June 6, 2015. Exploring the Redwoods

CAMPGROUND: 2nd night at Del Norte Mill Creek Campground inside Redwoods National Park

LOCATION: Near Crescent City, California, near Oregon border

WEATHER:  Nice. Highs in 60s

Our campsite is very woodsy.  The morning sun rays were streaming through the tall redwoods.

Our site is nestled in the trees.

Our picnic table is nice and secluded.

Good grill in our little private corner.

The trees dwarf the truck and camper.

June 5, 2015. Dwarfed by the gigantic redwoods!

CAMPGROUND: Del Norte State Oark inside Redwoods National Park. Old campground.  Very woodsy.  Tall trees.  Ferns and green everywhere. Private sites. Ok flush toilets with coin showers.  No hook-ups. Dump station. $17/night with senior discount.  3 stars

LOCATION: Redwood National Park near Crescent City, California, near the Oregon border.

WEATHER:  Nice. Highs in 60s

We took advantage of all the amenities at the Eureka RV park, getting ourselves cleaned up in anticipation of "roughing it" in the national parks, and filling up our water tank.

We had a short 100-mile drive up the coast so we took our time.  We stopped in beautiful Trinidad with a cute lighthouse and magnificent view.

All along the coast, the flowers have been in full bloom.  Rhododendrons grow wild.  I especially like California poppies.

 

We had a bowl of delicious chowder in the Trinity Eatery, which was highly recommended as a must-do stop.

We also stopped at a prairie where elf (corrected to elk after Keith's comment below) usually roam, but they were hiding today.

Our campground is at the end of a 2- mile road descending into a lush redwood forest.  We got set up, then went on a scenic drive.  This is an old-growth redwood forest, with trees thousands  of years old, and taller than 350 feet.  The road was very narrow, with trees dictating the width.

The trees make you feel so small!

We drove into Crescent City to shop.  

DINNER:  I made a cioppini soup using fish stock I had made and frozen at the house-sit.  I added shrimp and canned clams, onions and garlic.  It was outstanding!  We ate it with garlic toast.  It was fun cooking over a campfire again.

We went to a ranger-led talk about the redwoods in the amphitheater. 

June 4, 2015. Enjoying Eureka area

CAMPGROUND: Second night at Shoreline RV

LOCATION: Eureka, CA in northwest California

WEATHER: Nice. Highs in 60s

We visited Ferndale, a Victorian village near Eureka.  Really cute homes

and downtown buildings.

We stopped at a bar that is the most western bar in the continental USA.

We drove along the Pacific coast with its high waves.

Back in Eureka, we walked along the waterfront boardwalk. This mansion towers over the bay.

We splurged and ate dinner out at a seafood restaurant located in an historic hotel.  I had clam chowder and George had perfectly-grilled snapper.  

 

June 3, 2015. On the road again......

OCAMPGROUND: Shoreline RV Park.  Nice RV park with full hook-ups as well as good wifi and cable TV.  Beautiful bathrooms.  Conveniently located in town. No picnic tables or grills.  $38/night. 4 stars

LOCATION: Eureka, California in northwest California on the Pacific Coast

WEATHER:  Cool and nice. Highs in 60s

We got packed up and left the Ukiah farm, confirming details about our return in August.  It is good to be back on the road again, as depicted by the homeowners' salt and pepper shakers...

We followed highway 101 north about 150 miles mostly through the gigantic redwood trees.  It was a day of self-proclaimed "world-famous" sites....

1.  "World-famous drive-through tree"...

The camper almost made it through...

2.  Then the "world-famous one-log house"

3. We got off highway 101 and followed the scenic drive called "world-famous Avenue of the Giants"

We stopped for a picnic lunch on the way.  These trees are unbelievable. 

4.  We skipped the "world -famous" chimney tree and treehouse.  

We had turned off our refrigerator while we were house-sitting, and today it wouldn't work with the propane.  I was worried about our food, but George finally was able to fix it.  Yeah!

After setting up at the RV park, we went to the historic part of Eureka to Lost Coast Brewery for a beer.  

DINNER: Refried rice with leftover chicken and shiitake mushrooms.  

June 2, 2015. Fun in Santa Rosa

LOCATION: Floodgate Farm in Redwood Valley, CA

WEATHER: Nice. Highs in 70s

We drove about an hour south to Santa Rosa to pick up the homeowners.  We stopped at Russian River Brewing Company for one of their wonderful beers and lunch.  

Perdition

Damnation

Rejection

Consecration

Erudition

Pliny the Elder

These are some of the beers they make.  The place was really hopping.  People sitting at the bar prop up these coasters when nature calls.

George tried one, too.

After lunch, we went to the Charles Schultz Museum.  It was really well-done.

He moved from Minnesota to Santa Rosa around 1960.  He contributed a lot to the community.  Due to his love of ice-skating and hockey, he built an ice arena.  It has become a center for world-wide senior ice hockey tournaments.  

This mural is made from tiles with cartoon strips on them.

Then, we picked up the homeowners at Charles Schultz Airport, and came back to the farm.  They are happy to be home.

DINNER:  Casserole with chicken, onibs, garlic, Swiss chard and ricotta cheese with Parmesan bread crumbs on the top.

June 1, 2015. Day trip to Anderson Valley

LOCATION: Floodgate Farm in Redwood Valley, CA

WEATHER:  Cool. Slight rain. Drizzle. Highs in 60s

We awoke to a slight rain.  Our mountain was enveloped by a cloud.  This much-needed moisture will make everyone happy.

We took off for Anderson Valley, about one hour southwest from here.  Our first stop was Boonville.  In a word.....cute.  This is the heart of Anderson Valley vineyards.  They are everywhere.  Tasting rooms are footsteps from each other.  We stopped at Anderson Valley Brewery.  It is a large producer, not a microbrewery.  We sampled some beers in their tasting room.  They are a solar-powered brewery.

We had lunch in town.  When we pulled in, I saw a gal with something strange on her head.  I thought it was an interesting haircut; George thought it was a coon hat.  When we got closer to her and her friends, they asked George for help jump-starting their (ancient) car.   He told them that their misplacement of the cables was about to blow up the car, and he fixed it for them. The motor hummed happily.  I thought they were going to hug him to death. They were very appreciative.  :-).  And, we were both right......  She had both a strange haircut as well as a coon hat (2nd  from left ). 

From Boonville, we took another windy road to the coast.  That first glimpse of the ocean is always so breathtaking.  We followed Highway One north along the coast through a small town named Elk.  I was surprised at how underdeveloped this part of the coast is.  

Then, making a loop, we took an even windier road through the magnificent giant redwoods back home.

Back home, we picked some Swiss chard from the garden.  I made a casserole to serve tomorrow to welcome back the homeowners.

DINNER:  Chili over a baked potato.  I added a hatch pepper and chipotles.  Hotsy-Totsy!  

May 31, 2015. Household chores

LOCATION: Floodgate Farm in Redwood Valley, CA

WEATHER:  Cooler. Highs around 70

We had planned a day trip to the beach today, but our plans were thwarted....... The washing machine quit working.  It displayed an error code, so I looked it up on the internet and found that it had to do with drainage.  George tried working on the drain tubing, thinking that it was clogged.  Nothing.  Then, I found a You Tube video with a guy with the same problem.  It was a blocked filter in the drain pump.  So, George followed the video's steps, taking it all apart.  When he was able to get the pump out, cleaned out the filter with lots of goo.  Then, he put it all back together again.  These machines are built to discourage home maintenance like this....really hard to get to the parts you need.  They want you to pay for a service call.  George spent about 8 hours on the floor, in all kinds of awkward positions, with a lot of curse words wafting from the laundry room.  He is a genius!  It works fine now.

Since the trip was out, we spent a few hours cleaning around the Airstream.  We will have a day  off tomorrow.  

In the afternoon, we hauled buckets of water around to water baby walnut and chestnut trees.  As we were returning to the house, I was gazing at the beautiful clouds.  I looked down and saw that I was about to step on a 4-foot rattlesnake!  I backed up just in time.

The day ended well.....washing machine fixed, my blog site restored, and emails from two couples we have met on the road.  Daniel and Minnie are from San Francisco.  We first met them in Texas, then rendezvoused  with them in Alaska.  Since then, they have been traveling in Eastern Europe and Asia.  We are hoping to see them in San Francisco when we return here in August.  Then, we heard from a couple we met in Great Basin National Park just a few weeks ago.  They, too, live in the Bay Area.  We hope to meet up with them in wine country or the Bay Area in August.  Thus  is one of the best parts of traveling.

The day ended with George doing one of his chores.....winding the 1807 grandfather clock.

DINNER:  I grilled an asiago cheese-stuffed rabbit burger that we had bought at the farmers' market.  Wow!  We had a nice salad with freshly picked romaine.  I toasted slices of baguette from a Ukiah bakery to go with the burgers.  A tasty treat!