Travelodge Crescent City

So we decided that we had had enough of motels, so we decided to camp out for a couple pf nights, we selected this beautiful spot outside the national park, it was surrounded by giant red woods and right next to a river... and (as we found out after paying and setting up camp ...

This is the goal, we'll see how road conditions and traffic cooperate!
Well, almost at Crescent City despite a flying tire from a wide load trailer withing the first hour of the journey. I was in the passing lane beside the caravan of vehicles escorting the doublewide to its roost, but thankfully not within range as a rear tire bounced across my lane and into the median.
Never a dull moment. Hmm, yes there was when I was waiting for ...

To get back to the Pacific, we must drive back north into Oregon and we choose a narrow, less-traveled road near Yreka, through beautiful forests and along the ugly and murky Klamath River. Once we enter California again we start to see the huge trees of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, but it is dark and we get a motel room in Crescent City and hope to see some more redwoods tomorrow.

... River and each twist of the road brought delights to the eye. We passed through many rural farming areas and vineyards. Did you know that Oregon has vineyards? Well, they do….and lots of them. However, it was still early morning and wine tasting doesn’t appeal to me until at last after lunch. We turned south on 138 at Elkton and found a nice spot for a lunch break before joining I-5. The Umpqua River also turned south and we criss-crossed it time and ...

... drivers out here in the USA. The first thing I noticed on the road was that there are a huge number of burst tires lying on the side of the road, and at times even in the middle of the road! This concerned me a bit, I’m not sure exactly why! The other thing I noticed was that American drivers very much invade on your personal driving space! They sit so much in your boot I sometimes wonder if they are really asking for a lift! This is one ...

... drive thru tree" seems to be a trademark or something because all other trees you take your car through have different names. Checked out "Confusion Hill". Only confusion was why anyone would pay good money to visit. We stopped, but managed to keep our money in our pocket. A wise decision. A few more stops along the way, checking out the local handy work. Tried to spend money. Just could not bring ourselves to do it. Some places still closed at this ...

... as a constant climb zig zagging its way up from the coast road through scrub and woodland, the temperature was hot in comparison to San Francisco (Surprisingly as we are only around 20 odd miles north and still close to the coast), eventually you rise above the woodland and out onto some higher hillside which exposes superb views of the coastline and woodland below. We found ourselves at the tail end of a fell running race - for obvious reasons we didn't join in! Its a short ...

... colours and nature provides an amazing number shades of green through this area, just a wonderful thing to be exposed too as well as absorb. I am sure the seat where Karon sits will have to have some fingernail holes fixed when the time comes to sell The Castle, the road (highway 1) certainly has some tight turn taking us down to 10 mph in places and not on one occasion. The views of the ocean and the trees make it well worth it though. We came to a place that was ...

... brunch first, at Denny's. Then we made the most logical stop.... Most people, when first coming to a National Park or various destinations, will stop at the visitor's center first. We stopped there last. Hey, I already had my maps and routes planned, I knew what we wanted to see, why waste touring time at the visitor's center? :D But we had three purposes for stopping. First, I was curious what goodies they'd have. I still hadn't gotten my t-shirt! (Never did ...

... two lovely kids I met through wizard in seattle. On the way out of town I meet some friendly kids who tell me there's family a mile down the tracks. I walk out but don't like the vibe and split. Two miles down the road I get picked up by Calvin a custom drum set maker. He offers me a ride and a place to stay, shower and do my laundry. I sleep in a gorgeous bed and eat a huge breakfast at Denny's ...