Fort Bragg

  Fort Bragg, California, United States
Saturday, December 20, 2008

We've been a bit busy up until now with lots of driving and Christmas, so we'll go back to where we were last at - Grants Pass. We had a good nights sleep at Grants Pass, even though we were on a main road. Fortunately it helped that the next day was a Saturday. We got up, got ready for the road and were on our way, this time travelling on a smaller road than a highway - through the red wood forests. It is a beautiful road towards Crescent City by the coast. We also drove through our last bit of snow and even though it makes driving a bit trickier, it is really beautiful to see the snow on all the trees.

Snowy Trees

Snowy Trees Video

 









 
The redwoods are beautiful, and it looks big from the car, but you don't realise how big they are until you get out too take a photo, then you notice that you're this tiny dot at the bottom of the picture, and you still don't get the whole tree in the photo. We stopped for a short walk in the forest - where we come across one big tree after another. The root structures of the fallen trees are enormous, and we keep on getting surprised around every corner by another magnificent tree. 

Redwoods 1

Redwoods 2

Redwoods 3

 

Redwoods 4

Redwoods 5

Redwoods 6

 

Redwoods 5

Redwoods 7

Big Tree Roots

 

Big Tree

Drive Though Tree 1

Drive Though Tree 2

Drive Through Tree Video

Single Lane

 
The satellite radio and Daniel (our GPS) kept on losing signal either from just the trees blocking the signal or the hills that blocked the signal. The roads were quiet, and there weren't that many towns or villages we passed through. We turned off at Leggett, where there is a tree so old (400BC) and big, they've cut a hole through the trunk where cars can drive through it. From there we pushed through to Fort Bragg, where Highway 1 really starts. Highway 1 is the stretch of road that hugs the western coastline of the USA, and which is very scenic. 

Highway 1 - 1

Highway 1 - 2

Highway 1 - 3

Highway 1 - 4

We stayed in a lovely place right on the beach, at the entrance of Fort Bragg. The weather wasn't that great, and the next day was also quite miserable. What fascinates me is all these drive through places (other than the food places), drive through pharmacies; drive though banks; drive through Starbucks coffee shops - which came in handy the morning we left Fort Bragg since the water was so horrible that Steven gagged when he tasted the coffee!

Starbucks Drive Through