Friday, June 23rd
I realized I'm being very selfish since this is the first day of rain on my whole trip but right now I'd take some heat and sun.
Left campground late thinking it might stop raining but gave up and left at 11 - after thinking to check weather.com and seeing that it was forecast to rain for the next 3 days - I didn't want to look out any further than that. But I should have known - I'm approaching the OR/WA area. And besides, Rhoda badly needed a bath so this is an easy way to at least give her a sponge bath - she really needs a loofa to get all the bugs removed.
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| I guess pretty in it's own way |
First "town" I came to was Pepperwood - pop. 50 and I think each person had a beautiful, large garden they were out working in, in the rain, and each had a produce stand but closed due to no produce from the garden yet, I guess. But had to give them credit for a whole new angle on getting the tourist dollar - I hadn't seen any other fresh produce for miles.
Went through another grove of Giants where the road was hardly wet due to the high, dense canopy from the Redwoods.
As I came out of the Avenue of Giants and had to get back on 101 to Eureka, I saw a huge lumber mill, I'm afraid for the Redwoods, and it looked like an old lumbering town with multiple lumbering buildings and many houses all clustered on the property which were still inhabited but it now was part of a more sprawling town next to it.
It was still raining hard, foggy and cold so I just drove through Eureka and didn't see Vonnie's nephew nor stop at Marie Calenders restaurant BUT a thrift store didn't draw Rhoda in.
N. of Eureka was a nice, long, flat beach, actually called Calm Beach and wouldn't you know, yup, pouring rain, cold & foggy so could only see about 5 breaker lengths off shore.
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| look closely and you can see a breaker |
I pulled into a parking lot anyway and had lunch and caught up with Antonia's hoof and mouth disease:) which has now progressed to her ears and thus penicillin in hopes that she'll be well enough to fly on Wed.
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| Add caption |
I was desperate for pictures today and this rest stop was worthy. Who takes pictures of a rest stop but if it had been a nice day it would have been worth lingering at - probably the prettiest rest stop I've ever stopped at in all my years of traveling
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| Just imagine - there's a picnic table just in the canopy on the left and a trail goes off into the beautiful woods in the center |
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| And this was the path to go to the bathrooms I know, it looks sunny and nice but enlarge the picture and maybe you'll be able to see the pouring, fine rain and fog in the distance This was protected due to the high canopy of trees Note the large Redwood on the right |
and come to find out, it was at a road or town called Patrick's Point.
N of here again, on a nice day would have been another moment of magic - the ocean on my left and giant redwoods on my right.
If you love trees - of any size - giant or younger redwoods, this road - 101 - N of Eureka is just beautiful. Often you could see the top of the forest and a few trees were about a third taller than all the others and you knew that it had to be one of the giants.
Came to "Mystery of Trees" in Kalmath, CA and this is what I had been remembering from about 4 years ago with my first trip to OR and going over the border to see the Redwoods. But again, with the rain - yes, it was still raining hard - I didn't stop this time even though I would have because there's a walk through the trees that's just wonderful.
Came to Crescent City and again, only stopped to get gas and get soaked with the now blowing rain, just drove on through to catch Rt. 199 to Grants Pass, OR. I stopped in Hiouchi at the RV Park but up until then, the route was another amazing stretch of giants but it's a busy road so hard to experience their magnificence plus today with the dense fog and heavy rain and fast travelers, it's a missed pleasure. You see the massive trunks as you go by and the awesome height and you still feel that awe. I think these trees are even bigger than the ones S of Crescent City.
As I said, I stopped in Hiouchi at 3:30 - so tired of the rain, cold & fog and must say it felt good to just laze around on Sally's bed which is now my couch with my feet tucked under her scrunchy duvet and my satiny blanket over me, my book to read and maybe I closed my eyes to the sound of raindrops on now very clean Rhoda and when I opened my eyes I was looking at my bouquet of magenta sweet peas and purple grasses sitting on Rhoda's dashboard which I had picked yesterday on my walk.
I ate hot roasted tomato and basil soup (from Trader Joes) for supper without any Velveta cheese to put in it to get all soft and gooey:)
So, as nice as it was to have a rainy, lazy afternoon to just relax, I know I'm going to need an AA (Attitude Adjustment) talk with myself when I wake up in the morning if it's still raining!
DATA:
mileage: 132 gas: $38 @ $3.99 (but only half full as I got too wet to finish)
camp: $30 plus money for shower
Firsts:
- parallel parking in campground
- paying for a shower in the US (had to do it Nova Scotia)
- cup of tea for warmth
- hanging clothes around Rhoda, not from laundry but to dry off from getting wet in the rain
- no choice on whether or not to camp with/without electricity for heat
Good name for business: "Sight for Sore Eyes"
