CA Cabin Fever Escape 2021

Stinking hot!  We managed to sleep in, make breakfast and then clean up just in time to check out at 11. Forecast is for a high of 107 degrees. We drove around the town to see what it was all about.   Very sweet!  Small shops, restaurants and lodging.  Most of the billboards are in Spanish.  We had heard about the Skunk Train and would have liked to take one of the rides,  possibly to Fort Bragg, but everything is booked.  Our hotel is set up to look like Western town.   We are in the Post Office. Very cute.   The room is fabulous and we are very happy to be off the road this Memorial Day.  

4.5 hours 124.0 miles Most of the morning was spent driving the Avenue of the Giants.  We stopped outside of Garberville at the One Log House/Grandfather Tree.   Watched this carver for a while.  It was 73 degrees when we were here.   Within the hour it was 90 degrees.  Not our weather at all so glad we were close to the campsite.  Nice breeze in the shade so we were very decadent... drinks and snacks while watching tv outside. Busy place today and an interesting campground geared for families.   We may stay here tomorrow to give the Memorial Day traffic a miss. 

1.75 hours 19.6 miles Drove the 5.8 miles here to check out the casino after reading reviews that talked about people camping here.   Turns out it's true.   The additional miles are from checking out the little town of Loleta close by.  We were quite surprised to be greeted with the sign below and had our temperature taken before we were permitted inside.  Turns out all we had to do is register with security to be allowed to stay in the RV overnight.   We also were given a $10 gas coupon and a $10 play coupon each so that means they paid us $40 to stay overnight!  It's a lovely casino,  impeccably kept with 2 bars and 3 restaurants.   Very quiet right now but we understand it will pick up later. They've had quite a struggle for the past 14 months also.  They are very strict with covid rules (good!). Will be playing my $10 later after dinner but had a quick try after lunch.  This is ...

2.5 hours 44.6 miles  Didn't get very far today.   We did make a stop at the Walmart in Eureka looking for a stovetop kettle.  It was incredibly difficult to find but finally we were successful and walked around Bayshore Mall.  Very sad to see it mostly empty and many stores closed up.  Stopped in for lunch in Ferndale and decided to just check if space was available at the fairgrounds.   It was and we decided to just stay.  We figured traffic could be a nightmare in the afternoon and camping sites difficult to find.  Spent quite alot of time checking out all the products in the Golden Gait Mercantile after lunch.  Upstairs some vintage scenes are displayed.  There were many people on the streets today so we didn't spend too much time downtown. 

2.75 hours 54.8 miles  Today is about celebrating Norm's birthday in Trinidad.   Our first stop whenever we go up or down Hwy 101 is always the harbor.  We visited the Trinidad State Park but weren't able to get close to the beach.  After following a very narrow path, we were able to see this coastline. Since we couldn't find a restaurant in town that was open and didn't have long lines,  we went to the grocery store and got dessert.   We have plenty of food in the RV for lunch and dinner.  This is a lovely campground.  We were able to reserve the last site last night over the phone. 

1.25 hours 38.2 miles Today is all about Ferndale.  It's also time for a hotel and a change.  Had a lunch and then a walk around the town.  It's always a lovely place to explore with its Victorian buildings.  We ran across this interesting plant on the porch of a house.  Had to contact Linda Burns to find out what this plant is.  She says Echium Wildpretii.  Tower of Jewels. These are some buildings downtown.   The cemetery here is quite unusual and we stop by anytime we're in the area.  This time we're staying at the Victorian Inn which has been around for more than 128 years.  When we stopped here in 2019 they were getting ready for a parade and this was part of that parade....whew!

5.25 hours 89.3 miles Had to take one more look at the Glass Beach before getting on the road.                                     Norm scooped up a handful of the beach and this is what it looks like. A gain,  the coastline is spectacular and we loved it.  Then the road changed to narrow,  windy,  sharp curves and drop offs.  We drove that for just over 2 hours until we reached the 101.  We've had a belly full of Highway 1 now and are glad to be off it.                                         Some was pretty like this section of Redwoods.  We stopped in Garberville for some lunch and groceries,  fully intending to carry on to Ferndale but once back on the highway the winds kicked up and started bl...

6 hrs 20 mins 72.8 miles A lovely scene to see upon waking... While the road north was still narrow,  it was not as windy nor was it along there cliffs,  so not a bad drive.   The coastline is still spectacular and there are many homes all the way.  When we got to Fort Bragg we checked out several campgrounds before selecting this one and we're very happy with it.   It's well maintained and lots of privacy for each site.  We went to explore Noyo Harbor,  an interesting combination of fishing related companies and restaurants.   We had a wonderful lunch on the pier and I even joined the Birthday Girls weekly Duo call for a little while!  We've been hearing about the Glass Beach so had to check it out.   Terrific!