Jun 14, 2009
Trip Start
Jun 05, 2009
1
11
19
Trip End
Jul 05, 2009
Caspar Headlands State Beach,
California,
United States
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Wow, the forest was amazing. It must be the cool northern air that created a good smelling forest without bugs. I can handle bugs but there was no need to. We found a path and strolled around for a while. The forest ground was covered in clover. The sun would break through the largely shaded area to highlight, or create, great shrines to the fallen trees. It makes you feel little. i see why Bigfoot lives there.
As we continued through the forest, we spotted a beach along a river bend. We took an hour out of what has become long, rainy driving days to enjoy the sun and what turned out to be a great swim
The Redwoods
. The water was completely clear and clean and as I said...no bugs. It was a great find. We got back in the truck ready to head south, out of the mountains and to the coast. Little did we know they are one in the same.We knew that the coast was hilly and windy, so we were going to take the highway for some time before venturing over there. Well the high way was extremely twisted and curvy, so, not believing the coastal highway could be worse, we jumped on Highway 1 right at the beginning of it, but getting there took us through a bad patch. As we entered it a sign said "narrow and curvy, next 22 miles." It was like nothing I ever experienced before. Speed limit 55, except for every ten feet were the curve dictates you slow to 10. I was trying to get us out of there in less than an hour. Vanessa was getting carsick (she's motion sensitive to those who don't know). I asked if she wanted me to stop, she said no, the only thing she said for a while. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her keep her mouth covered with a sweatshirt. Now going down hill, and still trying to get us out of there, I was driving as fast as I could, braking at every turn, which still appeared immediately after the last one, Vanessa still green, and my hands covered in sweat, when the truck made a decision.
i told Vanessa the brakes felt spongy. She said something smelled hot. We turned off on one of the S curves and as soon as we stopped, smoke rose form the wheels. The brakes were smoking hot and making a crackling sound. Vanessa threw herself under the truck and saw the flames on the back side of the tire. I grabbed the fire extinguisher out of the camper, but it didn't work. Vanessa grabbed a jug of water and we threw it on the flaming tire until the crackling stopped
the trunk..these trees were huge
.I checked for brake fluid leaks, the pressure came back to the brake pedal. we waited 25 minutes on the side of the road until they cooled some, put the truck in second gear for the rest of the way down and took it nice and slow. We kept a good sense of humor throughout, but we were ready to call it a day.
We hit the coast and the driving was nothing in comparison. We rolled up on a campground located across the street form a beach. We found a home for a couple of nights. We had a couple of fires and hung around the beach. Just what the doctor ordered. Now that was vacationing, but poor internet service, so sorry about the length of this text, but I've been dying to tell that story.
