California road trip day 7 - Day of The Bridge

Crystal started her day optimstic with the only option available in this little cabin, Folgers.  I sat on the couch facing the ocean watching the sun come up. A beautiful bird popped his head in! 

I did a hard pass on the Folgers.  Crystal made a valient effort and 2 sips later the optimism died and we set off to find real coffee. We found a place very proud of their pour over, so proud they used enough coffee for a full pot for every cup!  I drove while Crystal tried to sip her death cup.  It was black and angry.  The view of the river next to highway 1 was fabulous, however! 

With all of the twists and turns, Crystal was churning and turning green.  I gave up on the coffee and was running on pure adrenaline as I put my car into sports mode plus going around all of the curves.  I really enjoyed the winding road overlooking the cliffs as we drove south towards San Fransisco.  The rolling hills next to the bay were covered with fog. 

We were looking for the golden gate overlook but I missed the turn so I drove over the bridge while Crystal watched.  All we could see was the bridge peaking out of the fog.  

After we drove across, Crystal convinced me we should just drive over again since I wanted to watch while she drove and I really wanted to see the bridge.  So back we went, and this time we stopped at all the stops!  

We drove through the city and down the coast towards Santa Cruz.  Leaving Santa Cruz was magical.  We were listening to old school California hip hop with the windows down as we drove down the changing landscape.  

Every day has been different.  Each part of California is magical in it's own way, but the views north of Santa Cruz were some of the most amazing.  

We checked into our hotel in the cute little town of Santa Cruz, right by the boardwalk.  

We had made plans to go to dinner with Kevin and Beth, some of my best friends from collage. The invited us to one of their favorite little places called Bella Saratoga in Saratoga California.  The streets were decorated with twinkle lights and a little bit of halloween fun!  

We started with an artichoke.  Crystal had never had a fresh artichoke before.  She started with gusto.  After I quietly googled if eating a whole artichoke leave would kill you, we ordered our main course.  

We had amazing wine and the beef short rib on a mountain of polenta and brussel sprouts which is Kevin's favorite.  I had so much fun catching up! We all split a tasty tiramisu and Crystal ordered a cappachino, she was in rapture.  Finally a good cup of coffee!     After the restaurant closed and they kicked us out.  We chatted as we walked back, forgetting to get any pictures.  We had a great time and we would love to host them in Texas should they ever want an adventure (hint hint!). 

We drove back to the hotel and went to sleep, another fantastic California day. 

California road trip day 6 - The day of the sweater (Highway 1 day 1)

I woke up bright and early ready to conquer the world!  I was dressed, packed and ready to go by dawn.  No wait, that was Crystal.  I opened an eye, saw the warm fire and cuddled back into the poofy comforter to watch the dawn awake the dark trees around us. What was that noise? Crystal was up and cooking in the kitchen!  She was rather excited that she got to cook one of the days, especially in a cute little cabin the woods.  She made us bacon, challah french toast with fig and vanilla bean preserves, and scrambled eggs with shallots, serrano peppers and thick-cut shredded cheese along with a pot of really good Humbolt county coffee.  It was amazing!  We sat in the kitchen with the windows open and enjoyed a slow morning before packing up and hitting the road again.  We were out by check-out and back on the road.  

We hit the 101 and as the fog lifted we exited onto the northern most portion of highway 1.  At this point I decided I should share a few things with Crystal.  I told her there were 'a few things' and we would talk about them 'soon'.   We drove through the mountains and around the crazy switch backs taking in the awe inspiring views.  We stopped several times for photo ops and we got amazing shots of huge mountains, giagantic trees and enormous sweaters.

  The first 'thing' was that our road trip is no longer a destination trip.  We have no where else to 'be', we just stop as we see things. The second thing, I told her, was that the speed limit was a real thing on highway 1.  We went around the last mountain curve and saw nothing between us and the ocean as we drove around the cliff.  I then told her the last thing, "look down".  The view was outstanding.  

Crystal: It took my brain a moment to realize that what my eyes were taking in.  I have never seen a view like this in real life.  Paintings and instagram shots come to life.  Weaving back and forth so close to the edge of a cliff with no railing was disorienting.  Once I fell into a comfortable pattern, the ride was soothing.  Mountain views then ocean cliffs.  Google did put the pressure on...55 miles per hour the entire way is not humanly possible.  Our drive extended over 2 hours due to the switch back mountain turns.

Lynn:  So.... When I said, "I would love to drive back on highway 1 in my car, it corners so well it would be amazing" I thought she knew wha she was in for.  Fun driver Crystal drives fast on the straight aways.  Fun driver Lynn loves them corners!  I didn't know that Crystal didn't know what highway 1 was.  She didn't know she was in for cliff driving.  The views were amazing, the emptiness was calming.  We saw very few people, very few cars. 

The hotel we stopped at was in Jenner, California.  It had no internet and no cell phone signal. 

We got ready for my 'birthday dinner' at the River's Inn as we watched the sun set from our balcony.  We walked the steep incline up 4 cabins to our restaurant. 

The food was delicous and the views were the best! We had elf, medium rare! 

We had also butternut squash raviloi in a sage brown butter sauce. 

  Watching the sky darken from a pale pink to a vibrent magenta was amazing! 

The waitress told us that the cabins were an extention of the restaurant and she carried us down coffees and dessert. 

We finished our night watching the moonlight across the ocean.  

California Day 5 - Our tree day, Crystal among her people!

We started our 'Tree Day' rather slow.  We bought coffee and a crossant from the grumpy coffee nazi downstairs and enjoyed our breakfast while the sun came up.

We loaded our car and made our way away from the coast and into the 'giants'. 

Unfortunately, we followed the google GPS.  She's very eager to get us there faster and we haven't found the 'scenic route' mode! :)  We stopped at the first sign for 'Avenue of the Giants' and I got out to check it out.  Another car with two guys pulled in right after us.  They were clearly lost and had many questions.  I told them the Avenue of Giants runs next to the 101 and they need to get off and drive north on the Avenue.  Dude's response, thanks!  'Do you work here?'.  

Do I work here?  "HERE"?  Like this scenic sign?  No... I work for Dell.  What sign do you work at? 

We checked into the cabin, which was a cutie little place with a small kitchen and a fireplace in the bedroom.  After getting supplies across the street from the local farmer's market and country store we had a quick lunch.  

We drove all the way along the avenue of the Giants.  We  our car through a tree!  Props to my car for being small and having many cameras and sensors!  I can't imagine driving through without them, it was a tight fit!

We stopped several times and got out to walk between the trees.  We saw the founders tree, the immortal tree, the rockafeller tree and many other very trees that haven't earned names yet.  Crystal balanced along one large tree over a gulch for a picture.  I was not feeling brave so no  balance pics for me!  

Crystal:  It was a very rewarding day.  I have never been among the trees like this before, complely surrounded by ancients  giants, disconnected from the outside world. I have always felt a special connection with nature.  Being in this forest was surreal. 

Lynn:  The first time I saw the redwoods it was in more of a hurry, so I was glad to have a whole day to enjoy this magical place.  I loved all of the ferns and vegitation.  Gravity did not matter to this bunch as they would grow in any direction and over every crevice so all was green and beautiful.  

We also drove through the Humbolt state park along Mattatole road, almost all the way to the coast again!

In started getting a bit dark on the way back and we actually saw possums in the road!  It was dark by the time we made our way back to the cabin where I made avocado and turkey grilled cheese.  We sipped wine and watched the trees until we were ready to fall asleep.  

California roadtrip day 4, Where we had lunch, they had lunch

We woke up before coffee was available.   All the lights downstairs were out. 

qp a q

We loaded quickly and made our way to the local co-op market and picked up a few overly priced items for our picnic.  

From there , we were off to find crepes and caffeine.  We devoured a savory crepe filled with bacon, brie, scrambled eggs, onion, garlic, fuji apples and cheese.  And treated ourselves with the sweet crepe filled with an intense cinammon filling and topped with berries and fresh peach slices.  Crystal recharged with a double cappichino and we were back on the road. 

 We took in the scenic landscapes as we enjoyed driving the back windy roads to Shelter  Cove.  We were surrounded by humongous trees, huge towering mountains and occational glimses of the ocean. 

We stopped by the Shelter Cove general store where there was a small underground tank, the only gas option for miles.   We were on the 'Lost Coast'.  The Lost Coast is named as such because there are no roads through and the landscape is virtually untouched by man.  Only 25 hiking passes are allowed in shoulder season (that is us!) and 50 during peak season over the summer.  That's 50 total passes for the whole lost coast area from Mattahole to Shelter cove. 

We checked in to our hotel that overlooked the rocky craigs.  Crystal decided at this point that I suck at picking hotels :)

We prepped in layers for our hike, checked first aid kits, hydration and lunch then headed out.  I convinced Crystal that SPF 50 sunscreen was in fact needed, even though she saw clouds. That was the beautiful fog that later melted away!  We headed down to the black sand beach along a steep winding hill then down a ramp.  I was sure there were stairs.  I remembered how steep this ascent was after a 44 mile hike.  Memories enhanced the calf muscle sensation. This was a VERY steep decline. 
Then we were there. 
The lost coast. 

Crystal:  When I first saw this beach I thought the lights were playing tricks on me in the sun.  The contrast between the dark sand and the light blue sky was stunning.  It was a windy day so I enjoyed watching the waves crash and spray in the wind as we walked along the beach.  Lots of cute birds and seals were able to be seen in the water as we walked along the beach.  The key to watching on this beach was to stay in the wet compact sand so you did not seak to your demise.  Sand walking really is walking on a whole different level.  We get extra credit!  We enjoyed a leasury hike up the coast towards rattlesnake creek.  We continued on as the tide continued to come in.  We zeroed in to a nice clear spot on the beach where the birds were circling and the seals were bobbing in and out of the waves.   We ate were they ate!  We set up our picnic and enjoyed a nice relaxing lunch in the cool breeze under the California sun watching the seals play in the waves and the birds swoop down for lunch.  

Lynn: I never thought I would be here again.  I loved my 2019 backpacking trip and I remembered thinking, this is a once in a life time trip.  You will never see this again!  Here I am again, at the lost coast.  One of the most enchanting and challanging hikes I have ever been on.  I wish that we had months to enjoy northern California but we only have this one day on the lost coast.   I was so excited to see Crystal's reaction!  This is my favorite place in the world and it is so nice to be able to share it with a good friend :)  We aren't in Texas anymore, Toto!  We hiked up to the first river crossing.  Several hikers were already camped out, their open mesh tent ready for the stars that night.  As beautiful as our hotel is, I'm jealous.  I wish we were going to sleep tonight listening to the waves crash as we watched the sky twinkling with countlass stars.  

We made our way back a bit early as Crystal was not adjusted to the time change and she was afraid the seals may eat her if we stayed overnight.   So we returned to civilzation.