J and K Adventures: South on Highway 1--Spring Break 2015 (pt.1)

Kathy here: Jeff and I were excited for spring break to arrive. As usual we had been working hard all spring and needed a break. Here are a couple of our projects:

We pulled Fred back and forth in the pond to drop clay, and hopefully seal the bottom

Jeff and I built a new trellis and I transplanted 4 roses to grow on it.

We had an important family event to attend at the end of spring break week, so our vacation had to be from Saturday to Thursday. No matter.....J and K will use any opportunity to hit the road. So on Saturday we entrusted the house and pets to our trustworthy nephew, Nick and headed south.

Day 1--CG to Smith River CA
Our first stop was Jedediah Smith state park on the Smith River. It has a nice day use area by the river and a hike through a redwood grove. We stayed the night at "Ship Ashore" and enjoyed an evening of gambling at the local casino. Jeff won $40 and was feeling pretty good about things

Lovely Smith River

Lunch on the bank


Jeff in his birthday sweater

The start of our hike through big trees.

Egret at the motel

Our first sunset of the trip

Day Two: Smith River to Eureaka
In the morning, after a nice breakfast with the sea lions at Crescent City, we drove down highway 101 in California and soon arrived at Redwood National Park. It is a long and windy drive paralleling the main highway and there are several exits. After visiting the giant Paul Bunyun at the Trees of Mystery, we found a place to stop and took a hike. But we got caught in a downpour and got nice and wet.

The Chart House in Crescent City

The sea lions are amusing

What happened to Paul's arm??

The big tree in the pouring rain

We hustled back to the car, turned on the heater and steamed up the windows and decided to stop and look for a place to stay in Eureka. Driving down 101 through town was discouraging. We only saw the usual motel 6's, super 8's and econo-lodges. Then Jeff got on his trusty cell phone and discovered a hotel in old town Eureka. So we turned toward the ocean and found the Eagle House Victorian Inn . It was an old refurbished hotel from the late 1800's that had amazing architecture and antique furnishings. After getting the "rainy day rate" from the proprietor, we had lunch in the Irish pub on the ground floor and found a nearby bar with pool tables and a TV to watch the ducks. J and K did it again.....avoided the usual and found the wonderful and satisfying. We ended the day with a walk on the bayfront and our second sunset of the trip.

The furnishings were so lovely

View of the old town

The Eagle House

Sunset number two was a winner

Day 3: Eureka to Gualala:
We were eager to get down the road after a good night's sleep in the old hotel. On the way out of town, we stopped by the top attraction in Eureka.....the Carson Mansion. It was built in the late 1800's by a lumber magnate. The pink victorian across the street was built for his son when he got married. There was a tunnel from one house to the other during the prohibition.

The Carson Mansion

The pink victorian across the street

Soon we were inland and again in the land of the redwoods. We took another exit from 101 and enjoyed a nice hike through several groves. No rain this time, but we did get a little lost.

Turn-off

We started out on a nice trail

Eventually we lost the trail

But ended up back on the road

It was a little treacherous

We stopped for lunch in the hippie town of Garberville, and then took the turn-off at Leggitt for the coast and highway 1. About a nauseating and dizzying hour later we arrived on the coast again. Whew! But we knew from experience that the S curves were just beginning. We drove slowly down the Mendecino coast, one of the most beautiful drives in the world (in my opinion). Finally we had to stop, and chose a hotel in Gualala that had an ocean view and a giant tub. We fell asleep to the sound of the waves.