Epic Cross Country Road Trip August 18-19

 

Day 18: Wednesday

There is a 20 mile section of Hwy 101 that is closed just south of Crescent City, CA.  It is closed to traffic from 8am to 1PM and 3PM to 7PM.  There really isn’t any other way around.  So, we have to plan our timing to get through that area.  We make reservations at a hotel in Crescent City so we can just get up, get in the car and go.  It is nice to be able to leisurely poke down the coast. At several of the stops, we make our way down to the beach for walks.  At one of the spots, there are many people with easels, painting.  Don’t know if it was a class or a club or just a coincidence.  At another place, the wind was really strong.  The sand stung as the wind whipped it up.  That walk was cut short and we found the shortest way back up to the car. 

Heidi and Elie had recommended a seafood restaurant, Luna Sea.  We stopped there for lunch.  It was great and the servings were huge.  I had shrimp and chips.  Nick had a chowder. 

We hoped to find a restaurant in Crescent City with a view of the ocean but it seemed that the ocean front was all residential.  We found a good Thai restaurant and then went back to the hotel for an early night. 

Day 19:  Thursday

We make it through the closed section easily.  There is one section where it is clear that there was a big landslide.  Still a lot of rock across the road.  It supposed to open the end of August.  I don’t think that is possible.  More beautiful pull offs!  One of them has a view of a rock that is a natural bridge.

  Then the road leaves the coast and heads inland where the Sequoias rule.  We weren’t able to reserve a camp site so are hoping that we’re early enough to get a first come site.  Oh, we’re so early, the office is closed.  We see several empty sites and several that have notes that they are reserved.  We pick one out and set up chairs in it.  Don’t want to set up the tent in case it is reserved.  Can’t have that one but we get a different site which is very nice. 

After we set up camp, we go through the Avenue of the Giants to a small town, called Miranda where we have lunch of a salad and pizza.  Of the 2 towns that are relatively close, Miranda is certainly the classier of the two.  Sent a picture of the Miranda post office to Steven and Lee.  We take the pizza with us thinking we will have it for dinner too.

We have a nice walk.  It is great walking among the giants.  The woodsy smell, the light.  The big ferns.  I feel inspired again to make a sun through the trees quilt.  A stole for Rev Deborah that are trunks of the trees?  Strips of fabrics with raw edges????