Pacific Coast Highway Day 7
Pacific Coast Highway
Day 7 - April 23, 2003 - Ukiah, CA to Bandon, OR
The word for the day is RAIN!!!
The continental breakfast did not have much of a selection so I had some coffee and we left the Rodeway at 7:45. It was 43 degrees, cloudy, misty with fog in the foothills. It was not long and we had driven out of the wine grape and fruit area and into the forest area. The road is now called the Redwood Highway. We drove in and out of the freeway with limited access but when we got to the little towns there was a lot of cross traffic.
At 8:20 we stopped at Willits and Gennie had an EggMcMuffin with a milk and I had a Sausage McMuffin and coffee at McDonalds. We were back on the road to Leggett passing through areas of small homesteads, shacks, broken down trucks and once brightly painted minivans. There was very little traffic on this road, very few places to stop for gas and almost no hotels.
It was raining and the radio said snow was predicted for areas above 3000 feet tonight. Just south of Leggett, the road expanded to five lanes with the extra lane going up the hills. We are meeting huge logging trucks going south on Route 101. Just before Piercy Road we came upon a construction area where workmen stopped traffic for ten minutes.
At Phillipsville, we got off 1/101 and followed the Avenue of the Giants through 30 miles of state parks and national forest lands. At Humboldt Redwoods State Park we stopped to take photos and even through the rain, these majestic trees were impressive.
At 11:00 we stopped at the Park visitors center and bought postcards and looked at the nature museum of the area. We received maps of the Avenue of the Giants and the surrounding area from kind volunteer named Steve. He was very knowledgeable and gave us many suggestions about the park and side roads and trips.
We turned off the Avenue to see the Founders Grove for the opportunity to take a few more photos. It was still raining and very overcast, so through the trees and high canopy, good pictures we difficult.
We were back on 101 at 11:50 through more logging companies and more rain. We had lunch at Eureka - French onion soup and an oriental salad. Just north of Orick we saw a herd of 15 elk grazing in a meadow and sleeping in the rain under apple trees. We turned around to take pictures and on the other side of the road we saw about 30 in an area called Elk Meadow.
South of Crescent City we were able to take pictures of the rocky coast and a seagull who was so curious and patient - he watched us only 10 feet away - and he did not fly away. A few miles later, at 3:35, we crossed the Oregon border and entered the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway.
When we got to Brooking we were ready to purchase some gasoline as the tank was down to three bars. We were glad to know that Oregon prices are not as high as California. When I got out to pump the gas, I was loudly told that I could not do it. An attendant came over and explained that Oregon and New Jersey were two states that prohibit individual from pumping their own gas - an attendant has to do it or there is a $5,000 fine to the station and the individual. How crazy is this? A law to keep people employed!
At the first Oregon Welcome Station, we met Gary who has a son in Monument, CO and Shirley, who was so helpful by giving us brochures and helped us to get a room at the Best Western for the night. She even let us use her phone as the payphone could not be used to make a toll free call.
By this time we were having a downpour so we talked to these kind people until we decided we would be there all afternoon because the rain was not going to let up. We discovered another plus about Oregon. They have mile markers. We were able to follow along the mile by mile guide that Shirley gave to us. Some things we could see, others not, because of the heavy fog and the rain. This is really too bad because this coastline is known to be one of the most spectacular along the Pacific Coast Highway.
At the Pistol River State Park estuary I saw some small seals on the ocean side of the little river. This rocky coastline highway is very impressive, right on the edge, and one can see the huge rocks, the pounding surf and then the road swings back into the forest and rolling hills.
The macadam in Oregon is far superior to the surface in California. There are some rough stretches but it is much easier to drive the S2000 here. We stopped at Bandon, Oregon for the night at the Best Western Inn at Face Rock.
I should note here that the heavy rain and road conditions were not too bad on the stock tires. I have 11,000 miles of wear - good tread depth on the front and decent on the back. The only time I felt the back end get away from me was in moderate rain when I drove over arrows painted or stenciled on the road to show traffic directions.
This was in northern California where they put these on the right-of-way to show which way the traffic flows. I did go through some standing water and did not feel any loss of traction or steering. On the other side, I did not drive the car very hard today. Even though there were some good switchbacks, I did not push the car through these - up or downhill.
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