Thanksgiving 2013: The Redwood Highway

The Redwood Highway

November 24, 2013

Soundtrack:

• The Band -- Live at the Academy of Music, 1971

Interstate 880, Oakland, CA

Bay Bridge

Heading up to Salem for Thanksgiving, I left on Sunday.  My plan was to drive all the up Highway 101 to the top of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington then back down through Olympia to Salem.  The drive would take four days and would have me staying overnight in two national parks.  My kind of trip.  I started by driving into the city and connecting with 101 at the Golden Gate Bridge.

Fort Point, San Francisco, CA

The drive through San Francisco was a nice way to start.  The new section of the Bay Bridge looks great from a distance.  It was the first of a number of dramatic bridges I'd cross over the next few days.

Rainbow Tunnels, Marin, CA

I saw some elk beside the highway in Mendocino.  It was an unusual spot to see elk in spite of the fact that there was an "Elk Next 2 Miles" sign along the road.  I've never had a sighting of any along the road except within the boundaries of Redwood National Park where roosevelt elk are common.  I'm pretty sure these were tule elk.

Tule Elk -- Mendocino County, CA

There is a short stretch of roadside attractions along 101 near Piercy.  The funkiest of them has to be Confusion Hill.  There's a train ride and a "gravity house", which is one of those crooked/vortex/mystery houses where things fall sideways.  I've never actually been able to bring myself to go inside, suspecting I'll find it to be a frustrating waste of time and money.  I guess I'm not really a roadside attraction kind of person.  I enjoy seeing them as I drive by when they're done up with as much flair as Confusion Hill.

Confusion Hill, Piercy, CA

Driving through Humboldt County, I caught sight of something thrashing around in the water in the Eel River. I was pretty excited because it looked like it was probably salmon running up stream.  Sure enough, I took the first exit and found a way down to the river where there were a couple of dozen salmon making their way upstream.  Holy cow!

Chinook Salmon -- Eel River, CA

I stayed at Gold Bluffs Beach Campground in Prairie Creek State Park.  The state park is part of the Redwood National Park system.  I don't really understand how Redwood NP is set up.  Most of the park lands are actually state parks.  I guess they work together.  Camping kind of sucks because of this, though, because California State Parks are charging $35 a night now.  National Park rates are usually $10 to $20 a night.  The campground was right on the beach.  Man, it was cold.  Cool campground, though, being right on the beach.

Gold Bluffs Beach, Redwood National Park, CA