Long time, no see, Muchachos! Things have been a little crazy here on the home front and I've been slacking hardcore on my posts (because, frankly, I've had more important things to take care of), but I'm going to make it a point to stay up with them- if not for you guys reading them, then for my own sake because I love scrolling through and being reminded of my adventures :)
A few months ago, circumstances allowed me to plan a week-long solo getaway to pretty much any destination (within reason) that my cold heart desired, so after mulling it over for a few days, I decided that a road trip to 3 big parks that I've never visited in Northern California would be a great experience.
I'd been along the coast a few times and around Southern California, but there were still a few destinations that I'd not yet been, so I figured out a route that would get me to the coast, the Redwoods, Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite starting in San Jose.
I caught an early flight to San Jose which was delayed because the pilot left his iPad in his hotel room and we had to wait 20 minutes for it to be delivered. Upon arrival in California, my rental car (a Jeep Grand Cherokee that I could camp out in all week) was not available, and after waiting for around an hour, the company tried to stuff me into a Toyota Corolla, stating that it would be my only option. I put on my best puppy-dog eyes and agreed to take the Corolla, which worked because about 15 minutes later, the employee managed to find me a Toyota Rav4 that I could take. Phew. That was a close one.
I couldn't wait to get out of town and on the open road, so I grabbed some coffee and made my way north just over 300 miles towards Eureka, through the Avenue of the Giants. By the time I got there, I was so tired I pulled off into the forest and took a nap in the back of the car...just enough to freshen up for a couple of amazing hikes.
It was remarkably quiet there. I was expecting to see a lot of other people driving and hiking, but I pretty much had the place to myself, which of course, I love :)
As the sun started to go down, I continued traveling north and ended up in Eureka, where I found a Walmart and stocked up on supplies that I'd need for my trip. In an attempt to pack as lightly as possible, I still needed to grab sunscreen, bug spray, a pillow and sleeping bag, dry shampoo, snacks and drinks, etc. Unfortunately, it must have been the busy season for such items, because even Walmart didn't have a single sleeping bag on the shelves, forcing me to purchase a couple of cheap fleece throws instead. I loaded up my supplies, grabbed a burger and started looking for a spot on the beach to crash and watch the sun set.
I continued along the coast towards Trinidad and found a cozy spot at Clam Beach where there was hardly a soul in sight and ate my burger.
After hanging out for a while and attempting to watch the sun set (it was kind of cloudy), I looked up the beach and saw the silhouette of something amazing. My curiosity running wild, I hopped back in the car and drove up about 1/2 a mile until I came to this (Houda Point):
Again, not a soul in sight, so I hiked around and down to the beach where I hung out until nightfall. I ended up camping right there overlooking the incredible view, the sound of crashing waves lulling me to sleep. Not a bad start to my trip :)
Day 2 I woke up early and continued up the coast, in desperate need of a gas station. One thing I noticed up there, gas stations are few and far between and panic starts to set in when you're in the middle of nowhere with no cell service on an empty tank (a situation that I would continue to find myself in throughout the entire trip). Fortunately, I came upon the little town of Orick, where a helpful fellow at the first diner I'd seen filled me in on the local pump that opened up at 9. I killed the time in between eating an omelette at the bar with homemade jelly and the best coffee I'd had in a while. I found the gas pump, straight out of 1957 and not as expensive as I would have thought.
Tank full, I followed the coast up and along more of the majestic Redwoods, then turned back south and eventually east on the 299 through the Trinity National Forest.
The road through was crazy windy and beautiful, almost reminding me of home. It took me a few hours, and then I hopped on the interstate and made my way down to Lake Tahoe.
