Carpe Dory (2)

Perfect landing on a perfect summer trip. I don’t think there was very much we would have changed from this route. The general rule of ending up on the coast to get home turned out to be an exceedingly good idea. However, I must note that it could all have gone awry had we been just a couple of hours later on our departure from Salt Point. We missed the Woodside Fire, but only barely, and that resulted in an evacuation and closure of Highway 1 right where we were. Flavia and James missed it by even less, and they were on bikes. So yes, it is less likely you will be impacted by fires and smoke when going down the coast, but it’s not impossible. We were lucky for sure and didn’t even know about the fire until we were safely at home. If we had stayed the extra couple of nights originally planned at Wrights Beach, we would have been socked in with smoke. As it was, we gleefully got in one last lunch out at La Bodeguita and cruised home, oblivious of any emergencies.

The drive from MacKerricher to Salt Point has a couple of exciting parts just before, and just after Elk. There are some steep corners that climb out of inland waterway bends in the road. Those inland bends must have a name, but we call them “arroyos,” even though I know deeply that this is not what that word means. I know. I stopped reminding Richard not to use that word. I gave up and now they are just ‘arroyos’ which means the road goes steeply down and bends inward until it crosses some small waterway, then climbs steeply back up and bends back out toward the ocean. If there is a real word for this, I would be grateful if you could tell me. In any case, there are two of these around Elk that are not screwing around, and one of them is only one lane, due to a slide. There are a couple of deathy dropoffs with no guard rails, but I will say there has been a slow but steady increase in guard rails all up and down Highway 1. I am a huge fan of guard rails.

We were looking forward to stopping at Elk to get a sandwich for lunch and the little Elk Market did not disappoint. They heat up the sandwiches so I got hot melty mozzarella on my caprese panini. We split a huge ginger molasses cookie and Richard got a Hershey bar to celebrate National Milk Chocolate Day.

There are very few towns and services along this stretch of the coast, and even fewer gas stations, so plan accordingly. I can note that we can get from MacKerricher to home without needing gas. The places that have anything at all in terms of food places include Mendocino, Albion, Manchester, Point Arena, Gualala, and a little market at Stewart’s Point. We were almost all the way through Point Arena’s three block downtown, when I spied the now familiar bright yellow jackets and panniers of Flavia and James! I snapped a picture and found a spot to park Dory so we could run in and say hi. I am so impressed by those two. On some of the super steep arroyos (I know), they had to walk the bikes, but they did it! This would be the last time we crossed paths with them, but it turns out we must have passed them one last time around Timber Cove. I checked in to make sure they had gotten past the fire, and they did, but they had to contend with a lot of smoke. The good thing about winds on the coast is that they will always blow smoke away and into the unfortunate neighboring valleys.

It was certainly windy for us at Salt Point. Walking on the Bluff Trail felt like kind of an endurance test, or some sort of quality assurance exercise to see how much wind it takes to blow off a hat, or a hood, or knock a hiker over. It was still very beautiful out there, and not cold at all. Richard got in a couple of extra long hikes by going up the Central Trail from the Woodside Campground, then to the North Trail through the Pygmy Forest, through the prairie, down the South Trail, and finally taking the Powerline Trail back to the campground. He says this is the best route for doing those things. I do wonder how much of this area may have gotten burned. I’m not sure how far the actual fire damage has spread.

For dinners, we celebrated a summer well done by using our new griddle for tacos. Both recipes called for Guajillo sauce, and we happened to stumble on some earlier. So one night, it was a Guajillo chicken with melted cheddar, radishes, and a corn salad with pickled jalapeños. The last night we had Guajillo steak quesadillas with a tomato salad, and again pickled jalapeños. Both meals were paired with a blended margarita and a deep sense of satisfaction.

From Salt Point to home is a well rehearsed jaunt along the “rollercoaster.” It helps to have done it many times now. There are a few places when you’re on the outside lane that get your heart racing, and some bends where it really looks like the road is just going to end and you’re going to plummet into the ocean. Again, it is reassuring to have done it before because I’m pretty sure I would have remembered an ocean dive. Once you get to Jenner, it’s easy peasy. We waved at Wrights Beach as we passed by, but screeched to a stop to grab lunch at La Bodeguita. While waiting a few minutes for it to open for lunch, Richard ran over to the little market in Bodega Bay to get cheesecakes. Because it was National Cheesecake Day. I spied a cute grey fox crossing the patio. We locked eyes and I tried to be as unstartling as possible. Highway 1 is just right there and I was very worried it would get spooked and dart onto the road. It didn’t.

We reviewed all the places we’d been as we drove home. It has been one of the best summer trips ever. Waiting for us was a big mounted print of the picture I took of Spirit Island from Maligne Lake. That came out really nicely and it will remind me every day of how beautiful the world can be. We want to get back to Canada next summer, so we’ll do some thinking about where to visit. I mean, we could happily do a complete copy of this trip and be happy, but we really should explore new places too. There was too much fun to name a favorite, but some highlights include seeing our son Darren and our Ashland friends, riding the CDA, seeing Alto friends in Redstreak, Tunnel Mountain in Banff, appreciating all the beauty that endures in Jasper, riding the secret entrance to Lake Louise from Monarch, seeing moose and bears, absolutely everything in Vancouver, seeing Anne on Whidbey Island, the do over ride at Cape Blanco, everything at Fort Bragg, and for sure the fantastic finale at Salt Point, particularly the part where we did not get stuck in a fire. With all of those highlights, I must say seeing our yellow jacketed bike touring buddies Flavia and James was a definite highlight. What a wonderful summer. It was a summer of knitting and thumb braces for me, and lots of introspection and strategy building for Richard. I got a derpy sock out of it, and he got a note telling him not to communicate with anyone when he’s dysregulated. Now back to the real world where the AC is dead and the cat has worms. I should start planning our next summer trip.

Total miles from MacKerricher: 82.6, 17.5 mpg, 3 hours 52 min. Site 2 no hookups. Great solar. No dump. Excellent cell for both.

Route planning for this trip gets a five star review. The idea of beginning by heading north inland and coming home heading south along the coast is a winner. We really lucked out in terms of weather and avoiding wildfire smoke. What wind there was along the coast has been a tail wind for the most part. And it makes it so we get to cap off vacation time in our favorite California coastal places. No slogging across the hot Central Valley, or battling traffic on I5 or 80. I definitely want to remember this model because I think it has been the best ever for wrapping up a big loop.

It was a short drive from the redwoods to the coast, but we knew there would be a big twisty climb in the middle. Richard got in his morning hike and then obsessed over how he was going to celebrate National Hot Fudge Sundae Day. I’ll bet you did not know about that day. I mean, of course, if you follow this blog, you for sure know about National Doughnut Day, so now you can add this one to your list. Did you also know there is an official definition for what constitutes a “sundae”? Well, apparently the sauce that goes on top must be hot in order to qualify. We knew that passing through Leggett would mean passing by the Peg House. And we knew that the thing the Peg House is best known for is their blackberry sundaes. But see, technically, those are not sundaes and Richard wanted to observe the sacred day properly. We also knew that in Fort Bragg, there would be Cowlick’s, where there is definitely hot fudge. With so many possible sundaes en route, why, you may ask, would Richard be stressing? Well, what if the whole world knows about National Hot Fudge Sundae Day and there is a run on hot fudge at Cowlick’s? And what if we had gone right past the Peg House, even though you are supposed to never don’t stop? That would be too horrible to consider wouldn’t it? But having the blackberry sundae would then make it seem unreasonable to also have a hot fudge sundae later, right? You understand the turmoil here I’m sure. You can probably also guess how this played out. We may have initially planned to not stop at Peg House, but when we actually got there, we realized we could not deal with the FOMO. Richard wants to note that the vanilla ice cream in these things is outstanding. I actually passed on this one because I’m just not that into vanilla and I was pretty sure Cowlick’s would not run out of all their ice cream. Instead, I got a corn dog for lunch and it was great. They mean it. We mean it: Never don’t stop.

It was then time to go up and over the twists and turns of Highway 1. We saw bike tourers trekking over it along the way and reminded ourselves that we too did that ride once upon a time. There was a family of four we’d seen a couple of times on the road and they were valiantly pedaling along together. We looked for, but did not spy, Flavia and James and I later found out they did the crossing the next day. They are amazing. I would have complained a lot, with or without an e-bike. It’s just way too narrow and hilly, with too much traffic for my blood. Respect for all those bikies out there just doing it. The drive was ok, but you really have to concentrate for thirty or so miles. There are two respites in the middle where the road straightens a bit and runs along short valley sections. But that is only for a couple of miles. Most of the time, you’re going up or down blind corners with some of them being 180 degree turns with posted speed limits of 15mph.

At the end though, oh boy do you get a well deserved view! I pulled over to grab some pictures and take a breather. This is the last place on highway 1 going north where you can see the ocean. Past this sharp inland turn, the Lost Coast claims all of the water views, clear up to Humboldt Bay and Eureka. The only road accessing that remote and rugged part of the state is Mattole Road, the one we touched on from the Avenue of the Giants. If you follow the zigzagging line of the road, it’s no wonder that part of the coast is “lost.”

We got into our site just a wee bit before 2 and I must say, I nailed that reservation. I think this is my favorite site. I prefer the Surfwood loop because it’s closer to the water and has fewer other campers. This site has excellent solar and just enough privacy on the sides. From inside Dory, or standing on top of the picnic table, you can just make out the ocean. We were riding on a pretty big high as we rode our bikes into town and celebrated National Hot Fudge Sundae Day in style. Cowlick’s staff did not know about the day, but they had an ample supply of hot fudge.

We walked around town a bit, made plans for doughnuts from Drop In for the next morning, and rode the waterfront bike trail out to the Noyo Harbor. We’d never been down there before, but it’s a working dock and has tons of seafood restaurants. We chose Noyo Fish Company and had fish tacos with a side of onion rings. You can see how we are sensing the end to summer splurging bearing down upon us.

The next day Richard went on a morning mission to retrieve doughnuts and we learned that he can have a hard time interpreting texts sometimes. We spent the rest of the day kind of probing and unraveling all of that while walking on Ten Mile Beach. Good setting for a “wtf was that” kind of discussion. There were Moon Jellyfish washed up on shore, and lots of brown pelicans. It was warm and pleasant and we worked out many things. Richard now has a note he can read on his phone any time he starts to feel himself spinning up. The first direction on the note says: Do not communicate with anyone. Then he spends twenty minutes trying strategies to interrupt the mental programming. It could be reading a book, playing a game, researching something, anything to get in the way of the catastrophizing mental noise. He’s had an opportunity to try it and it seems to really work. He gets a trophy for working on this and identifying when the spin is coming on. This stuff is hard.

As a reward for tackling dysfunctional mental programming, Fort Bragg gave us the first real sunset we’ve seen this whole summer. And as the clouds turned shades of pink and orange, we spied a couple of spouts right off shore. There must have been a pod of whales out there because we could see two or three at a time. They went up like fireworks and we could just make out their heads coming up and out of the water. It was a glorious way to end the day.

For our final day in town, we for sure did a doughnut do over. Drop In makes really unusual doughnuts and the special for Sunday was a Portuguese Malasada. These are round and filled with jelly and whoa they were good. Of all the ones we sampled, we both thought the cake ones or buttermilk ones were some of the best we’ve ever had. They sell out quickly and are not open on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. We lucked out with timing but somehow I need to remember that so we will always be in Fort Brag when Drop In is open.

As I got showered, Richard rode to Russian Gulch State Park, where I was to meet him after an hour. This was where he got to try his new note strategy because he started spinning up about the parking lot filling up while he was waiting for me. See, this would be a classic time when I might text him something innocuous that he would misinterpret and then respond with something asinine. I have learned to be more careful with texting, and he is learning to use his note and calm himself down. Because he did such a good job, I was blissfully unaware of any parking lot stress as I headed out of the campground and spotted Flavia and James again! The timing was uncanny. They were just riding through the campground as I was driving out. They had gone over the pass and found it to be not that bad. They had a tent pole snap on them, so they changed up accommodations to stay in little inns along the coast. Honestly, that sounded better to me. I think my days of camping in tents are over. For the record, Richard notes that the ride from Fort Bragg to Russian Gulch is nothing special. He’d do it again if we were doing the thing where I drive down to meet him for a hike, but it’s not like it’s a scenic ride on 1 or anything.

We said our “see you down the road”s (which we did!) and I headed to find Richard very well regulated, but rather emphatically pointing and indicating I should proceed to the parking area and he would follow. He wasn’t wrong to be concerned, but we were able to get a parking spot. He told me all about how well that went as we hiked the Fern Canyon Loop Trail. That is a gorgeous trail indeed. We made a figure 8 loop out of it by taking the trail along the river going up, doing the waterfall loop, then taking the North trail going back to the car. All told, it was a long eight mile hike. You get it all though; redwoods, river, waterfall, rhododendrons when they’re in bloom. If you’re not up for such a long hike, you could simply go up the river canyon and back when you feel like it. The waterfall is nice, but not so spectacular that it’s a must do. We met a couple from New York heading up the trail and they were definitely not looking for a long hike. We gave them the advice to go clockwise around the waterfall loop and just turn back after the falls. The other side is longer and only visually worthy of the climbing if the rhodies are blooming. A straight out and back from the parking lot to the falls would still be about six miles, but it would be along a fern canyon the whole time, and with much less climbing.

We drove back to town and did a little shopping before it was time for dinner. We chose Mayan Fusion and split an appetizer sampler with arancini, empanada and salbute. Then we split chicken mole enchiladas. The food is excellent and the ambiance is bright and happy, with all kinds of unique decorations.

For our last morning, Richard walked the oceanside trail and I got in a bit of knitting. I have conquered all of the tricky maneuvers, except the toe, and now it’s all about knitting around and around until it’s long enough. I’m not sure this sock will fit my foot. I think it’s going to be on the tight side. But after thinking about it, I’ve decided I don’t need it to be worn. I want to get all the way through one sock to know the process. If it fits, I’ll make one to match. If it doesn’t, I’ll start a new pair in a larger size. It’s all good.

We have one last reservation before hitting the home button, but this one was exactly what we needed. We both love Fort Bragg and MacKerricher is definitely the place to stay to enjoy it. It’s got absolutely everything and getting to stop here as part of our grand coastal finale could not have gone any better.

Total miles from Richardson Grove: 56.5, 16.1 mpg, 2 hours 54 min with stop at Peg House. Site 125. Great site. Excellent solar. No hookups. Great cell for both. Good dump $5. Potable water on wrong side.

This is a first time campground for us, which is always fun. We’ve passed by this park a bunch of times on the way to Humboldt Redwoods Burlington campground, or heading south to Standish Hickey. It’s just a little farther north from Standish Hickey, but could make a decent stopping point if I’ve just driven over the super twisty part of highway 1 heading north and didn’t want to push through to get to Burlington. There are some downsides though, like it’s not quite as pretty as Burlington, and is farther from the Avenue of the Giants, where there is a lot to do. It would have gotten bonus points if it had good cell service, or a dump, but on balance, I think we prefer the majestic beauty of Burlington if we have the choice. Still, it’s a nice woodsy campground with a nice trail up Durphy Creek for Richard’s morning routine.

There is always a lot of construction on highways 101 and 1, which is a good thing because it means California is trying to fix its roads, but you can pretty much count on some stretch of highway being one lane with a light or a flagger letting cars through by alternating one direction at a time. There’s a big lane closure just to the north of the park, but it is open and the entry road is clear. The thought of biking crossed our minds, but you’d not only have to ride 101 in a narrow, blind corner part, but also have to go through the closure.

With plenty of time left after getting in our site, we walked down to the river to see what’s what. There were lots of people floating or splashing around, and for the first time this whole trip, besides one day in Jasper, it was actually hot. Not like hot hot, but somewhere in the 80s warm/hotish. That is one of the many things that worked super well this summer: we totally avoided summer heat. The downside is that after a week or so with no hookups to run our little electric space heater, everything was starting to feel moist. This was a great stay to air things out get rid of some of the dampness. I even left the back window open, despite the warnings of a bear in the campground. I was willing to take the risk of a curry hunting intruder going through our pantry for the sake of saving the towels from getting mildewy.

The visitor center was closed at the time, but open the next day. It’s a historic lodge that was built in the late 1920s and it has lots of interesting informational displays about the local wildlife, redwood trees, native inhabitants, and park history. It also has an inviting poster in the window noting that July is National Ice Cream Month and they do have an ice cream coffin with individual Haagen Dazs bars.

There is a short interpretive trail through the old growth redwoods with one of them named the “Bat Tree.” Apparently, a colony of Yuma Myotis bats have taken up residence inside the fire hollowed tree. A ranger informed us that the bats have moved on to another hollowed out tree and that she has heard them in there. We did find the tree and listened hard, but 101 runs right next to the trail and there was no way we were going to hear them. We did however spy a couple of frogs down by the river. We missed the excitement when a rattlesnake was hanging out in the parking lot, eating moles and scaring dogs. No bears, no mountain lions, no bats, but yes frogs and a few mosquitoes.

Because it was finally hot, I got to pull out the grill and made a steak with toasted crouton panzanella salad. Pairing that with a blended margarita is one of my favorite camping activities. We discussed options for things to do the next day, which obviously included a mission to Il Forno Bakery in Garberville where they sell freshly made doughnuts until they run out. We missed them last time we came through, so this was job #1. After that, we decided to drive up to Burlington where we could launch our bikes and ride Mattole Road.

All missions were achieved with no hiccups. We split a couple of fresh doughnuts and drove to the parking area at Humboldt Redwoods Visitor Center plenty early so we could get a parking spot. And can you guess who we saw riding south as we were driving north on the Avenue of the Giants? Flavia and James! I don’t know if they know who we are without the trailer, but we waved furiously as we passed them. I would have honked or something but I didn’t want to swerve in the excitement and kill them. That would be in very bad form.

When you start from Burlington Visitor Center, or from the campground next door, you get to ride about five miles on the Avenue of the Giants road before taking a left and turning up Mattole Road. This is one of our favorite rides and it never gets old. The surface is nicely paved right now, but it’s a narrow one lane curvy road with huge trees pushing so far into the passageway, I wondered if Dory would fit. Luckily, besides going to the Albee Campground the road doesn’t lead anywhere most people want to go, so there is very little traffic. Past the campground, it looks like the road takes a terrifying switchbacky steep route that eventually lands on the Lost Coast. I don’t think we’d even want to bike that, let alone drive it. But the ten mile ride through the deep dark redwood forest is one of the best anywhere in the world.

There are a couple of stops you can make along the way to see named groves of trees. The first is the Rockefeller Grove and the next is called the “Big Trees” loop. It’s funny to me, in the context of being surrounded by nothing but big trees, that they specifically name some of them “Big Tree” or “Tall Tree.” I mean, they’re all pretty big and tall. But I guess there are a couple who won the championship at being just a little bit bigger or taller than the others. I wonder if they are resented by the other trees, or if they have imposter syndrome. We did do the loop trail and we did note that, yes, there are some very big trees in there.

We rode up to Albee Campground and got some good information from the ranger there. She recommended the Homestead and Bull Creek trails very highly, so we did a 2.7 mile loop that I would also tell others is definitely worth doing. The Homestead trail is entirely through huge redwood groves. It’s shady and cool, with the occasional banana slug. The Bull Creek trail is just on the edge of the redwoods only party, so it has some oaks and bay trees mixed in, letting in a little more light, and as a result, a little more warmth. It’s striking how cool the temperatures are when you’re in a dense redwood forest.

We had a little lunch back at the campground and rode our way back to the car. While still on Mattole Road, we were passed by two huge logging trucks and that was a sight to see. While I wasn’t even sure how a tiny trailer might get past some of the tighter spots, the trucks made it through just fine. We got out of the way and they waved us a thank you. Later we saw them stopped to tighten everything down before getting on 101 and we asked them if that was scary driving. They said yes it was, but only because they were worried about colliding with other cars. They are right at home with switchbacks and deathy drop-off edges; it’s us flat landers going too fast around blind curves they’re scared of squishing.

Before settling in for the day, we made a curiosity stop at the Legend of Bigfoot. This is a conspicuous tourist trap just before you get to Richardson Grove. It is what you’d think it is. Anything you can imagine with themes of trees, Bigfoot, or whimsical garden ornaments is being sold there. We were tempted by folding knives with redwood handles. You see, we often need to cut doughnuts, or pizza, or croissants in half, and a little serrated travel knife would certainly come in handy. We resisted temptation and did not get any of the ones with “Richard” on them. Then it was back to Dory for a blue apron spicy chicken with snow peas, bell pepper, and golden raisin rice. Oh, I also did run down to the visitor center when it was open and I did get an ice cream bar. Richard completed a five mile hike in an hour and a half. One of us is going to be sad when we finally do get back on that scale.

Total miles from Sue-Meg: 104.3, 16.7 mpg, 4 hours 6 min. Site 25 no hookups. Hardly any solar. No dump. Water spigots. Tight campground loop road. No cell really for Verizon, spotty cell for ATT. Nice visitor center, no wifi, but ice cream coffin. Great trail from campground for Richard up Durphy Creek. He notes that is it better going counter clockwise because the grade is better.

Leaving Del Norte, we took the scenic route along Newton B Drury Scenic Parkway to remind ourselves how that would be for biking. It’s a nice road with redwoods and slow traffic, so we’d like to do that on a future stay at the Prairie Creek Campground. It is about thirty miles from Del Norte, so we figure we made a good call not trying to do the Fern Canyon hike this time. Future plans. 

We weren’t able to get into our site until two, so we had about an hour to kill after arrival. I parked in day use and Richard hiked around the campground trails and previewed our site. He was really frustrated about the lack of cell service and that continued as a theme for this stay. He was able to complain to Verizon and they apologized, reset his phone, and things worked a little better after that. Still, it’s worth remembering that from Crescent City, all the way to Eureka, cell service is inconsistent and spotty. Trinidad is kind of the first place where it’s back for real for a while. 

After unhitching, we made for Arcata, where there was a bike shop, Adventure’s Edge, that had tires that would fit my e-bike. We’re pretty sure the flat on the rear wheel, which was later another flat on the front wheel, were both because the tires were wearing and abrading the inner tubes. For a very reasonable price, the bike shop not only replaced both tires, but adjusted the gears and lubricated the chain. It was definitely time to get service done on the bike, so this was a great call. I give the folks at Adventure’s Edge high praise and appreciation for taking us on short notice. 

While waiting, we walked around Arcata a bit and got a bite to eat at Humboldt Pie. This was also a great call. They make savory things, including hand pies, as well as all kinds of sweet pies. We split a quesebirria hand pie with dipping sauce, a pulled pork, and a spinach ricotta. They were all fantastic. For dessert, we split a slice of apple pie. This place is renowned in the area and deserves its glowing reviews. 

It took less than an hour for my bike to be ready, so we got geared up and rode out to find the bike trail that connects Arcata to Eureka. We’ve looked for information on this trail before, and I think it might be brand spanking new. It is a nicely paved multi-use trail that passes through marsh lands and wildlife preserves before it skirts highway 101 across the banks of Humboldt Bay. There are plans to some day connect all of these coastal trails, but this is one of the first sections that has actually been completed. We stopped at the Eureka Slough Bridge and turned around for a nice out and back. The trail also passes right by a Franz Bakery outlet store. This is the company that makes Richard’s favorite hand pies. We didn’t stop, but it’s not like they would have anything special there. We noted for the future that they close at 4pm in case we want to pie up on the fly.

The next morning, we decided to drive rather than bike over to Trinidad to get some decent cell service and launch our planned bike ride from there. The Beachcomber Cafe was listed as a place with free wifi, plus it had little breakfasty items. As a fun surprise, we met again a couple we have seen bike touring down 101. Their names are Flavia and James and they are biking all the way from Washington to San Diego. We first met them up at the Langlois Market, after leaving Bandon. Since then, we have spotted their bright yellow jackets and yellow panniers at least three times on the road. Seeing them at the cafe, we introduced ourselves and swapped stories. It turns out they live just a few miles away from us. How crazy is that? They are a seriously badass couple and have all my respect. They recently did a cross country trip over the course of four months. I can’t even imagine. Spotting them repeatedly on the road is a super fun driving game and I get tickled every time I see them. Safe travels Flavia and James! I’m looking forward to seeing you again on the road!

After chatting, we headed on down the Scenic Drive south from Trinidad. That is a gorgeous ride with incredible views, but a barely paved surface. They seem to be trying to fix some of this road, but it’s slow going. There are long stretches where there is no pavement whatsoever, sandwiched between sections where there are just major pot holes and areas of loose gravel. It does keep down car traffic, but man, it’s tough on road bike tires. 

The road eventually ends and you have to take the onramp for 101 south. This direction is downhill and you only need to make it to the next exit, but it’s exciting. Going back on the return, it’s a big climb, likely into headwinds, so that one is brutal. The first exit heading south is Crannell Road and you get to ride along Clam Beach. At the very end of this, you see signs for the Hammond Trail. This is mostly a paved multi-use trail, but there are a few sections that are hard packed gravel. They’re short, but if your bike doesn’t like anything but pavement, you will be walking some of it. 

We caught up with Flavia and James again on one of these sections and we tried to give them beta on what we remembered of the trail. We’d only gone as far as the Mad River Bridge before, so there was an unknown portion between that and the Humboldt Bay, Arcata-Eureka, trail. That turns out to be about five miles of quiet roadway following Mad River Road, and then surface streets, until you come to a little park. From Shay Park, you can then pick up the Arcata Bike Trail to get all the way through town, and eventually, to the Humboldt Trail. 

We chose a motivating mission for this ride and navigated all the way to Arcata Scoop. This place makes their own ice cream in house and is excellent. I had the mint chip and it was one of the top contenders in the mint flavor category. I prefer Tillamook or Shannon’s for the chip part, but am not complaining. It’s a cute atmosphere too, with a little pond in the back for outdoor seating. Fueled by ice cream, we rode the whole sixteen miles back to Trinidad. For the record, it is a really really good idea to drive and park in Trinidad. You save yourself about five miles of not so spectacular riding when you are probably pretty tuckered out. We were very happy to get back to the car. Also, the fog had rolled in, so it was chilly and damp.

We had planned on cooking, but once we got back to the car, I had no will power against the smell of wood fire oven baked pizza. I actually lost all willpower back in Vancouver and have been willfully misbehaving ever since. I also know that once we get home, I will have to pull myself together, so there’s an extra incentive to indulge while it’s still a free for all. So we gave in to the aroma coming from Headies Pizza & Pour and shared “Wookie” and “Redwoods” specialty combo slices, which had, among other things I don’t remember, pepperoni, sausage, and a drizzle of sweet fig sauce. They have different specials every day with gluten free and vegan options. Fabulous.

Me in May: “I’ll do so much hiking and biking and get right back on track with my weight. I’ll buy a scale and count calories and come back from summer in great shape!” Me in Vancouver: “Well, just for this stop, I’ll take a little break. Then I’ll get right back on it. It’ll be fine.” Me right after Vancouver: “Oh. There’s really fun food on Whidbey Island. But I’m sure the food gets less exciting from here on out.” Me every day since then: “Well, I guess July is a cheat month. I’ll weigh myself when we get home. I’m sure the post vacation blues won’t lead to binge eating at all.” Me now: “Well, maybe I’m happier fat.”

Richard got in a lot of hiking in Sue-Meg, but honestly, I did not really walk around the park this time. When he was hiking, I was either doing my morning shower routine, or I was knitting. I’ve gotten to the super complicated heel turn section, and I’m very pleased with the progress. If I can make one sock, I will have conquered a challenge and satisfied my curiosity. It has been really fun so far, but I still need to be careful not to screw up my hands, so I take breaks and stretch diligently. With about a week left, we still have some fun stops before home!

Total miles from Del Norte Mill Creek: 52.5, 16.0 mpg, 3 hours 31 min taking Prairie Creek Redwoods scenic and waiting in day use. Site 70 no hookups. No solar. No cell for Verizon, ok cell for ATT. Cell service inconsistent around campground, especially for Verizon. There is now a free good dump in the park. No need to use rest area dump station. 

We really love this campground. It is by far the most picturesque of any we’ve stayed at this trip, and one of the most beautiful settings of any campgrounds we’ve been to. The price you have to pay to sleep amongst old growth redwood giants is a steep descent of a little over two miles from 101 and you must endure terrible roads the whole way. The loop roads aren’t any better and they’re tight, but if you can fit and you’re ok with the bumps, you will be treated to otherworldly forests. The campground is named for what was once a logging operation where many of the old giants were cut down before the land could be protected. There are stumps the size of small cabins that have since been taken over by new redwoods. There are scatterings of deciduous trees and the floor is carpeted with ferns. It’s prime real estate for fairies, dinosaurs, and mythical creatures. Our site was nice and spacious, with total privacy.

Before heading down into what we knew was a cell hole, we stopped and restocked at the Safeway in Crescent City. We got caught up on service things, I blogged, and we made some fancy purchases, like a new watch for Richard, and a cast iron skillet for Dory. The skillet was a direct result of getting that delicious cranberry syrup and we were able to test it out by having a taco recipe we normally only do on the grill. I’m excited at how well the skillet fit four street taco tortillas and that will open up a bunch of recipes to being done indoory in Dory when we’re too wimpy to cook outside.

The trails in this area are all going to be very uppy downy. We had to figure out some logistics in order to do the Damnation Creek Trail because the trailhead is closed due to road construction. It turns out to be a simple fix if you just park at the pull out for the Coastal Trail, about a mile to the south. That turns out to be a very pleasant way to start and end that particular trail because you get to enjoy a mile of pretty flat going before you hit the down, down, down. Last time we did this trail, we were welcomed by a host of rhododendrons in bloom. They weren’t in full swing at this time of the summer, but what was blooming were those Tiger Lilies I love so much. I thought they were a rare spotting, but this area was just lousy with them. There were patches along the side of the road that make them seem like weeds. I was still pretty excited to admire them, even if they are more ubiquitous than I thought.

The Damnation Creek Trail is about a two mile trek that descends a thousand feet to a secluded beach. It seemed more overgrown to me this time, perhaps because of the trailhead closure, and there were a couple of downed trees we had to get over. We annoyed a couple of garter snakes with our presence and didn’t see any other people until we were almost back at the top. It was a cloudy day and we were inside the clouds. The mist drifted through the treetops, with occasional rays of sunlight punching through to make an absolutely magical scene. It was mystical. On the climb to the top, we tried a new hiking trick to cope with our diverse paces. Rather than have me struggle to keep up with Richard (which I can’t), and rather than have him try to hold himself to my pace (which he can, but it’s hard for him), I tried going ahead. He set a timer for three minutes on his phone and read a book. Timer goes off, he heads up to catch me. It made a big difference for me. No longer did I fee like a pacing drag and I got to hike at my own speed. It kind of felt like a game of chase and we were both elated every time he caught me. It’s a good uphill trick that adds another accommodation tool to our tool belt.

We talked about maybe doing the Fern Canyon Trail, but that would require either a reservation to drive the six miles of unpaved road to the trailhead, or hike five and a half miles one way to get there, do the loop, and hike it all back. It’s also a thirty mile drive from Mill Creek. All of those things made us decide to save that for a time when we camp at the Prairie Creek Redwoods campground. Logistics would be simplified greatly, and maybe I could get a reservation if I plan ahead for it. So instead, since we were pleased and intrigued by the Coastal Trail, we went to Endert’s Beach to pick it up and do a little out and back.

When we were on the Coastal Trail going to Damnation Creek, we noticed it was not only paved, but had remnants of white lines painted on it, as if it was previously a road. We speculated about what it could have been, but ruled out the idea that it was ever an old version of 101. It turns out, that is exactly what it was. As hard as it still is for me to believe, the old highway used to run along the cliff’s edge. It must have been narrow as hell and quite the exhilarating drive. Over time, parts of it have fallen off and been swept up by the sea, so they just keep moving it inland. On Endert’s Beach, we noticed large rocks that look suspiciously like concrete that has been worn and rounded by the ocean. I guess that’s old 101 there. Incredible.

If you keep going south from Endert’s Beach, you can climb steeply up a thousand feet for two miles and continue with the Coastal Trail. It goes on and on, so we just went until we were convinced we were not going to get a view of the ocean, then we turned back. Actually, Richard went on a little more while I turned back, and then he caught me on the downhill. You can definitely see that the ocean is right there, and you can hear it, but the trees are so dense, you can only get glimpses of water from above.

This part of the Coastal Trail is less used and more overgrown. We were curious about whether people through hike it, and if so, where do they camp? There’s a whole lot of nothing between Crescent City and Arcata/Eureka, so it would be beautiful for sure, but you’d be on your own in terms of provisions.

Back in the campground, there is one big uppy downy loop trail that gets you level with 101. Part of it is in disrepair from collapsed short bridges, but Richard was able to do it as an exercise hike several times. Unfortunately he got stung by something on one of his jaunts and it swelled up pretty badly. He called the doctor for advice and we think he’s going to be fine, but that was no fun for him. Meanwhile, knitting continues slowly and carefully. I got to the heel part and needed to stop until I had enough service to watch tutorial videos a bunch of times. Great stay in a great campground.

Total miles from Cape Blanco: 101.8, 15.8 mpg, 7 hours 38 min with long stop in Crescent City for shopping and restocking. Site 70 no hookups. No cell. Wifi at kiosk is good. Good free dump with potable water. Campground roads are terrible. Big descent down to campground from 101. No service to the south for about thirty miles. Service comes back pretty soon heading north toward Crescent City. Weirdly good service on Damnation Creek beach.

This is not only our last stop before re-entering California, but also our last stop with hookups for the duration of the summer trip. We fully appreciated our little portable space heater and lived it up with lights and fans and charging of all the things. We also really loved this campground, more so than last time for some reason. It is a windy place for sure. Like I think it’s officially a windy place. It definitely helps to be towing from north to south so that the wind is most likely going to be a tail wind. And it helps to keep mileage distances short from stop to stop, so you can play with travel timing if you’re trying to get under windy weather. A lot of the time though, you can’t avoid gusty days, so I like to just drive slow and stop along the way. For this travel day, Richard got out and biked from campground to campground and it worked out perfectly.

He is nothing if not exceptionally gifted at finding well rated food along the route. This is why I gain weight after a summer trip spent biking and hiking miles and miles. His food finds are just too fun not to do. This one was located in the Langlois Market, about half way between Bandon and Cape Blanco. They advertise “legendary” and “world famous” hot dogs, so I’m curious how many of my international friends have heard of them. They’re damn good, I’ll give them that for sure. They make their own sweet mustard daily and the hot dogs are thick and juicy and flavorful. You can smell them from the parking lot, which is where I parked and eagerly awaited Richard on his bike. I also found an intriguing bottle of Grandpa Jack’s Cranberry Syrup, so we got that.

This campground is nice in that it is five miles off of the highway. Keep that in mind if you are biking to it, but of all of the Oregon State Parks we have stayed at, this one feels more quiet. You are a short walk from a beautiful ocean view, and an easy hike out to the lighthouse. The lighthouse is not open to visitors as it is under very expensive and difficult repairs. Finding people to fix Fresnel lenses and restore historical buildings responsibly is neither cheap, nor fast. They accept donations if you are interested in helping with the restoration project. The information center is very nice and has all kinds of information panels explaining the history of the place.

Our main item on the itinerary for this stop was a do over of a ride that went sideways last time we were here. The ride up Elk Creek Road is one of Jay’s Essential Bike Rides, and it’s a beauty. What we did wrong last time was start biking from the campground. Remember I mentioned the campground is five miles off Highway 101? Well, there is also a short stint on 101 before you ever turn onto Elk Creek Road. Also, the first five or six miles is meh. The spectacular part happens on the last ten miles, after you pass the fish hatchery and the road bends right and into a canyon. There, the river is right by your lefthand side, and little waterfalls surprise you on your right, as they cascade down the lush cliffside and down to the river. The water is crystal clear and alternates between tumbling over rocks, and collecting in wide blue-green swimming pools. When we did this ride the first time, we basically wasted our legs, and my battery, on at least ten miles of not so great riding each way. We miscommunicated when Richard rode way ahead of me, I misjudged my battery capacity, and we hit headwinds on the way back. All of those factors made the ride seriously disappointing and, after we sorted it all out, we vowed to do it again someday.

This time, we communicated all the things the night before, drove to a pull out down Elk Creek Road a bit, and I took my backup battery. What a difference! While in the canyon, the road becomes narrower, but there are very few cars, so we get to ride next to each other and chat. We found a big fat slug in the middle of the road on the way up. I decided to move it because it looked like it was in danger of getting squished. I saw it on the log where I relocated it, which is much happier than seeing a big ol squish mark. We both really loved this ride and I would say you could even start it at the fish hatchery if you wanted to keep it shorter. We did hit headwinds on the way back, but it was so much better just making it back to the car instead of having to slog all the way back up 101 and then five miles to the campground. We could have parked farther along the road and would not have felt like we were missing anything. Having that backup battery means I can stop and take pictures if I want to, and then Turbo power back to Richard. He was doing the ride clipped in, so it’s easier for him to just keep pedaling. There are two primitive campgrounds out there, which I could see being nice if you want to feel away from it all and just spend time in a beautiful river.

For dinner that night, we celebrated with pancakes and sausages, eggs, and Grandpa Jack’s Cranberry Syrup. Yikes that was good! That is seriously some of the best syrup I’ve ever had. It’s perfectly sweet and tastes like fresh cranberries, has the perfect consistency, and really kicks pancakes up a notch. We were so excited, we got a stovetop cast iron griddle to try in Dory so we can facilitate making this dinner again. Richard notes that it is super easy to make pancakes and we don’t need to carry a mix around with us. Holiday gifts this year may very well be themed on cranberry syrup. Our other dinner was a Blue Apron turkey stir fry with Bok Choy, fresh ginger, scallion rice and a Gochujang-mayo sauce. We do eat well out here. Next stop is back in California!

Total miles from Bullard’s Beach: 32.2, 16.0 mpg, 2 hours 45 min with stop for hot dog. Site 30 hookups. Minimal cell from site, but excellent cell from day use. No dump. We dumped at Humbug Mountain for free. Good dump there. Cell service is weird in the campground, but you can get an excellent signal from the bluffs, and just enough in the site to text.

This was another great stop with a dairy based motive. We used to get Bandon Cheddar Cheese regularly when we lived in Oregon. It has since changed its name to Face Rock Cheese Company and it is not that easy to find. Whenever we go through the Oregon coast, we always try to pick up some aged cheddar on the way. Our plan to bike over to the creamery was immediately thwarted by a flat on the rear tire of my e-bike.

Have you ever changed the rear tire on an e-bike? Rear tires are already a pita to remove because of the chain. When you add in the motor, wires connecting the motor, and big weird bolts holding the wheel on, I was ready to find a bike store and have them do it. I remember going to a bike store in Bandon last time and specifically talking to the owner about how hard it is to change the rear tire of an e-bike. Like, I wanted to buy tools to carry with me in case of flats. But after talking to him, it sounded like the best tools to have on hand are snacks so I can wait patiently for Richard to ride back to the car, come pick me up, and take me and my flat e-bike to the nearest bike shop. So we called the place and discovered it is out of business. Sad. But also, now what? I was so convinced of the improbability that we could do this ourselves, I was ready to go with, “Flat tire? Well, I guess I need a new bike.” Fortunately, Richard was more reasonable about the whole thing, and without that much trouble, was able to get the tire off. We did have a spare tube cause I’m prepared for all problems, even if I don’t believe I can solve them. It was tricky lining up the bolts, and it could have been tricky to know how to plug the motor wire back in, but they put little arrows on both sides to help with that. All told, we spent maybe a half an hour problem solving, and we were on our way to cheese.

First, we toodled around the very cute town old town of Bandon and rode down to the Face Rock view point. We took the requisite facie, and rode directly to the Face Rock Creamery. We got the aged cheddar and made a separate trip to the Ray’s grocery store to get makings for nachos. Super fun!

The next day was pretty windy, so instead of doing more biking, we walked out to the beach and lighthouse. Richard did a dunes loop trail in the morning, which taught him he hates sand. I think he bailed mid loop and found the road so that he could stop trudging through all the sand. He says that, in addition to the sand walking, the loop trail is covered with horse shit and bugs. One star review. We avoided that trail and stuck to the pavement until we got to the beach.

There is a fun little gift store inside the lighthouse and I recall making it a plan to see all the lighthouses up and down the Oregon coast. I think we’re missing a couple, but have been to most of them. That could be a fun theme treasure hunt some summer. For dinner, we had a delicious Blue Apron Romesco chicken with red onion, poblano pepper, and scallion couscous. Lovely two night stay!

Total miles from Jessie Honeyman: 66.9, 16.0 mpg, 1 hour 47 min. Site C20 hookups. Great cell for both. Ok dump. Curbed with a sideways notch.

There always comes a point in our travels when we need to work out relationship crap. This is honestly part of the reason we do this, because struggle makes you stronger, and all that. It tends to happen when we are on the final stretch of summer break, and therefore starting to think about returning to real life. It’s not that these are the issues we’re working out, I think it’s just that there is an underlying anticipation of work taking over the unfettered time we have together, so perhaps it puts us both on edge. So far, we’ve managed to work through all of these rough spots and come out the other side more connected, and armed with strategies we can try for the future. I’ll spare you the psychoanalysis we do to get to the root of how we each get spun up, and instead share some of the solutions we arrived at this time around. For one, travel days tend to be a common trigger for unintended mutual irritation, so we have made a pact to try to front load expectations the night before. Like we need to make sure the “white board” is clear, the weather forecast and driving routes have been checked, and plans have been agreed to on the morning exercise needs. When I say “white board,” I mean we need to check in with each other about whether there are any residual unspoken gripes, even small ones, that need to get aired and cleansed; like those stupid small moments, “Remember three days ago when you shook your head? Yeah, that pissed me off.” An apology, clarification, recognition, are all that’s needed to wipe it off, but if you don’t, those things build up. Travel stress amplifies everything, so there’s our new protocol: check in the night before, especially before travel days. And secondly, we both acknowledge that it is harder to stay connected at home than it is when spending all our time together in small, acoustically accessible, spaces. We’re going to try building some habits at home after dinner, where we intentionally talk to each other without phones, or yarn, in our hands. It’s so easy to let that time slip away and so important to make the effort to pay attention to each other. That’s it. Nothing deep or TED Talk worthy. But those discussions were a big part of this particular stay.

What kicked all of this off was the spur of the moment change of plans to get a really early start leaving Tillamook in order to avoid forecasted wind. Richard thought he would be ok skipping a morning walk, but that turned out not to be the case. That all went according to the change in plans, but it came at a cost. In any case, we arrived quite early and, as anticipated, could not get into our site yet. I knew there was a nice Day Use area at Woahink Lake and that was a great place to park and knit while Richard blew off his I-don’t-like-to-sit-in-the-car steam. I used the inverter to heat up the leftover grilled cheese and fries, reminding myself that the inverter was a worth it expenditure. Then I just worked on angry sock knitting. I am super proud of having learned how to use a magic loop to knit teeny tiny thready yarn into a rib stitch sock cuff. Knitting also turns out to be an exceptionally good activity to do when miffed. Notice the slogan on the project bag: Knitting, because murder is wrong. That is so real.

Jessie Honeyman is a huge campground, and yet all of the sites have really nice privacy and plenty of space. There are so many family friendly activities in this park, and there were certainly a lot of families taking advantage of it. We took a nice walk past the lily pond lake and then over to Cleawox Lake. There, you can rent kayaks or paddle boats. I do believe I’m going to go the entire summer without taking my boat out, but that’s ok with me. It has not been hot enough to feel the urge to be on the water, and that is a good thing. Route planning to end up on the coast in July was brilliant. We have also successfully avoided wildfire smoke. I want to remember this for the future because returning home via the coast also means you are mostly traveling with the wind. We didn’t use the AC once all summer and are not likely to need to before home. We are the smart party.

We got in a nice bike ride and hike the next day up to Sweet Creek Falls. Richard knew ahead of time that part of the trail would be closed, but you can access almost all of the falls viewpoints if you continue a half mile to the Falls Trailhead. The bike ride was really nice and mostly gentle, meandering through farmlands and private residences. We drove up Highway 126 to get to Sweet Creek Road. This begins in the couple of businesses town of Mapleton. There is a market there which is nothing to go out of one’s way to explore, and a couple of store fronts that used to be businesses. That must be a tough location to try to maintain a business. We parked the car at the turnoff and got our bikes out.

The ride is about eleven miles to the second trailhead, where there is a small parking area. The trail itself is immediately rewarding. There are sort of constant little falls all the way down, with some of them being named on Guru Maps. It’s obvious when you get to the closure why it was a very good call to close that sucker down tight. The section of the trail directly above Annice Falls and Punchbowl Canyon Falls is on a suspended catwalk, precariously attached to a rocky cliff. We could tell what must have happened based on all the scraped up dirt on the road right above that spot. Clearly there was a landslide that went down from the road, over the cliff, and right onto that catwalk. Without the suspended portion, the river is too rocky and swift for a trail to get around the bend. I’ll be impressed if they are able to rebuild that structure and we will check in the future to keep tabs on it. Even without that section, it’s a beautiful trail. There are some downed trees you have to get around, and it’s rooty a lot of the way, but very worth the one mile out and back from the upper trailhead.

On the way back, we stopped at the Safeway in Florence to get a couple of things. We didn’t go into town this time around, but there are lots of restaurants, stores, and dessert options. Nothing was grabbing us, so we stayed in the campground. It’s a super nice campground and I’d come back. There is a nice hike to Woahink Lake that Richard did the next morning. The lake is lovely to look at, and I imagine nice to boat on. Someday perhaps. Service is spotty in the campground, but we could both hit service from this site. I think it helps to be toward the front and closer to 101. Otherwise, you’re in a service dip. The sites are spacious and private. Can’t complain at all.

Total miles from Barview Jetty: 134.9, 16.6 mpg, 3 hours 30 min. Site 68 hookups. Ok dump, but water tends to pool. Ok cell for both, but stronger signal closer to 101. Good cell at Woahink Lake Day Use. Water spigot in site.

This stop had one job, which it tends to do very well. That job is to be located relatively close to Tillamook Creamery. It’s not a far drive from Ilwaco, and check in time is 3:30. That left us wondering what to do to kill time before arriving. Richard went on a long walk in the morning to try to find the North Gate Trail, which was a good use of time. Still, we had to check out by 11, so we looked for things to do along the way.

We’ve seen signs for the Lewis & Clark Visitor Center, on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. There’s an interpretive center, RV parking, and enough historical exhibits to keep us entertained for about two hours. I’m glad we went. It’s informative for sure, with a replica of Fort Clatsop (where the party spent their first winter), and docents performing reenactments of some of the daily chores the explorers would have done. For example. we got to see a live demonstration of rendering fat over a fire in order to make candles. That was cool. We watched the informational movie and hit the road, aiming for a 3ish arrival. Nailed that one, but also unintentionally timed the travel just as the winds started picking up. I’m ok with a tail wind, and even a direct headwind, but crosswinds are my nemesis and it was a rather tense tow down to Rockaway Beach.

We made it nicely timed so that they would let us in just a wee bit early. We wasted no time unhitching and made a bee line for the creamery. If it’s not the 4th of July, this campground is sort of meh. The sites are fully serviced, but slotty and packed in tightly. You can get to the beach and that would be the thing to do here. We were not there for recreation purposes, so we just went straight to Tillamook for a late lunch/early dinner.

If you’ve been to the creamery, you know. In addition to a fine and dandy view of the cheese making process, Tillamook Creamery sells all their ice cream, plus a selection of savory lunch or dinner options that showcase cheese. What’s not to love about foods that showcase cheese?

We have been looking forward to the mac & cheese, served in a small cast iron pan, for a long time. It definitely held up to the anticipation. I want to make a note for my future creamery visiting self: Get 1 order of mac & cheese and get an add on side of French fries. That’ll be plenty. Waiting in a long line to order dinner and seeing how cute and small those cast iron pans are, I tend to question whether splitting that will be enough. This time I ordered a grilled cheese, which comes with fries, just to make sure there was enough. It was way too much. The grilled cheese was fun, but not much different from any old grilled cheese, and need not have been purchased. I did save half, plus at least half of the French fries, for a nice inverter powered microwave lunch the next day, so it wasn’t a waste. But next time, just get the fries.

The ice cream also deserves a note to future self. Get the single scoop in a bowl with hot fudge. I had planned on doing that, but when the ice cream dispenser asked me if I wanted the “Brownie Sundae Special,” like my husband had gotten, I couldn’t very well turn that down, could I? And yes, the brownie bits were really high end brownies. And yes, the hot fudge was super thick excellent hot fudge. But honestly, I thought I might die right there. It was so much food. I couldn’t finish the ice cream, and that says a lot.

We walked around the upstairs for a while, where you can see people actually processing huge blocks of cheddar. There are informational kiosks everywhere telling you what all the equipment does. It’s a fun experience, especially if you are working on finishing way too much ice cream while you walk. There is a vast gift shop downstairs and we identified the fabulous fudge as Coops Hot Fudge. That is worth a special order for sure.

Leaving the busy creamery, we drove into town to do our weekly shopping. We saw an incredible deal on Tillamook ice cream. It’s a good thing Dory’s freezer really can’t keep ice cream frozen or my declaration of never indulging in ice cream again might have fallen by the wayside within minutes of saying it. Great stop always. We will never pass through this area without indulging.

Total miles from Eagle’s Nest: 74.6, 15.4 mpg, 3 hours 47 min with stop at Lewis & Clark. Site 32 full hookups. Good cell for both. Dump $10.

Our first order of business on leaving Whidbey Island was to try to get on the ferry as a stand by. I don’t know why I completely forgot about making reservations ahead of time, but by the time it dawned on us we’d be needing a ferry ride, the only available slots on the day of departure were at 10pm. Luckily, they only sell about 60% of the tickets ahead of time and they are extremely efficient at packing ferry boats. I skipped my morning shower so we could get there as early as possible and we were on the 8:30 ferry with no trouble at all. Not that I’m advocating some new kind of lifestyle where I just play everything loosey goosey and expect things to work out. That is unlike me and would result in a nervous system breakdown pretty quickly.

It was an easy drive down the scenic Hood Canal valley. We noted again that Dosewallips would be a nice campground to stay in at some point. We also took the opportunity to dump our tanks at Potlatch State Park Campground. That one would also be a possibility but it seemed like the sites around the back of the loop might be tight. I didn’t really explore, but I did see a sign warning of maximum vehicle length of 22 feet beyond a certain point.

Highway 101 is generally a pleasant highway all up and down through Washington and Oregon. It curves a great deal to run through Olympic National Park and we did not follow it that direction. Instead, we took the more direct route of 101 south, to 108 to McCleary, and then 8 and 12 to Aberdeen where we rejoined 101. 101 is confusing. The most exciting part of the drive was seeing a sign saying “Fresh Cookies 1/4 Mile Ahead.” We’ve passed by a million fresh fruit and vegetable stands. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fresh cookie stand before though. So yeah, we had to do that.

Once again, I was not able to reserve a site down below at Cape Disappointment State Park, but it’s really sinking in on this trip how much we enjoy electric hookups. We have two perfectly good lithium batteries and 400w solar panels and can do just fine for a couple of days without needing to charge, but when we have the hookups, we tend to run fans, use heaters to dry things out, and turn on lights with wild abandon. It’s a level of easy that can really help when traveling for long stints. For weekends, it honestly does not matter. When you’re going on the second month on the road, it’s just super nice to not even have to think about being super fast when getting something out of the fridge. In any case, this is all to say that I still enjoyed staying at this campground, even if it is not as scenic. Also, there is no cell service down at the state park, and that too has an impact that is subtle, but adds up.

Richard went out and walked the Discovery Trail while I relaxed and got back to attempting to knit socks. I have this teeny tiny strandy sock yarn and teeny tiny thin circular knitting needles. The last time I attempted sock knitting, it was the final straw in over extending my hands because I was death gripping the needles to keep the itty bitty yarn threads from slipping off the tips. I’ve been afraid to come back to it, but I’ve gotten more practice with our daughter’s scarf, and my hands are feeling much better. I’m following a “vanilla sock” pattern from someone called “The Crazy Sock Lady” and I’ve watched her video tutorial many times. I was excited to come back to it and I am five rows in to a ribbed cuff. I frogged it once already, but I’m getting better! Richard was out walking something like ten miles and was gone for over two hours. He kept texting me to make sure that was ok and I kept telling him to shush because I was concentrating. This is definitely a helpful hobby.

We had one full day in the area and we just did a repeat of our last trip. The Discovery Trail is one of the best biking experiences we’ve had. It’s not all that long, but it weaves and bobs along the shore for seven or so miles. You can make side trips into town where there are lost of touristy places to buy things or get a bite to eat in Long Beach or Seaside. To get to the Discovery Trail, there is a section that starts in Ilwaco, which is where this campground is located. It rolls steeply up and down through deep woods and goes over a fun boardwalk section. You’d miss all of that if you started from the state park campground.

We did an out and back to the North Head Lighthouse, just to see it. There are some historic houses there that you can actually stay in, plus a gift shop. We were just there for the views and we turned around and rode back to the start of the beachy part. The day began overcast and misty, but on the way back, we got beautiful blue skies and nice views.

No blog post would be complete without a bakery mention. There were two on this trip. One was in Long Beach called Dylan’s Cottage Bakery. There we split a chocolate raised glazed and an old fashioned. The second one was Sadie and Josie’s Bakery and it’s right on the way out to the Cranberry Museum. Sadie and Josie’s is really incredible and they offer you so many samples! I wanted to get something, but it had to be small enough to carry in a backpack and would last through three more weeks of travel. I settled on their almond roca and it is wonderful.

The Cranberry Museum is worth a trip if you are anywhere in the area. It would be a sight to see the harvesting of cranberries that happens every October. Maybe that will be a post retirement trip. Growing cranberries is a very complicated endeavor and their museum shows all the different kinds of equipment and growing techniques they have used over the years. For example, in the 1920’s researcher D.J. Crowley tried to convince farmers about the benefits of wet vs dry farming. At the time, most farmers did not believe that using water could protect plants from frost. Decades later, many of his recommendations started being implemented. It’s an interesting history and it’s all laid out nicely in the museum.

We left with a bottle of cranberry syrup and went back to Long Beach. Richard wanted to get his hair cut and couldn’t resist trying the place located next to the largest frying pan in the world. While he did that, I grabbed a cup of clam chowder across the street at Captain Bob’s Chowder Sisters.

Before riding back up the steep climb to the campground, we checked out “downtown” Ilwaco. It has a cute but short strip of inns and businesses along the water. We noticed businesses advertising cleaning and packaging of fish, so clearly fishing is the main form of recreation in town. There was certainly a lot of action around the docks.

From here to home, I think all but one of the campgrounds will be repeat stays with likely repeats of previous activities. This repeat was just as fun as the first time. We even made pancakes and used our newly bought syrup to try. Richard is now motivated to make his own cranberry syrup so he can make it more liquidy and less like cranberry sauce. Sounds like a good project for home.

Total miles from Fort Ebey: 194.3, 15.9 mpg, 6 hours 5 min. Site 21 full hookups. Good sewer in site. No dump because all sites have hookups. Great cell for both. Laundry, pool, showers.