The Redwoods, Day Three

 Well, I'm sure the suspense has been unbearable for you, waiting for another episode of our Epic Trek North. So, here goes.

We spend a good night in an average motel, the Motel Garberville (it's a bit tired, but quite serviceable and a lot less expensive than the big name places) and headed out a bit late (for this trip), about 6:30am.

The reason was that the "Shrine Drive-Thru Tree" https://www.visitredwoods.com/listing/shrine-drive-thru-tree/185/ in Meyers Flats opens about 7:00am. Or so. Once we got there, the sign said "Sunrise". It was about then, so... The entry booth wasn't manned so we got out and dropped the $15 into the honor box, and crept in. This place is creepy! The entry leads to a dark grove, a canopy of closly overhanging branches...oooooh! We've seen enough BBC murder mysteries to know this is an immediate Danger Sign. You're either gonna find a body...or be one! 

Luck was on our side and we got out without a problem...except the Yellow Submarine was a bit cranky that morning. I think the damp had invaded a spark plug hole and she occasionally wanted to run on only 3 cylinders! And, of course, she picked our entry into the steep downhill to the tree as one of those moments. She stalled. An didn't want to crank over! Maybe luck WASN'T on our side? Would a troll or even Big Foot come out and claim a victim? I let her roll to the tree, popped the clutch and HEY PRESTO, she fired up and pulled us up the other side! WHEW! You can see it all on the YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJAxObP8zDc

This place is pretty cool, and although the gift shop was closed, the drive out is past a couple of cool things. First up is the "Drive On A Log"--a ramp that lets you park atop a fallen redwood tree, and houses carved out of redwood stumps. Still in the ground, these are hollowed out and a couple of stories high. Weird what people will do. 

Back on the road, we followed the northern end of the Avenue of the Giants. Sadly, the southern end was closed for roadwork, so we missed it. Still, in the eerie morning light, it's an amazing drive. It all seems so primal. Thankfully, the Citroen decided to cooperate and ran fine the rest of the trip. Silly French Car! 

Finally back on 101, we cruised to Eureka, got gas, and a quick bite to eat (Cliffbars and a Coke) and off to the best Roadside Attraction of the Redwood Highway: TREES OF MYSTERY!

Paul and Babe are there to greet you.

Hey, Bigfoot, leave my woman alone! 

We've stopped there for years, the first time was when our eldest was only 2 ½ and was the only kid. We'd been seeing cars with bright yellow "Trees of Mystery" bumper stickers for hours, back then, and of course, they did the trick and enticed us to stop. At the time, all we could afford was a quick cruise through the gift shop and a pee, then it was back in the old Jag XJ6 we had back then. Sure enough, a large yellow cardboard "Trees of Mystery" sign was wired to our bumper. Sadly, they don't do this anymore...cars don't have proper bumpers. Still, they have them and you can get one for free. No wire to attach it to the Citroen, but still...

This time, we decided to hike the trail and see what we'd missed for the last 35 years. For a mere $25 (EACH!!!) we schlepped through the grove. It was a lot of fun, and since we'd arrived just about opening time, there were few others there. I recommend timing it this way, as later in the day, bus loads of chattering tourists will invade and ruin the tranquility. See: https://treesofmystery.net for more info. 

It's a thing you should do...once. The trail is a hike, mostly uphill, past some weirdly deformed trees like the "Elephant Tree" and the "Upside-down Tree." The walk wasn't easy, but pleasant, especially as it was almost deserted. Near the top, is a sky bucket that will take you up to the treetops. It's worth the walk. This gave the feeling of soaring through the treetops and was worth the price of admission. We didn't do the Rope Bridge...nope...nope... There's also a section of classic American Tall Tales. Carvings of the friends of Paul Bunyan. A time gone by. If you're old enough, you'll have read these tales of Americana in elementary school. Sadly, they seem to have disappeard from the curriculum. 

The Elephant Tree

The Upside-Down Tree

The Rope Bridge. Nope...

Soaring through the Redwoods

Sourdough Sam

All-in-all, it was a lot of fun. The place is littered with odd chainsaw carvings of Paul Bunyan and his pals from the Old American Legends. It's of course, the gift shop that Marianne loves. They have TURQUOISE! So, beware. She makes it a point to buy something each visit, even if it's a small pair of stud earrings. What's really cool, though, is the museum of Native American artifacts. A truley wonderful collection. 

From there it was up to Crescent City and US199. This road takes us inland to Grants Pass and the I-5. Our only stop was for lunch at the Historic Hiouchi Cafe. Constant Reader may remember we "discovered" this place on our last trip north and this time, we made sure to stop for lunch. 

The place has been expanded and renovated since our last visit, but the food is still excellent. It's now really crowded so prepare for a bit of a wait. One of the dangers of a restaurant that expands and/or upgrades is it loses too much of its early charm and the food is seldom as good. Not so for this place. The food is still excellent and worth a stop. 

From there we wound our way along US199 to Grants Pass and our usual digs at the Knights Inn. This place is clean and comfortable and an easy walk (even though the cool temps of the Redwoods had given way to 100+ by the time we got there) to our favorite eatery, The Laughing Clam. As usual, the fish and oysters and chips were excellent and the Guinness a perfect accompaniment. We even split the Hummingbird Cake (did you know that hummingbird tongues make excellent dental floss?) and sauntered back to the motel, trying not to melt. 

The next day, it was up at O'Dark-Thirty to beat the heat and our last leg to Olympia. 

This last leg was generally uneventful, it was just a cruise up the I-5 through Oregon and Washington. One memorable stop is worth mentioning, however. 

A former student of mine, Vanessa Briseno, moved with her family to the Portland area several years ago. Through the magic of Facebook, we've kept in touch lo' these many years. We were finally able to arrange a meet up at McMennemen's Kennedy School Hotel! https://www.mcmenamins.com/kennedy-school?utm_source=Google%20Maps&utm_medium=Website%20Button&utm_campaign=Kennedy%20School  I've talked about this guy's places before, chiefly, his Olympic Hotel in Centralia, WA. This is an old elementary school, built in the grand style of the 1920s/'30s. It has all the character that modern schools lack. 

It was so wonderful to catch up and, gorsh, it makes me tear up a bit that old (uh, ex...she's not THAT old!) students want to keep in touch with their old (and yes, I AM old) history teacher. It's a real honor! We had a delightful lunch and she provided us with a CARE Package of Oregon goodies...several craft beers, jams, honey and blueberries (which we used to make an excellent blueberry/orange bread at my Mom's). It was a wonderful and touching gesture. Thanks, Vanessa!! 

From there it was the usual creep through Portland traffic, then the shot up to Oly and Mom. A great trip. 

Next up, the  return trip and our shot at Fame and Glory. 

To Oly and Back, Day Two--Cheese and the Redwoods

 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. 

From there, we bypassed Willits (home of "The Skunk Train") and into the mountains. Much of 101 has been widened and Willits was the last town of any size to be bypassed. It's a shame because it's a neat little town. It was also 103 out and with no A/C in the Citroen, we wanted to keep moving. 

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'!