During the time we were in Eureka we mostly enjoyed hanging out in town on the weekends. As we were nearing the end of our time there we knew we really had to get out and explore the Redwoods. We had driven through some areas as we headed south to Eureka but there was so much more to see! A rental car was arranged (we were upgraded to a Dodge Challenger – that was fun!) and off we went!
That Saturday we went back north a little bit – still south of Crescent City – to take a better look at the areas we had driven though on our way down. We went off the highway and explored some of the roads heading deeper into the forest. One we really enjoyed was the Newton P. Drury Scenic Parkway. It’s about 12 miles long with loads of trail heads and paths to wonder through. When we saw a place labeled Big Tree, we knew we needed to stop!
As we made our way back to Eureka, Highway 101 makes lots of twists and turns. The state made the game even more fun by posting your current speed as you go into the corners (I think that was intended to make you slow down…but, we had a Challenger!)The Husband and I traded off driving so we both had the opportunity to hit those corners in a um…rapid? manner. Never unsafe though🙄
The following day we turned our attention to the south. It was an easy, freewayish drive for about half an hour, then we cut over to the old Highway 101…also known by the wonderful name: Avenue of the Giants. Love that! We followed that road for many, many miles.
There was one super kitschy, touristy thing that I really wanted to do. I wanted to drive through one of the trees. I know I went to Sequoia National Park when I was a teenager (Redwoods and Sequoias are both Sequoias, but the Giant Sequoias are even bigger in diameter), but I can’t recall if we went through one of the drive through trees then. Several miles down the Avenue of the Giants was a drive through tree. It’s on private property, just off the highway. With how slow tourism has been this year we had no problem with paying them a few dollars – bonus…we were the only car there😁After we paid the entry fee, the Husband walked over to where he could take a photo of me driving through. I rounded a corner and standing near the road was a young man, maybe 10 or 11 years old. He was probably a member of the family that owned the land. He took one look at the black Challenger, smiled and told me my car was nice (I smiled back at him). As I continued driving I could hear him say “that sure is a beaut”. Ah, I do remember my young gear head self! Granted my focus was on the Italian supercars (it all started with a little car called the 308 GTS…thank you Ferrrari). But, still. Anyway, I crept up to the tree, pulled the drivers side mirror in – should have done the same with the passenger side. Oops – and drove ever so slowly through. That car just barely fit. The passenger side mirror did obtain a small injury, but nothing serious!
Now that I could check “driving through a tree” off my life list ( 😎 ) we turned back north towards Eureka. It was lunchtime and I knew where I wanted to go. At least what town I wanted to go to! About 10 minutes off of 101 is the little town of Ferndale. I had heard of the place, and since we were so close it was silly not to go there. Super cute Victorian era town. Humboldt Creamery was just outside it too (yummy stuff!). We settled on a little bistro where I had an amazing blueberry and roasted broccoli salad (don’t say yuck. It worked). And shared a plate of fabulous fries with the Husband. After lunch we walked up and down the main street for a bit. It doesn’t take long – very small town! Ferndale has a few claims to fame: the authentic Victorian buildings that have been beautifully preserved, several excellent eating establishments, a bakery (Erlei’s Bakery) making the best cinnamon rolls I have EVER had – I can’t believe I shared it with the Husband (if we hadn’t already left town before we started eating it we would have gone back for another one. It was that good), and it is the home town of Food Network star Guy Fieri. I’m glad we stopped.
Fabulous weekend! The weather was gorgeous and we saw so much. All in all we have been please with the stop on our COVID inspired itinerary.
One of the final things we did before leaving town was go to the little zoo at the city park. You have to schedule a time to be there as they only allow a limited number of people in. It made for a very pleasant experience. None of the exhibits is large, so it is a very intimate feeling with the animals.
The trip back to Washington was also designed to see some sights. The Husband has flown over the far north of California but never driven I-5 through there. We got our Mazda CX-5 (last time I drove one of these, the steering wheel was on the other side of the car) packed up, had lunch from In and Out Burger – I’m so proud of us! Only time we ate from there – and hit the road. We were taking a small highway between Arcata and Redding that was very scenic. We quickly understood why Google maps said that the 130 mile drive was going to take 3 hours! Here’s some photos of the trek north.
We spent a whirlwind few days at home, balancing the weight on bags, restocking things before we were off again. This next time we went far away…