No, you didn't miss an episode. Day one was uneventful. Breakfast at Chad's in Santa Barbara, Bob's Well Bread for a loaf of their wonderful "Pain au Levine" to use with the massive load of Claro's Italian Deli meats (salami, cappicola, mortadella, provolone) for sandwiches along the way, therby saving a few bucks on food, the to King City and good old Keefer's Inn (a regular stop from the old Iron Bottom Days).
Keefer's is still a nice place to stay--clean, good A/C, and comfortable. Still, of course, with the funky paintings done by the original owner. Sadly, the restaurant has fallen on hard times. It was 100+ out and no A/C. We had a beer while waiting for our room to be ready (remember, we'd left home about 5AM to beat most of the heat) and decided that Claro's on Bob's bread would work for dinner in the A/C of our room.
Day Two again started well before the buttcrack of dawn, and for the same reasons. And a chance to beat at least some of the horrible East Bay Traffic. As a Hardened LA Traffic Warrior, I have to say those people are crap drivers! Seriously!
Example: We had to cross the Richmond Bridge (which, by the way, is a toll--except the only way you can pay the toll is if you have a Fastrak device or an "invoice." No cash, no attendents, no info on just how one gets said "invoice." What's an out of towner to do? Wait for a bill. If they bill me for more the the $3.50 charge for a carpool, I'm sending them the $3.50 and telling to go get stuffed.
On top of that, the situation is worsened by the 8 (now empty) toll booths you have to squeeze through and then squeeze back to 2 lanes on the bridge. Naturally, some clown thought she could jump around a bunch of cars and squeeze out. HAH! Channeling a combo of my Dad going to the Rose Bowl Game and my years driving a bus, she learned better. She was game, I'll give her that, but, hey, as in "Fried Green Tomatoes" I'm older and have better insurance. When she did finally pass me, I gave her a friendly "salute." She didn't like it. tought.
So, let's get back to the good stuff. We got back on 101 and just north of San Rafael, got off at Lucas Valley Road. Three reasons: 1) it's a neat road to drive, lovely transition from coastal rolling hills and oak trees to the beginnings of the redwoods that march down the northern coast. 2) this redwood forest is home to one George Lucas and his Skywalker Ranch. It's where the finally of "Return of the Jedi" was shot. Let's just say it wasn't the "Endor" our trip...and 3) there's CHEESE!
The whole reason for this diversion was to hit both the Nicasio Cheese Company https://nicasiocheese.com and the Marin French Cheese Company https://marinfrenchcheese.com and fill up on tasty, cheesy, comestibles.
Nicasio has some wonderful stuff. They have their own cows and dairy, and so control the entire process. Their "Morning Fog" is a delicate soft but tangy soft cheese, their Alpine is a nutty hard cheese, and their Reserve smells like the "Feet of God." WHEW, stinky, but oh so good! On top of that, the woman who runs the shop is friendly and knowledgeable about cheese and the area. The shop not only sells cheese, but other tasty "stuff" to go with the cheese. Well worth a stop. And, just to put a cherry on top, a guy in a great looking TR4 rolled in just as we were waiting for them to open. Got to talk cars and TRs and such. Always fun.
Just down the road a bit is the Marin French Cheese Company. They are the oldest US maker of Camembert style cheese. If you're old enough, you might remember "Rouge et Noir" Camembert. That's them, they repackaged their brand, but with no loss of goodness. This is a larger operation but they have a really nice picnic area, so planning to stop there for lunch works well. On top of the Camembert and a new offering, an aged triple-cream Brie (!!!) we got a jar of Chili-Fig Jam. DAMN does it go well on good cheese!
You might note in the sidebar, we've been playing around making YouTube videos! Here's the one on Cheese: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77QZ3CeEJiQ&t=37s
Following lunch (more Claro's on Bob's--it never gets old) and we wound our way to Petaluma and the 101. I'd like to stay in Petaluma some day, it looks like a neat little town, particularly the older part. Looks like a good selection of shops and eateeries.
From Petaluma, it was straight up 101 where we got off in Ukiah for the first of our Roadside Attractions: "The Stump." One of the joys of what has transitioned to the Redwood Highway is the assortment of oddities that dot the road.
"The Stump" is an old gas station...made from the 20' tall stump of a redwood tree that must be some 20' in diameter! The whole thing was hollowed out and made into the office, a roof added and an overhang for the gas pumps. It's no longer an operation station, but it's a reminder of the quirkiness of post-WWII travel.
And moving the Redwood Highway is. I've written about it before, chronicalling our series of treks north and south. It still amazes us! Imagination alone isn't enough to grasp the sheer scale of these trees! Huge isn't a big enough word. The nice thing about the Citroen is that it's a loafer car. We just lolled along in the right lane, floating on the DS Magic Suspension, and enjoying the scenery. And this is where Ronnie Reagan infamously said, "You've seen on tree, you've seen 'em all." Bah. Humbug! Everytime we go through there, it's a new and wonderful experience.
Our next stop was, of course, The Chandelier Drive-Through Tree. It's one of those "Gotta Do It" stops. OK, it costs $15 to drive through, and yeah, there was a line of cars, each taking their time posing (and why not? For most, it'll be the only time they do this) but it's still worth the silly photo-op. They also have clean potties and the obligatory gift shop. When we took the kids through there, each time they'd get to wander through, but we never had the money to buy anything. It's not that we have more money now, it's that we don't have to spend on meals and motel rooms on the kids, so, grandkids Nora and Abby get to get spoiled with t-shirts, books, and stuff. And the Citroen doesn't have enough stickers and our fridge doesn't have enough magnets, so...
At times, 101 goes from 4 lanes to 2 and the road gets twistier and narrower. Big Semis have a hell of a time, and they've lobbied for decades to widen it all. So far, no soap. GOOD! Richardson Grove in particular is one of the beauty spots along the way. Massive tree trunks stretch to the sky like pillars of an outdoor temple to Nature. No way it should be widened any further!
We didn't stop at "The Legend of Bigfoot" this time...it's really just a gift shop and parking is mostly on the side of the narrow highway, AND across the road. We DID stop, however, at "Confusion Hill." Again, a rather silly and quaint attraction featuring "The Shoe House" and a wonky building like the one at Knotts/Calico Ghost Town that's built on a 45 degree angle. And a gift shop. Of course.
From there it was past the Benbow Inn (one of the wonderful luxury hotels along the way--do yourself a favor and stay there at least once!) and to Garberville for the Motel Garberville. This was a modest and slightly tired spot, not as good as the Sherwood Forest that we've used before. Sadly, the Sherwood didn't survive the pandemic, and is now closed. No word on re-opening. Sad. Right next door is the Humbolt Bar and Grill. Not bad, not spectacular, but a decent meal at the end of a long day.
And here's the Redwoods, Part 1 video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUB2vpHRwG4&t=19s
So, next time, we'll continue through the Redwoods and end up in Grants Pass, Or. Until then, Happy Road Trippin'!
Very nice Steve ! .
ReplyDeleteI miss the No Frills Iron Bottom Motoring Tours but time marches on .
Good to see the redwoods are doing okay, I always worry they'll die off one sad day .
-Nate