I say we all just move to three day weekends from now on. Sound ok? This was our first Dory trip to Hendy Woods, up in Mendocino County, and we enjoyed ourselves quite a bit. It helped that the weather was neither too hot, nor too cold, and that nothing was visibly on fire.
I was prepared for it to be a bit of a long drive Friday, but it turned out to be just under four hours, so we got to the campground with plenty of daylight left. The drive itself was no problem, most of it being a straight shot up Highway 101. We hit some holiday traffic, nothing too bad, and then cut off onto Highway 128. It started with some serious twistiness, but nothing deathy and the road conditions were smooth and newly paved the whole way. And after maybe ten windy miles, it evened out and passed through a couple of cute Mendocino towns along the way.
The campground is nestled deep in the redwoods, just past Philo, CA, and has a decidedly tenter or small camper feel. We saw one or two larger RVs, but really nothing huge is going to fit in there. Our site was fantastic with lots of room and abundant privacy due to all the trees and bushes. It was quite unlevel, but with the Lynx levelers and the new addition of Lynx chocks, we were just fine.
Saturday I had some work to get done and Richard rode out to the coast via Philo Greenwood Road to Cameron Road and landed at Navarro State Beach. I drove out once I was done for the day and met him there. It was glorious weather and I just stayed and gawked at the ocean for a while as Richard headed back on 128. We met up again at the Navarro Store to have a snack, and then we both headed back to Dory. 
Dinner Saturday was a new recipe of grilled foil packets of salmon and asparagus topped with lemon and dill, and potatoes cooked on the griddle. Delish and very easy.
Sunday we hiked around the Big Hendy Woods trails and marveled at the redwoods. 
Then it was back to Dory where Richard had nappy time inside while I fell asleep in my Nemo chair. Side note: since I’ve been wearing the permethrin treated clothes, I have not yet gotten bitten. And there were a few mosquitos buzzing around, with me being an easy sleeping target. So I’m hopeful there. Sunday dinner was a balsamic marinated grilled steak salad with grilled peaches and potato wedges. Also good, but the meat was a little dry. Maybe don’t pre-cut the meat.
Monday we woke up happily late and rolled out after noon. We stopped at a place called Gowan’s Oak Tree for some award winning fresh fruit and a frozen apple pie. We heated it up when we got home and I must say, that was worth the drive right there. YUM.
Wonderful weekend in a campground that ranks high on my list. I will definitely want to go back there!
Total miles: 141.7, 3 hours 50 min, 15.6 mpg. Site 43. No electric anywhere. Water spigots a plenty and potable water at the dump. Nice dump. Nice bathrooms. Very little solar except in a few sites. 1 bar LTE for me, 2-3 bars for Verizon. With booster got up to 4 bars LTE. Nice sites: 43*, 27, 29, 31, 32, 34 (solar), 48, 49, 51*, 52, 22.
