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.  

California road trip Day 3, Birthday edition!

In a lot of ways, day 3 was 'day 1' in our heads.  We made it to the ocean, had a full day of adventures and fewer miles.

We slept in until 5 A.M. and were on the road by 7.  We made our way north on the 101.

Within an hour people sightings went down and the trees got bigger.  And bigger.  And BIGGER!  This was Crystal's first time seeing the north west and she was blown away. The sheer size of the redwoods blows you away.

 We stopped at a fun coffee shop called "Pour girl's coffee".  It was an oasis in the dessert for Crystal's coffee addiction.  The fall colors were popping! We continued through the forest. The drive along the windy road was a lot of fun, especially in Lynn's little car!  

We got to Eurika before the hotel was ready for check in.  We decided to grab a light lunch before we walked around.  We had a hibiscus mimosa, baja tacos and spicy coleslaw at Jacks.  Crystal had never had a baja taco before.  She is now a believer.  The fish was fresh, clean and perfectly crisp without being greasy.  It was beer battered and decidedly NOT keto.  It was amazing!    

After we ate, we walked down the boardwalk.  We took pictures of graffiti, murals and some of the buildings.  The old buildings were from the late 1800s lumber barons.  Many were in disrepair while other buildings had sponsors with bronze plaques and manicured lawns.

The increased homeless population was very apparent as we strolled around Eurika proper.

  We hiked between buildings and wandered aimlessly until we stumbled upon an anqiue store.  This was my first experience antiquing!  I found a vital pair of birthday earrings, all that was needed to complete my outfit of cuteness.  A wonderful gift for Jeff was procured before we continued wandering the city.  

Every attempt to find an afternoon caffeine boost was met with failure.  All coffee locations were closed at 2:30 and the hotel opened at 3.  Sadly we admitted defeat and slowly dragged our weary bodies back to the hotel.  

Check in was smooth but long, requiring a rehearsed speech peppered plentiful ums. We were informed about geoffrey, the 24 hour emergency super hero who mans the building for all possible requests.  Except for ice at 3 am.  It was made very clear that Geoffery has standards for his assistance and ice at 3 am is a nonstarter.

 The hotel was old but very beautiful.  We were on the second floor and the luggage elevator was a welcome surprise.  The vaulted ceilings were unexpected since there was no central air.  The room had an electric fireplace, heavy down comforters with beds facing large picture windows and a beautiful amore with no closet rod.  We would gladly accept this minor inconvenience for the historical crown moldings and ornate figures.  

The second floor rooms faced the open central dining hall where a restaurant was now located.  If you looked up, the ceiling was covered with stain glass mosaic eagles.  Suddenly the name of the hotel made sense.  The eagle house.  There was actually very little sound transfer considering how open the floor plan was.  

After changing into warmer layers, we headed out to see the ocean.  We went to Patrick's point and agate beach. 

This is the beach were I saw the Pacific ocean for the first time in 1994.  We started our decent and looked down.  I, in my hiking shoes, knew what lie ahead. Crystal, in her slippery sketchers, was blinded by optimism and excitement.  

After many curves and steep stairs we made it down to the rocky beach. 

Agate beach is covered with many tiny pebbles and larger rocks.  We walked along the beach looking for agates. The foggy mist was mesmerizing.

On the way back I went rock hopping as the tide went out hoping to find tide pools.  We were rewarded with sightings of anemes, sea snails and dungenous crab.

I watched a seagull snag a dungenous crab for dinner!

The walk out was a bit longer than the walk in.  Props to Crystal who booked it up the hill, setting the pace with limited breaks! She'd like to mention she has been training on stairs at work in preparation for this adventure and today it paid off in spades!

We made it back to the hotel in time to explode our luggage over the once fancy room and hastely dressed in 15 minutes to make our reservations. Crystal also gave me a wonderful birthday gift!   A "key" to remind me, the key to happiness is to follow your heart! 

Patsy Klines! We weren't sure how dinner would be as the reviews were all over the place.  We went for close and convenient and being right down stairs, this place fit the bill.  We ordered several small plates to share along with rose brut to toast Lynn's birthday. 

Dinner was flatbread pizza, oysters (for Lynn), philo cigars filled with beets and goat cheese and a charcutterie board. 

For dessert we got a lemon blueberry pastery with chantille whipped cream and a lavender macha creme bruelee with candy ginger on top.  Everything tasted fresh and amazing and we fell into bed, very happy girls with full tummies.