Garberville, CA & Brookings, OR

Friday, October 26, 2018
Garberville, CA to Brookings, OR
Harris Beach State Park
Distance: 188 miles
Duration: 1 night
Cost: $32

Another relaxing morning (although Rod did have a teleconference before we left) and we were on the road before noon. We didn't feel rushed and since it's a familiar drive, we didn't leave until close to check-out.

I always enjoy my walks by this beautiful, old hotel.

The trees were so pretty!

I thought it would be fun to have our lunch in the Redwood National Park, so we took a road that we thought would lead us to something in the way of a visitor center. HA! The road (Bald Hills Road) just north of Orick was not one we should have taken! At the "entrance" of the park, we saw a sign that said "Steep road. Trailers not advised." It did not indicate the percentage of the grade, nor did it say anything about RVs. So, up we went. The road was very narrow with huge pot holes. Had there been a place to turn around, I might have considered doing just that before we went any further. The incline was VERY steep! We finally reached the first parking area and we decided to turn around and go back down the hill. The RV was going pretty fast, even with the lower gears in tow mode. It was pretty scary, especially since I had to rely on the brakes along with the lower gears. We reached the bottom and found a parking spot in another lot and ate our lunch. There might have been a beer involved, too. While reading a sign near a trailhead, I discovered that the road we had just come down was 15%. This sign also said not recommended for trailers or RVs. I wish we had seen that one first. 

Didn't see any!

Nice spot for lunch.

The rest of the drive back to Oregon was uneventful. It started to drizzle in Crescent City, but no wind to speak of. We arrived at Harris Beach SP and got set up in our lovely ocean view site. Sadly, it was raining. It wasn't pouring, but we couldn't see the water or any of the rocks. I would love to return to this SP (this was our second visit) when the weather's better and it's not too crowded.

The view from our back window. (Site #A22)

Almost home!

Garberville, CA

Thursday, October 25, 2018
Garberville, CA
Benbow KOA

It's always so nice to have a "stay" day after so much traveling. Since we were almost home, we decided to only stay two nights at this KOA, but it sure was nice to relax. I didn't even bother doing any laundry since we would be home in a few days. I took a couple of long walks and Rod worked on an article for a magazine. All in all, it was a quiet day.

Brunch! Leftover steak with veggies and scrambled eggs.

The fog was heavy on the hills and it was chilly.

Our timing is always perfect. 

This KOA is seldom more than 50% full when we're here.

The sun finally came out and it turned out to be a beautiful day.

Philo, CA

Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Philo to Garberville, California
Garberville/Benbow KOA
Distance: 125 miles
Duration: 2 nights
Cost: $57/night
Weather: Sunny and warm

We woke up with the sun and were on the road fairly early for us. I took more pictures of the vineyard and the fog on the hills in the distance. It was such a beautiful and peaceful morning. I hated to leave.

The drive on Hwy. 253 was very pretty with a lot of the trees dressed in their fall colors. The highway is probably just as curvy as Hwy. 128, but there wasn't as much traffic, so it was more enjoyable than when we drove in to Philo from 101. Also, we noticed that when I pulled over to let the cars behind me pass, almost every single one tapped their horns in appreciation. This has happened occasionally on our road trips, but we were shocked that almost 99% of the cars and trucks expressed their thanks to us with the horn tap. Thank you, Northern California drivers!

Another first was having a couple of deer dash across the road, right in front of the RV. Thankfully, we were going slow enough that it wasn't a problem, but it sure got our attention! 

We had one steep descent of 10% for 2 miles, but the RV handled it just fine. I feel so much more comfortable with steep ascents and descents in this Class C RV compared to when we were pulling a trailer. 

Early morning at Handley Cellars Winery.

Beautiful morning with lots of birdsong.

Another vineyard just east of Handley Cellars Winery. Gorgeous!

We decided to play tourists and stopped at the Drive-Thru Tree Memorial Grove in Leggett. It's pretty much a tourist trap, what with the $10 fee to enter the park. Obviously, our RV is far too big to drive through the tree, but we walked around and took a few pictures.

Probably not worth it, but we decided to play tourists.

Nope. The Four Winds is not gonna fit!

2400 years old! Wow.

I don't know how many times we've stayed at the Benbow KOA, but this may have been our third visit and it was nice to be back in a familiar spot. We snagged a good end site, which meant there was nobody on our right and we could enjoy looking out on the beautiful fall colors. The contrast between the leaves and the blue sky was picture-perfect! I took a long walk, desperate to get some exercise and stretch my legs. I walked over to the Benbow Inn and couldn't believe how low the Eel River had become since our visit less than six months earlier.

We enjoyed our drinks outside, as the weather was absolutely perfect. Not too hot and not at all windy. It got pretty chilly after the sun went down, but it was so quiet, we both slept great.

Back at the Benbow KOA.

The river is so low!

Beautiful fall colors.

Benbow Historic Inn.

Last time we were here, this river bed was completely covered with water.

Love these trees!

Not too many people here, so it made for a nice quiet stay.