SMOKE IN THE SKY.
Day 92 – Beginning of Week 14 and the beginning of the fourth month of this trip. We were up a little after 7 a.m. this morning. 59 degrees & very overcast, which was strange because it was supposed to be sunny today with no clouds. We walked over to do a final load of laundry before leaving this campground. The air was thick; I mentioned to Rob that it smelled a little like smoke, but then we realized people could’ve had fires going at their campsites. We checked the status of the forest fires – still going strong with the Ventura fire moving into Santa Barbara County. Big Sur, one place we’d thought about going to, had a fire beginning last night. They’re saying they should have it under control later today. Time to get ready to go. We took long showers, taking full advantage of the amenities of this campground. Back to no hook-ups again soon.
58 miles
Pomo RV Park and Campground, 32900 Tregoning Drive, Fort Bragg, CA 95437, (707) 964-3373, www.pomorv.com. Check-out time noon. Check-in time 2 p.m. This independent campground was great. 100 RV sites + 25 tent sites on 17 acres. Large, roomy campsites, all nicely separated on all sides by trees and bushes. Nicely landscaped & perfectly maintained. We had site #27, full hook-ups; the laundry facility was spotless, and there were 3 washers & 4 dryers. Sites were level. There was propane & a dumping station for those who had partial hook-ups. Located below Fort Bragg off Hwy 1; we didn’t hear traffic at all except if a vehicle went by with sirens going. A very convenient location, close to stores, restaurants, parks, the Ocean, and the Botanical Gardens. The woman in the office was very nice. She said they pride themselves on privacy, peace, and quiet. They’re open all year; reservations are required during the busy season because they are almost always full. $48 per night for full hook-ups (including 10% Good Sam Club discount AND a $1 per night/per animal fee). We would stay here again.
We departed at 11:55 a.m. & it was 60 degrees & quite overcast. The drive to our next campsite was slow-going. We took Highway 1 along the coast south, and at times the road was very narrow & winding on steep cliffs. We were glad it wasn’t summer because traffic was light. We
reached our new campground, Gualala Point Regional Park at 1:40 p.m., 59 degrees & still very overcast. This Park is located off of Highway 1 just past the Sonoma County line & next to the Gualala River. The Park is very large; the campground is small with less than 20 camping sites. We chose site #5, one of the few campsites big enough for the RV & the car. No hook-ups but they have a dumping station & water at spigots. Two other sites were filled & one of those was the campground host. We’re on a small hill next to the River; there’s trees, some redwoods, all around the campground. Far enough away from Highway 1 that we don’t hear traffic.
After setting up & having lunch, we took a short drive to see if we could find a place where we could put in for kayaking tomorrow. It was weird out. The air was still thick & we could finally see the sun behind the haze. It was brilliant red-orange. It seemed like it was getting dark but it was only 2:30 p.m. We wondered if it was this way due to all the fires in southern CA, but we are a good distance from them. It was pretty, in a strange way, so Rob took pictures. I checked the phone to see if there was anything in the local news about it – no, nothing.
So Cal fires impacting the air all the way up here! Guallala, CA
We drove through part of the Regional Park. It looks very interesting. There are lots of trails; hoping to be able to get to the Ocean and to the River. It’s a very pretty area, feels somewhat isolated. We found a dirt road that led down to the River and a perfect place to park & launch the kayaks. Someone else was there, putting up his boat. The River was beautiful. Meanwhile, it looked like the sun was setting with pinks & purples on the horizon over the Ocean & it wasn’t yet 4 p.m. Very strange – it’s the end of the world as we know it.
Back to the RV. A woman camping near us came over for a chat. She is camping for two weeks here with her dog & 2 cats. She just retired in June & was from the San Fernando Valley in southern CA. Said she’d been camping at a ranch & just missed the Creek Fire by one day. The ranch owners got their 80 horses out safely with the help of neighbors and even the reporter & camera crew which were filming the fire. They lost all their barns & tack though. Later a park ranger stopped by to give us a receipt for our payment. She was very talkative and we asked her about the heavily overcast conditions. She verified that it was the fires. Wow! This is crazy.
She also said that it would be okay to launch kayaks from the road we found and told us about some places to explore & some places to eat. And here we thought there wouldn’t be much to do down here. The kitties must’ve had a tough day because they slept very hard until dinner time. Travelling will do that to you, LOL. No electricity so they’ll find out soon enough that their heating pads don’t work. Guess our bed will be crowded tonight.