the furnace at home once we could get a signal. Still holding the temperature at home. Wow! It looks like today will be the last day without rain for several days. Supposed to cloud up later today & begin raining again tonight. Time to cover some ground!
We drove back to Ferndale, taking a different route which was just as scenic as yesterday’s route. We went south on Highway 101, then heading west on Grizzly Bear Road through more scenic farmlands. Those are some fat and happy cows, boy! Reaching Ferndale, we saw two old cemetaries, reminescent of ones we saw in New Orleans on Trip #1. We found a little bit of information on Ferndale in a pamphlet we had (funny how much you miss the internet when you don’t have it readily available). “Known as Cream City, Ferndale was founded in 1852 by pioneer families who farmed the Eel River bottom lands. The rich pastures were ideal for dairy cows, and farmers translated their prosperity into lavish homes known as Butterfat Palaces. The Victorian downtown and neighborhoods have changed little. With historic bed & breakfast inns and an unhurried pace, Ferndale is an ideal refuge from the hectic world.” (from the pamphlet, California’s Redwood Coast Map & Guide, 2017)
Catholic cemetery, Ferndale, CA
This time, rather than continuing west to the Ocean & the Lost Coast Headlands, we took the Ferndale-Petrolia Road, south & later west, where it’d became Mattole Road. We had no idea about the quality of the roads we’d chosen; we’d looked at maps to find the best way to make a large loop & cover lots of territory. We’d be going thru long stretches without towns, hoping for nice scenery, and eventually getting back to the 101 below the Avenue of the Giants. Then hopping onto the Avenue of the Giants, checking out campgrounds along the way, paralleling Highway 101, we’d end up back north at Route 36 and heading east to our campsite at Van Duzen County Park. We didn’t know how many miles it would end up being, nor how long it would take & if all roads would be open.
Altogether it took us 8 ½ hours. Don’t know the mileage yet, we’ll get that when we have the internet again. Most of the trip was on winding roads, for the most part paved, but sometimes the sides of the roads were crumbling down the cliff & some of the potholes were knee-deep. Slow-going to say the least. Where they were working on the roads, they were gravel or dirt. The roads weren’t being travelled too much when we were on them which was nice because we didn’t want to meet up with large trucks barreling along in the opposite direction. In some sections the road was so steep that the car had trouble making it up, & we were concerned we’d lose traction. Very remote. Very scenic. But disturbingly, the more remote we got, the more we saw deserted cars, some burned, left by the side of the road, gutted & abandoned, covered with grafitti. Felt like we were in The Bronx or something. And lots of trash by the road. What, is Nature your trash can & dumping station, people??!!
Anyway, back to the good parts of the trip: at one point after climbing a couple of thousand feet into the beautifully forested hills, we began going almost straight downhill & around a sharp turn (of which there were many), and suddenly we had magnificent Ocean views. We were at the tiny town of Capetown – beautiful farms in the valley, surrounded by mountains. The narrow road headed for the coast and Cape Mendocino, with its dramatic coastline, it was the site of the former lighthouse, since moved to Shelter Cove. (No, not that Mendocino; we’ll be there in about a week.) The road then followed the Lost Coast south before turning back inland & climbing back up into the hills. This area of coastline was incredibly beautiful. The occasional ranch with cows & horses was the only sign of people, the waves were crashing on pristine beaches dotted with driftwood. There were smaller rocks or sea stacks in the Ocean, compared with what we saw in Oregon. If it had been the time of year when the Grey Whales were migrating, we’d have seen some for sure. Continuing on, we drove through the small town of Petrolia and soon thereafter found A.W. Way County Park, which was open, thank goodness because we’d needed restrooms. We drove through the Park and saw the campsites. Nice Park on the Mattole River, grassy sites, most large enough for RVs, no electric, there was water at spigots, no sewer & no dump station. Only problem would be getting to this remote site with an RV without destroying it on the bad roads. We drove onward to the city of Honeydew (cute name). At Honeydew the road split, with Mattole Road going back to Highway 101 through Humboldt Redwoods State Park & joining the Avenue of the Giants at the halfway point of the Avenue of the Giants scenic drive. Because we wanted to check out campgrounds below the end of the Avenue of the Giants, we opted for the narrower, more winding road, Wilder Ridge Road, which went south from Honeydew along the eastern edge of the King Range National Conservation Area. The King Range reaches more than 4,000 feet in elevation at some peaks. Our pace slowed down even more, with continual hair-pin curves & slide areas where the road was being repaired. There weren’t places to pull off to get pictures & no towns, but the scenery was fantastic. As we travelled south, however, we did reach a point where we wondered if this winding road would ever end. Had we bitten off too much this time? It had become cloudy; this road would not be pleasant in a heavy rain. We finally reached a “T” in the road. At this point we could do more exploring by going west to Shelter Cove, over the mountains & back to the Ocean, or go back east to Highway 101. We decided we did not have to travel every back road in northern CA, and got onto the two-lane, paved Briceland Road heading east. Long, slow drive but the scenery was worth it.
We reached the 101 & since we were tired, we decided to skip the four campgrounds we’d wanted to check out that were south of the Avenue of the Giants. We assumed with all the campgrounds along the Avenue of the Giants, we’d find the ideal place to stay next. The Avenue of the Giants Scenic Byway is on Route 254; the North Entrance is off the 101 just north of Pepperwood & the South Entrance is off the 101 below Phillipsville. It is a nicely-maintained highway which goes through many beautiful redwood groves; by several towns, with places to stay, eat, camp, shop, walk trails & go to touristy things like Big Corn Monument, Immortal Tree, Eternal Treehouse, Founders Tree, Children’s Forest, Shrine Drive-thru Tree, Chimney Tree, Girdled Tree, Spirit Tree, Dyerville Giant Tree, etc. Of course, the places to buy souvenirs are plentiful; there was even another Bigfoot souvenir stand. We’d been on the Avenue of the Giants before, many years ago, and thought it was beautiful. Well, the parks & certainly the trees are pretty, but having been in the redwoods north of here on smaller, less-travelled scenic roads, we saw that coming back & doing this area inch-by-inch probably was not necessary.
We stopped at several campgrounds, including Humboldt Redwoods State Park campgrounds. We’d been sure we would find what we wanted at one of these places. Nope. We turned around and got on Highway 101 & went back south below the Avenue of the Giants. We’d decided we really didn’t want to spend time camping on the “Avenue”. We found a couple of alternatives south. Brief reviews follow, north to south, (we did not look above Weott; that was getting too close to where we’re currently camping so why not just stay where we were rather than pick up & move that close):
Humboldt Redwoods State Park, many campgrounds in a large State Park which extends quite a distance west of Highway 101 – at another time of year, probably an excellent place to camp, but unfortunately, all campgrounds within the State Park were closed except for Burlington Campground, 2 miles south of Weott. It would be worthwhile to check out all the campgrounds in the Park earlier in the year when they’re still open. Burlington Campground: next to the really nice Visitor’s Center which is open all year, most of this campground was closed for the season. We did find three sites large enough for the RV & car. They take reservations & most of the campsites in what was open in the Park were reserved probably due to the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend. $33 per night with the senior discount. No hook-ups, no dump station, water spigots available in campground. PROBABLY WOULD STAY THERE, but it would be nice to have full-hooks for a change.
Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Carlotta, CA
Giant Redwoods RV Park & Campground: An independent campground with 55 sites, their pamphlet & internet pictures made it look better than it was. Still a possibility though, if we find nothing else. Got a map & drove thru. More than ½ full with some seasonal/full-timers, off-season prices ranged from $40 to $48 per night plus tax, then minus 10% for Good Sam Club discount. There was electricity & water only (there is a dump station) to full hook-ups. Sites had a little privacy to no privacy. Laundry facility available. MAYBE, depending on other choices.
Dean Creek Resort: An independent campground in Redway, did not stop, looked full with lots of seasonal campers, & sites appeared to be close together. NO.
Benbow Lake State Recreation Area: Closed due to budget cut-backs, it definitely would be worth checking out if it reopens. Campsites across the River from the road, you have to take a small, narrow bridge to get there. Interesting. NO, for now, we hope they re-open.
Benbow KOA: We usually stay away from KOA’s & don’t have a discount membership. We’ve found them to be rather expensive, resort-like in most cases, & quite often crowded. Although they offer lots of amenities including multiple swimming pools & even golf courses, we would not use them & don’t need to pay extra for them. That said, we drove by this one & it looked very nice, very clean with some distance between sites. I called for rates, $60.80 plus tax per night off season (without membership discount). It was more than we’d prefer to spend, but we ought to look into KOA further re discounts/memberships when we have internet again. NO, for now.
Richardson Grove State Park: With four campgrounds within the Park and nestled in the redwoods, this appeared to be a very nice Park. Huckleberry Campground had 36 campsites; it was closed for the season. Dawn Redwood Group Campground was closed, also – group camping only. Oak Flat Campground, closed for the season, was the largest of the four with almost 100 sites. Even though it’s situated right next to Highway 101, traffic noise wasn’t bad. Madrone Campground was the only one we were able to drive through. It had 39 sites & maybe half were open all year. No one was camping there. $33 per night with the senior discount, no hook-ups, no dump station, water spigots throughout the campground. There were probably 7 or 8 sites that would fit both of our vehicles & were level enough. Very nice (when empty). YES, but we would like full hook-ups with dumping for a change this time.
Richardson Grove Campground & RV Park: An independent campground off Highway 101, and the farthest south we looked beyond the Avenue of the Giants. The campground office was closed; we picked up a map & drove through. $40 per night for the pull-through & full-hook up sites, less for the back-in sites. Accepts Passpart America membership card – $20 per night. There were 95 campsites; half the campground was closed for the season. $20 per night for a pull-through campsite with full hook-ups including sewer, and it’s clean & decent? YES, depending on what sites are open when we return with the RV.
Yep, this may be the one. We can just stay a few days, do laundry, dump tanks, wash our hair, etc., and regroup to decide where we’re going from here. Without the internet, we’ve been unable to do much research beyond the Avenue of the Giants. Do we want to go inland on the 101 or do we want to head back to the Ocean to Fort Bragg & Mendocino?
We got back to the RV after dark. The rain was just beginning with a drizzle. Here Comes the Rain Again. The high was in the low 50’s, partly sunny, then completely cloudy. A long day driving. We were glad to see the kitties. Tomorrow it’s supposed to rain steadily all day. It will actually be nice to sit inside all day in the rain. End of Week 10, Trip #3.