We chose Leggett because it was roughly half way between Klamath and our next goal: Petaluma. Leggett is also where California’s famous Highway 1 begins if you’re heading south or ends if you’re heading north. Redwoods still abound and the scenery is spectacular.
A lunar eclipse was supposed to peak just before sunrise the morning of 10 December. The best place to see the big red moon would be the west coast. We were in the right place at the right time!
We got up around 4:00 that morning and were on the road by 4:45. There were just two obstacles that could prevent us from witnessing this rare event: a longer than anticipated drive on the notoriously winding and hilly highway 1, and the weather. The northern stretch of highway 1 is a bugger, especially in the dark with patchy fog when you’ve never driven it. But we gave ourselves plenty of time to catch the peak of the eclipse expected around 6:05. We averaged about 25mph, often dropping to 10-15mph around the hairpin turns. It took us about an hour. The three of us felt nauseated by the time we hit the coast. And what about the fog? We put the odds at 50/50 for seeing the eclipse. Through most of the route, the fog was patchy, but the sky was filled stars and we caught quick glimpses of the shrinking moon. Hopes faded as we hit the coast and were engulfed in a dark, foggy void…no stars and no big red moon! We slowly cruised along highway 1 and pulled into turnouts to quickly scan the sky and struck out…poop!
This is our picture of the eclipse. Imagine a sky full of stars and the big red moon shimmering on the ocean.
These are the signs near Leggett that warn of the challenging Highway 1.
After the eclipse bust, we went to Denny’s in Fort Bragg for breakfast. Neither of us got much sleep that night and did not look forward to a day of sightseeing followed by a long, tough drive home. We agreed to find a hotel, take a nap, and spend the afternoon and next morning touring the area. It was a great decision! We took a vacation from our retirement!
Before checking in, we headed to Glass Beach which was just a few blocks away from Denny’s. Local residents dumped their trash here until 1967. The beach was subsequently cleaned up. Remaining glass has been sculpted and ground by the pounding surf. Now small, smooth colorful pieces of glass decorate the beach. It was pretty cool.
At Glass Beach in Fort Bragg…note the thick fog Colorful pieces of glass
We got settled into a comfortable hotel and napped for a couple of hours. Feeling refreshed, we headed south to the artsy-fartsy tourist town of Mendocino. The San Francisco crowd was out in full force. There were few available parking spots and the shops appeared to be doing robust business. We saw far more art galleys than restaurants and decided that Mendocino was a cute little town, but it was not for us. So we continued south admiring the scenery and looking for a place to eat. Our next stop was at a lavish resort and winery. The grounds were beautiful and the place oozed first class. Arleen is a classy woman, but I’ve got zero class! Besides, I’m no fan of pretty looking, 6 Oz meals that cost an arm and a leg. Thankfully the dining room was closed so we moved on. Next we came to Little River. Low and behold we found a small café at the back of a convenience store. The food was excellent and cheap! Plus we had a great a view of the ocean. It’s little unexpected gems like this that give us the most pleasure and lasting memories.
Mendocino
Now that we had satisfied bellies, we were ready for a hike. We stopped at Van Damme State Park to hike up the Fern Canyon to the Pygmy Forest. We parked at the beach and walked through the campground to the trailhead…“No Dogs Allowed” so we moved on.
Cabrillo Point lighthouse was our next stop. This lighthouse (or light station) was activated in 1909. The story of the sailing ship, Frolic, was very interesting. It grounded near here on 25 July 1850 under questionable circumstances. The lighthouse grounds included exhibits in a light keeper’s house and a small marine animal exhibit. This is the first place we learned about the Red Abalone. We really enjoyed Cabrillo Point.
The next morning we woke up refreshed at the hotel. The streak had ended!! Since 19 May, 206 nights in a row, we slept in our trailer. We really missed our heated bed, but enjoyed the large bathroom, seemingly huge shower, and unlimited hot water.
Now it was time to explore the southern section of the “Lost Coast”. This section of California coast stretches roughly 80 miles. Here’s a quick quote from the Gorp web page ( http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-sinkyone-wilderness-state-park-northern-california-california-sidwcmdev_054007.html ): “Of the four roads that reach this wild coast, two are one-lane dirt and all are twisting and steep. Yes, dramatic fits as does remote.”
We crept into the area on one of those twisting, steep, one-lane dirt roads. The road climbs immediately from Highway 1 and pops out on a bald ridge offering a classic view. Sliding off the road here means rolling hundreds of times to the water below. Thankfully the road was in ok shape and we only dealt with one other car going the opposite direction. Pull-outs were few and far between and it would have been nearly impossible to pass on the majority of the road. We stopped about 45 minutes later and 5 miles up the road at Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. Here we would hike the first few miles of the southern end of the Lost Coast. We started near the beach and switch-backed up a ridge. The trail continues to climb along the ridge and meanders back and forth between forest and open grass with spectacular views. After walking an hour and covering about two tough miles, we chose a place to rest and turn around. At that point I noticed a tick on Arleen's jacket! On closer inspection, I found 3 or 4 more…YUCK!! We stripped and did a tick check. Arleen had 2 or 3 more crawling on her skin looking for a place to sink their teeth into! Our puppy dog had 5 or 6 on him and I had none (likely because I was bringing up the rear). (I hate these little pests. I need to do some research to see if there is anything they do besides spread disease.) We refueled with beverage and snacks and headed back. We did another check for ticks when we got back to the truck. The tally: none on Arleen, 1 or 2 on the little dog, and 1 little bastard chewing into my left leg just above my sock. We got it out cleanly and raided the first aide kit for things that might stop any potential problems. We’ll monitor me and the tick bite area for a few weeks to make sure that the little shit didn’t poison me.
The little red line extending north along the coast from Highway 1 (bottom right), is a brutal winding, rough, steep, one-lane dirt road.
“Not Advisable”?!? It would be a nightmare…Don’t do it!
The truck is on the road. A typical stretch in the open, grassy areas.
This is a wider stretch of the road on one of the hairpin turns. We started the hike near the beach (center right) and hiked up and along the ridge line (upper right).
The southern end of the Lost Coast Trail
“Confusion Hill” was right across Highway 101 from our campground. This unique roadside attraction was opened in 1947. It features interesting displays and exhibits of things that seem to defy gravity and confuse the mind. It’s a relic of America’s early road trip era. We really enjoyed it.
We liked the campground. It was tucked under tall redwoods and had all kinds of fun things. Reviews indicate that families come back year after year and have a great time. The playground and fort would be a blast for kids. I took a picture of “Camp Jordan”. I know my seven year old nephew, Jordan, would love this place!
We did two nice hikes. The first was in the Benbow Lake State Recreation Area. It was a nice a walk in the woods, but the large pile of bear poop put us on alert. The second hike was in the Richardson Grove. It climbed nearly 1,000 feet the first mile. Then it snaked down towards a creek and the path was covered with leaves and acorns. The acorns were like ball bearings…we had to be careful. There were a few sections of stately redwoods and it was a pleasant hike.
We have not been enamored with some of California’s plethora of rules…
California has a multi-billion dollar deficit problem and is making tough budget cuts. State parks are clearly low on the priority list and many have been closed. After spending two months enjoying Oregon’s wonderful and well run state parks, California’s mess is hard to stomach. Ironically, we keep seeing “Visit California” commercials. Each time we see a sign in a state run area apologizing for reduced services or warning of closure, we feel less and less welcomed.
Our next stop is Petaluma, about 30 miles north of San Francisco. We will stay at a Coast Guard training base and explore the Bay area.
Merry Christmas!
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