2014 – Along the southern Oregon/northern California coast

We saw beautiful huge rocks surrounded with water and waves along the Coastline as we moved from Oregon to California. Just north of Brookings, located near the California state line, there are wonderful overlooks every mile or so along the highway.

Then, as we moved into northern California we were amazed by the majesty of the old growth redwood trees in Redwood National Park. One memorable drive was up Howland Hill Road at Crescent City into the state/national park. At one point we stopped to walk the easy loop through Stouts Grove; the trees there are stunning.

We enjoyed our time at Smith River. The river flows into the Pacific right at our campground. We walked along the water, enjoying the sea lions, harbor seals and one eagle.

The drive down 101 was beautiful yet challenging with steep grades and sharp turns. In several places there are Redwoods right by the highway. Along one stretch we drove through Richardson Grove. The hills are steep but the views are beautiful. There were many small towns along the way and several looked like a nice place to spend some time. At one point for abut an hour we drove through increasing smoke from a forest fire. We never saw the actual fire but we actually drove past the firefighter’s base camp.

Our trip down the coast of the Pacific Northwest was terrific and we were a bit sad to move south and inland. We now understand better why people flock to this area and hope to return in days to come.