My first favorite song I can recall from childhood was “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson. Maybe it was the fine country guitar playing, or perhaps Willie’s awesome braids, but those lyrics “On the road again, going places that I’ve never been, seeing things that I may never see again, I just can’t wait to get on the road again” were very formative in my early years. I have always enjoyed a good road trip adventure, and it had been a good while since I embarked on one, so when my partner suggested we spend Spring Break exploring the Northern California Redwoods and Southern Oregon Coast, I didn’t hesitate in saying, “you bet!”
My kids were heading off on a Spring Break adventure of their own with their grandparents to Disneyland, so it was just me and my adventure partner hitting the road together for five days of road trip fun. As we were leaving town, we received the excellent news that the farmhouse up the McKenzie River that we had been negotiating to purchase had passed appraisal, with two weeks left until closing (now the cat’s out of the bag, this homesteader is finally getting a homestead to call home), which made for the best start of an adventure we could ever imagine.
We started out at Cape Blanco, a favorite common destination from past excursions we had each been on. It couldn’t have been a warmer, sunnier March afternoon, as we unpacked in our State Park rustic cabin, and headed for the beach. I had been making a Cape Blanco trip every Spring with my kids for the past several years, so it felt like returning to see an old friend and the proper welcoming in of the Spring camping season.
We enjoyed a leisurely late afternoon stroll on the beach, before heading back to the cabin to cook a delicious dinner and rest up for more days of adventures ahead. It was a fine way to begin a road trip.
The next morning, after a delicious breakfast, Corey had his morning run on the beach and I took a walk along the tide line to enjoy the morning ocean breeze and collect some rocks and shells. Then we packed it up and headed South on Highway 101 bound for the Redwoods. My favorite childhood memory of Northern California trips was seeing my favorite tall tale characters, the towering Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, at the Trees of Mystery parking lot. It was good to see that Paul’s double-bitted axe was as big as ever, his chest hair was still as thick as a stand of old-growth redwoods, and Babe was looking as robust as always. Feeling properly welcomed into this enormous forest by it’s iconic giant lumberjack, we headed onward.
Even coming from Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, where the old-growth trees are enormous by any standards, I felt dwarfed and awed by the redwoods. We started out with a loop hike on Prairie Creek’s West Ridge trail, and passed through stands of giant trees that felt not unlike hushed cathedrals with arched branches creating a towering canopy overhead. I was amazed by how silent and still it was, even with our proximity to the highway.
To call these trees massive would feel like a vast understatement. We hiked through stands of stately redwood trees with a fairly clear view through the open understory of swordfern and small shrubs.
I was particularly enjoying the bark, with deep grooves and patterns very unlike the Douglas fir, Western red cedar, Spruce and Hemlock I’m accustomed to in our forests at home.
And being a plant scientist, the foliage was nothing short of fascinating.
I enjoyed seeing signs of Spring all along the way, including trilliums opening up their blooms, and salmonberry blossoms.
After our hike, we headed into Arcata to catch a favorite musical ensemble, The Blackberry Bushes String Band at the Jambalaya, check out a couple of local breweries, and camp out on the beach at Clam Beach County Park. After an early morning visit to Eureka’s North Coast Food Co-op, we played some Frisbee golf at a park on the Mad River, checked out their local brewery, and headed back North on Highway 101.
We had heard good things about the Ladybird Johnson Grove, so that was our next hiking destination. The trees on this loop were nothing short of majestic and stunning, and we used the opportunity to scope out a fisherman’s access for potential camping on the gravel bar of Redwood Creek. Satisfied at finding a great spot to pitch our tent and enjoy a campfire, we headed back to Prairie Creek for a hike from Gold Beach up Fern Canyon. It was a fun hike up the middle of the creek in this narrow canyon, which well earned it’s name with all the varieties of ferns hanging from the sides. It was a fun scramble up over logs and hopping from gravel bar to gravel bar.
Apparently the area was a former gold rush settlement, and as we hiked through the woods on our loop back down the canyon rim, we saw this old, rusted cast-iron woodstove door leaning up against a tree. Being the fans of woodstoves that we are, my partner and I were delighted to see it and snap some photographs of this reminder of gold miners long come and gone.
Our campsite on Redwood Creek was delightful with the full moon, warm weather and giant rainbow trout jumping in the water. We enjoyed a roaring campfire, tasty burritos, delicious Scotch Porter from Mad River Brewing, and recounting the stories of our adventures in the Redwoods thus far and plans for our new homestead.
We started out our morning with a delicious breakfast on Redwood Creek, followed by an exploration up the North Fork Smith River and a hike to the giant Boy Scout Tree in Jedediah Smith State Park. It was another beautiful trek through towering old redwood trees that leave one feeling very humbled in the universe. The tree was in no way disappointing, with it’s massive base and double trunks reaching for the sky. We also made the delightful discovery of a patch of hedgehog mushrooms, which we gathered as a bonus wildcrafted addition to our road trip menu. After a stop at the Wild River Pizza Company to sample their local microbrew offerings, we headed back to the cabin at Cape Blanco for the final night of our big adventure. We cooked those hedgehog mushrooms up with some delicious pasta for dinner and made hedgehog, arugula scramble for breakfast the following morning.
We had a good morning hike to the top of one of my favorite spots on the Southern Oregon Coast, Grassy Knob, where a fire lookout tower once stood and you can still walk up the stone steps and see the four grounding anchors in place. The views of the ocean and the coast range were beautiful on such a clear morning, and it was fun showing Corey where my backpacking hero, William Sullivan, had bushwhacked his way down the hillside on the outset of his trek across Oregon.
Next we hiked out to one of Corey’s favorite spots on the South Coast, Blacklock Point. The trailhead began by the Cape Blanco air strip, and took us out through coastal forest to a beautiful grassy point where he had camped with friends on past road trip adventures. The windswept expanses of coast line were stunning with Cape Blanco to the South and Floras Lake to the North. It was a spot I decided we would have to visit again and spend a night looking out over the ocean.
As we made our way out onto the point, I found this little gardener snake sunning itself on a rock. I imagine he was just as happy to be basking in the sunshine as we were, and made no move to leave as I passed by.
We enjoyed sitting on the point for a little while, before heading back to hit the highway northbound. With another stop at the Shore Acres Gardens at Cape Arago, and the Draper Draft House for a local Roseburg microbrew, we concluded our five days of sheer road trip bliss and returned home with many a story to tell. There is something about traveling down the highways that makes a person feel free as a wildflower seed on the wind. Any time I can get out there and explore this beautiful country that we live in, I come back with my horizons expanded and a deeper understanding of where I’m at in the world. It’s not simply traveling for the sake of travel or merely for the fun of adventure, it’s getting to know the land we live in. And when I’m out there exploring those highways, back roads and trails, I will always give a little nod to Willie Nelson for those words of wisdom in my formative years.
“On the road again, like a band of gypsies we go down the highway. We’re
the best of friends, insisting that the world keep turning our way.”
~Willie Nelson
the best of friends, insisting that the world keep turning our way.”
~Willie Nelson
I may just have to borrow Willie's song after We come back from our road trip,it's so perfect.My husband and I live in Southern CA. and this May were taking a two week road trip to Victoria BC. Up the coast all the way,on the way back We may go a little inland.At our advanced ages though well stay in hotels/motels but hope to have just as much fun.Enjoyed your post- Denise of Coffeeberry Cottage
Thanks Denise. Enjoy your road trip! I recommend taking along a copy of Willie's album "Honeysuckle Rose!"
Congratulations on your getting your own homestead! The trilliums are a month away here. It is good to see your pictures. 🙂
That is such exciting news about finally getting a place of your own! Congratulations, and thanks for sharing another of your adventures. Your photos and words are beautiful!
Thanks! Expect some posts about dreams coming true soon 🙂