The Diatribe * net

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Starting Track: 10,000 Islands - MoFro

We made it! The last day of serious driving until Friday. We needed to cover around 6 hours of driving and a few hours of hiking before making it to Ukiah, CA. (Home of Nick Twisp’s father, for those in the know).

Clouds and fog were covering the city (or town rather) of Grants Pass OR at the departure time of 9:33am. The forecast was for clear skies towards 10 or 11 in Crescent City, our first stop on the Redwood tour. Coming into California, everything seemed to change, just as I was expecting.

The roads became twisty and windey, and it seemed as though a rockslide could occur at any moment in time. There were roads that had barriers up to prevent the rocks from falling into the lanes of travel. It was pretty insane. And the curves. Jeez.. I think Rte 1 is gonna be a lot like this, except with cliffs. NICE!

We arrive at the first Redwood forest around 1030 or 11am, and take the scenic drive. We stop at stout grove and go for a mile or so hike through the woods. I’ve never seen anything like it. These trees are really… ginormous is really the only word you can use for these things. When you’re out in the woods with nobody but yourselves amongst these 1,000 year old trees, it’s pretty incredible to say the least.

We met an interesting couple from Oregon, who was originally from Worcestor. Very nice folks, and they were as amazed as we were. We head back to our car, and make a quick stop at Subway in Crescent City to grab a bite.

After lunch we check out some of the coastline, which is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. There’s waves crashing on the coast, large mountains and cliffs lining the coast, with mist and spray rising from the water. The views are incredible. I can’t; express in words what an amazing sight it is. They call “Scenic Overlooks” Vista Points, because scenic really doesn’t describe it.

We take a scenic drive (or vista drive if you prefer) or two, around the coastline, and see some pretty amazing things.We then come across Klamath (a.k.a Kalmath) and stop for the “Tree-through” drive. Where we drive the car through a hollowed out redwood tree. If only Alamo knew! ;) Across the street, we find a few Emus in a fenced-in pen owned by the (probably) the same folks that own the tree-through.. Ironic, in it’s own way.

The last stop is to kill a few more hours before we make the 4 hour journey to Ukiah. We stop at the largest tree in the forest — unfortunately there’s no details about height, age, etc.. but it’s insane. We hike along the Cathedral trail, where the trees are even more amazing than the first stop. Awe-inspiring, to say the least.

We head back into the car, and drive through some pretty sketchy towns (Eureka, for one! That place is SCARY!) We catch dinner at this great little place in Fortuna, CA called Eel River Brewery. After one stout, I’m too buzzed to drive so Miss Possible takes over. I guess this stuff was 9% — pretty crazy for a beer.

We drive through the windy roads of Central CA and make it to Ukiah by 9pm. We take a dip in the Jacuzzi and relax a bit. Tomorrow’s an hour drive into Napa/Sonoma/Santa Rosa and we tour the vineyards.

Last Track: As The Rush Comes - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
Today’s Mileage: 241 Miles
Total Mileage: 592.