Americans seem to worship superlatives in nature: crowds collect at the biggest waterfall, the highest peak, the hottest desert--while the second highest peak is deserted. The exact location of the world's largest Redwood is disputed, however, several of the contenders are in small groves adjoining Rte 101 well to the south of the park. There you will see the crowds of tourists on any day of the year, making an obligatory ten minute photo stop before rushing off to Yosemite or Crater Lake. Which leaves Redwood National Park itself gloriously empty...
The following representative photo of 1 (one) Redwood really needs to be viewed on a large monitor. I'm not suggesting you buy one just to see this tree, however, if you did that wouldn't be the worst decision you ever made. A better plan would be to include this astonishing park on your next cycling holiday.
You will have it all to yourself.
Gordon,
ReplyDeleteWe're considering a Spring or Fall (when the kids are in school and the crowds are minimal) drive up your coast from some logical starting point near the north end of the GG Bridge all the way to Cape Flattery, WA. Gimminy, it'd be wonderful if that logical starting point would be accessable from I-80 without our having to fight SF traffic.
In 06 we drove down the Oregon coast taking two days to go from Seaside to Coos Bay (117 miles and 98 miles per day).
We're curious if you think a similar drive up the north coast of Cal from SF Bay to Coos Bay (Ca Hwy 1 and US 101) would be feasable? Is there enough viewable scenery to fill an 8-hr day of just 100-to-150 miles or so?
Any idea about dog-friendly lodging spaced 100-150 miles up the coast? Assuming for granted there's supper and breakfast near the motels, how about people food for lunch stops? We're not campers or trailerites and need civilization for overnighting.
We also aren't much for the attractions; you know, the petting zoos and world's largest whatevers along with the gravity defying anti-magnetic wonders of nature granite boulder kinds of places. (Isn't it amazing that those places somehow are all located only in touriste-laden locales?) We do our driving trips to see the scenery. Festivals, when we accidently stumble into one, quite frankly are a crowded pain in the butt.
So, any thoughts?
alf
"Festivals, when we accidently stumble into one, quite frankly are a crowded pain in the butt."
ReplyDeleteGenerally, I agree. I dislike almost all organized activities when I'm on a holiday. I simply don't want to be told what to do--and when to do it-- when I'm trying to relax. However, if I had my life to live over again I'd include more Kinetic Sculpture Races here in Arcata. That's held over the Memorial Day weekend, which is not a bad time to drive around in this area. See my posting on this from last May. The Kinetic Sculpture Race is my kind of "organized activity."
Out here we have the normal number of seasons: two. You'll want to travel during the dry one from May to October/November. During that period, you really can't go wrong on the California and Oregon coasts. The whole thing--from San Francisco to Astoria, Oregon is stunning. The cycling is MUCH better in Oregon, however. Rte 1 in Ca is beautiful but treacherous for bikes, as there is little or no shoulder in parts. Oregon has a well marked bike path along the whole of the coastal highway. I rode it a couple of years ago.
Sorry, but motel dog policies are outside the scope of this blog. Perhaps your auto club can help with this.
Keep me posted, Alf. I'll buy you something calming if you get as far as Arcata.
As you probably know, this can be a foggy area, especially in the summer. This is not a bad thing. Nothing actually happens to you in fog, unlike some kinds of weather I could name. The fog burns off a few miles inland, so if you insist on escaping from it, you need only drive and/or bike uphill for a while. Do that in, say, mid August and keep driving for an hour or so--and you will learn what suffering is...
ReplyDeleteFog makes for some very artsy scenery photos. Fog also causes one to pay attention to the objects at-hand or the scenery nearby just because of the limited sight distance.
ReplyDeleteThat's good because the scenery of the American West is so damn big, that we who live east of the Missouri River tend to get caught up in the grandeur of it and lose sight of the closer things.
alf
Alf,
ReplyDeleteThanks for speaking up for fog. It doesn't get much respect, even around here. A lot of folks think that if they're not at risk for skin cancer, they should be depressed.
Gordon, thanks for the suggestion. We plan on doing a short tour from Eureka with a stop at Patrick's Point State Park as well. We will let you know how it goes.
ReplyDelete