Katie and I left Vacaville at 8:30 am Monday. We drove over to Bodega Bay and then went up Coast Route 1 from Bodega Bay to Garberville - what a trip! From Vacaville to Bodega Bay to Garberville, it took me 11.5 hours to drive 246 miles. I was driving between 35 and 40 mph most of the way, with 10 to 15 mph around some of the turns. There were quite a few hairpin turns.
We had the Pacific Ocean to our left most of the way,
the rest of the time we were driving through farming communities or forests.
Each was a winner for beautiful areas.
Sun coming through the trees in the forest.
There were lots of areas with road construction and many places where the road was out and narrowed to a one-lane road with temporary red lights to control the lanes of traffic. Coast Route 1 has pretty narrow lanes compared to 101 or Highway 5.
One lane bridge
Slide - construction ongoing to repair the lane.
Super narrow lane - this is the worst lane I drove in.
I don't like these concrete barriers on both sides.
No room for error! : (
101 - Yeah! Two wide lanes each way!
There were a lot of slides. All the construction was very interesting when you aren't in a hurry. I didn't take any photos of the most narrow roads or the hairpin turns, for obvious reasons. I was holding my breath and not my camera. Lots of narrow bridges - I discovered I love driving over bridges. The lanes are more forgiving on the right side than the roads are, so I actually had more room.
This area had signs all along the road: Danger - Tsunami Area.
I was very happy about all the pull-outs available all along the way on the coast route. Most of the time I had the road to myself, and could drive as slow as I wanted, and I often wanted to drive pretty slow. When I saw a car behind me, I just pulled over and let them pass. They were grateful, and so was I to have the road to myself again. This is not the route to drive when you're in a hurry.
The Palms drove like a dream again. Katie seemed happy to be on another road trip. Here is her new place to sit while we roll along, where she can look out the windows on both sides of The Palms.
Katie's new perch while riding along.
When I started getting tired of driving, around 6, I stopped at a state park and then a private park to check on prices, and they both wanted $35 a night - the state park had no hook-ups. There was no way I was paying that much to just sleep overnight and drive on again. Around 8, I stopped for gas in Garberville, and right next door was an RV Park. I called them, and he quoted me $28/night with water and electricity., $33 with sewer too.
It's called Richardson Grove Campground and RV. I went over and found a site. There were pretty barren sites and nice forested sites, but the ones with the trees were near a group of Christian teen-agers camping and making a lot of noise. Nice noise - signing hymns, hooting and hollering, etc, but still... They were pretty noisy, so I opted for the plain site area.
Pretty barren, but it worked for an overnight.
Office and store
Sites under the trees.
This is a great campground for overnights - I don't know about longer stays. There was no Verizon coverage, no TV and no Internet. Since I'm traveling alone - I can only talk to myself for so long, and didn't feel like reading.
When I checked out this morning, I noticed they are also a Passport American park, which I just joined, so I got my site for half the $33 rate, or $16.50! Nice park, nice people, nice price.
This tent is right next to the freeway, at a 4-way stoplight crossing.
Can't believe they are getting away with camping here.
Katie and I are at the beach at Trinidad Bay right now, taking a break, having lunch and writing the blog. This is where we are now:
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Haven't seen many interesting birds.
It's really quiet and pretty here, a good place to stop for lunch. After the mid-90 degree weather in Vacaville, this foggy beach weather is really nice.
I'm looking for a great, inexpensive place to camp for a week or two - probably in Oregon. And now... the fog is coming in and my view is going away, so... back to our road trip.
From Me and My Dog, have a great Tuesday, everyone! : )
I really enjoyed your blog's posting tonight. Made me relax! Love where Katie sits while you are driving :)
ReplyDeleteOkay girl. We need to slow you down a little bit. 246 miles is way too many to drive in a day when you have good roads let alone up Rte 1 on the coast. 150 would be plenty. But you have beautiful pictures and you did find a great place to park for the night. I couldn't take too long there though without the TV or internet. That would drive me nuts really quick.
ReplyDeleteThat is a rough drive even in a car. We used to camp at Richardson Grove quite a bit. Simply beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWith regard to the tent, that area is pretty laid back on one hand. On the other, if you get too close you make the folks with gardens (which is everyone) a little nervous. :)
I agree, slow down, don't go so far in one day. You are a full timer now.
ReplyDeleteafter driving all those miles in one day..you deserve a good night's sleep!!!..
ReplyDeleteBoy, that was a long slow drive. You must be exhausted. Looks like the weather is going to be pretty nice, maybe a little morning fog?
ReplyDeleteEd needs to find a nice long term RV park that is less expensive than Santee Lakes was. Staying at his friends house is not going to work for the long term. Also, there is nothing for me and the dogs to do during the day when I visit.
It is taking him 4 hours, give or take, to drive home for the weekends... he leaves late on Friday afternoon and then goes back late Sunday. This is not going to be easy.
Take care,
xoxo Bunny Jean
I agree 12 hours on the road, especially one like 101 is a lot of stress for you. Your not in a hurry remember. I would stay at the beach as long as i could I know Katie probably enjoys the water. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna..
ReplyDeleteYou do so good with the driving...I was tense just driving along with pictures. That is one of the best things about Arizona...there is so much free camping on BLM land if you don't need hookups...you can stay up to two weeks at a time or pay $180 for a 6 month permit and you don't have to move..(or something like that)...better come down for a season and take advantage of it while we still have it..
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Loved your comments on the barriers on each side of the lane. The first time we took our motorhome on a long trip years ago, we ran into construction in Indiana. The lane was really narrow and traffic was heavy. I asked my husband how much room he figured we had on each side. He said "I have no idea, I have my eyes closed." lol. Now I'm pulling the 5th wheel while he sits home. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you aren't settling for just any price. It all adds up when you save a few dollars.
ReplyDeleteWhen you said "Bodega Bay" first thing I thought of was Hitchcock's "The Birds", than as I continued down your post I saw the seagulls on the beach. I'm gonna have to watch that movie now.
ReplyDeleteI love foggy beach weather, it's my favorite weather. I like to go to beaches in early morning or late evening because that's when the fog is rolling in and it's nice and cool and breezy.
Love all the photos you put in your posts.
Great post! You're on your way. Is that a life vest on Katie?
ReplyDeleteJust a note about Katie (she is a doll, I have 7 Poms and one white Chi)riding on top of the seat. If you had to break, hard, she would go flying.
ReplyDeletePeople do the stupidest things around RV's. I've had people (in their vehicles) suddenly jump in front of my 32' MH and I've had to hit the breaks, hard, to keep from hitting them. They seem to think that we can stop on a dime, which we can't. I won't start on that rant! :)
Sheila :)