Navarro State Beach and Butano SP via Highways 101 & 1 (CA)

We departed Albee Creek Campground at 11 a.m. on 24 Sep 2019, traveling south on Highway 101 to Highway 1 in Mendocino County. Driving several hours along the coast through Ft. Bragg and a multitude of tiny towns and coastal landmarks. 

The Roadtrek at an Overlook in Westport, CA. Photo by Virginia.

The Pacific Ocean, Westport, CA. Photo by Virginia.

The Pacific Ocean, Westport, CA. Photo by Virginia.

The Pacific Ocean, Westport, CA. Photo by Virginia.

The Pacific Ocean, Ft. Bragg, CA. Photo by Virginia.

We arrived at Navarro River Redwoods State Park at 4:00 and was fortunate to get campsite #2 for the night. The nightly rate was a reasonable $17.50 with Margaret's state park pass. The sunset was phenomenal and the evening skies were dark and starry. It was a peaceful night with just the sound of the waves to see us to a much needed night's sleep. 

Sunset at Navarro Beach Campground, CA. Photo by Virginia.

The Pacific Ocean in Elk, CA. Photo by Virginia.

The View in Point Arena Area, CA. Photo by Virginia.

We continued driving south on Highway 1 (Shoreline Hwy) where highway and erosion construction was going on but there were also thousands of bunches of lovely pink day lilies! We needed to get back inland to Highway 101, which had Margaret mapping the shortest route. That turned out to be a very long (about 25 miles), little-used, rough, curvy, and hilly road with hairpin turns and portions that were washed away to steep drop-offs. Whew, that was one treacherous drive, but it got us to the small town of Boonsville in the shortest time. We gassed up and I got an iced coffee. During that drive we went from coastal temperatures in the low 70s to 103° F! We made a detour so we could drive through the beautiful and crowded town of Mill Valley before heading back through the Robin Williams Tunnel to the Golden Gate Bridge. We continued through the Richmond District before connecting with Highway 101 south again.

San Francisco & The Golden Gate Bridge from Sausalito. Photo by Virginia.

Richmond District, San Francisco, CA. Photo by Virginia.

We attempted to camp overnight at Half Moon Bay State Park right on the beach but it was full. Margaret then decided to try for a night at Ben Ries Campground at Butano State Park. We set up in campsite #11 next to the restrooms ($17.50 discount state park pass rate) at 7:50 p.m. It was dark, quite sloped, warm, and buggy but we were glad to find a site. Margaret had driven about 9-1/2 hours on that treacherous Mountain View Road and then in San Francisco traffic. She did extremely well and deserved a rest!

Ben Ries Campground, Butano State Park, CA. Photo by Virginia.

The next morning we prepared for our drive into the city for a busy day of errands.

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Albee Creek Campground (CA)

After leaving Ferndale on 22 Sep 2019, we headed toward Humboldt Redwoods State Park. WOW! We arrived at Albee Creek Campground at about 4:00 with a plan to stay two nights ($35/night). Campsite #12 was situated beautifully, fairly level, and bonus, it was a drive-through site. It was also close to potable water, restrooms, showers, trash, and recycling. Unfortunately, there was no cell phone signal, but after 5 months on the road, we didn't count on having coverage while camping. Even though it wasn't unpleasantly warm, the humidity was 93%, which made the mid-60s temperature a bit too muggy. Inconveniently, the mosquitoes were quite bothersome in the afternoons. Drats!

Albee Creek Campground sign. Photo by Virginia.

The Roadtrek in campsite #12. Photo by Virginia.

The high side of campsite #12. Photo by Virginia.

Up close with a redwood in our campsite. Photo by Virginia.

Picnic table and bear locker in our campsite. Photo by Virginia.

After a cool and quiet night, I welcomed the first day of fall with a breakfast of coffee and coffeecake at the picnic table under the aromatic redwoods. What a way to start the day! 

The Roadtrek and camp chairs in campsite #12. Photo by Virginia.

Clean restrooms with flush toilets. Photo by Virginia.

Everything was pristine, including the restrooms and showers. I was thrilled to hand-wash some laundry with warm water in one of the basins and then had a refreshing 5-minute shower. It was well worth the $1.25 it cost me! Unfortunately, the mosquitos started "bugging" me when I returned to the Roadtrek, so I had to retreat inside to do my reading.

Pay showers and wash basins. Photo by Virginia.

Margaret took Peaches out for a walk and photographed some of the amazing redwoods!

Second-growth redwoods in the campground. Photo by Margaret.

Second-growth redwoods in the campground. Photo by Margaret.

Second-growth redwoods in the campground. Photo by Margaret.

Second-growth redwoods in the campground. Photo by Margaret.

The Roadtrek under the redwoods. Photo by Margaret.

Later that morning, I went for a walk on Homestead Trail. I walked until I came across some fresh-ish bear scat and immediately turned around to walk back toward camp. I was bummed I didn't see any horses on this trail toward the horse camp, but it was still a lovely stroll.

Directional post on the trail. Photo by Virginia.

A section of Homestead Trail. Photo by Virginia.

A gorgeous meadow along Homestead Trail. Photo by Virginia.

Following a second cool and quiet evening, I again had breakfast outside and was happily surprised by a young black-tailed buck walking through the campsite. What a natural delight!

After rearranging things in the Roadtrek from camping to driving mode, we left Albee Creek Campground to continue heading south. Back to the coast, we went.

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Ferndale (CA)

We left Sue-meg State Park (formerly Patrick's Point State Park) on 22 Sep 2019, once again heading south on U.S. Route 101. Margaret wanted to get a coat for Peaches so we stopped at the Petco in Eureka where she found one that would help prevent Peaches from turning into a 'pupsicle' in the cooling weather.

During our entire trip I asked to stop at only two specific locations. The first was First Beach in La Push, WA, and the second request had us only slightly diverting from our route to the small city of Ferndale in Humboldt County.

I was "introduced" to Ferndale because of its frequent appearance in my QuakeFeed earthquake app notifications. From the Ferndale Wikipedia Page: "Ferndale's location near the Mendocino Triple Junction, a subduction fault associated with the offshore interaction of the Pacific, North American, and Gorda techtonic plates, makes it extremely susceptible to earthquakes." Once I saw how adorable this historical city was, I wanted to visit. 

It was extremely gray and overcast, but the high that day was a pleasant 63° F. We parked on Main Street and set about walking up and down checking out the businesses there and on Berding Street. We bought some baked goodies for us at Eirlie's Bakery and Margaret bought Peaches some gourmet treats from Main Street Barkery & Bath. (Isn't that an adorable name?)

Ferndale Community Church. Photo by Virginia.

Main Street Business, Ferndale, CA. Photo by Virginia.

Tri Counties Bank, Ferndale, CA. Photo by Virginia.

Ferndale, CA photo prop board. Photo by Virginia.

Victorian Inn, Ferndale, CA. Photo by Margaret.

Main Street businesses, Ferndale, CA. Photo by Virginia.

Main Street businesses, Ferndale, CA. Photo by Virginia.

Main Street businesses, Ferndale, CA. Photo by Virginia.

Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department, Ferndale, CA. Photo by Virginia.

A Victorian house, Ferndale, CA. Photo by Margaret.

The Gingerbread Mansion B & B, Ferndale, CA. Photo by Margaret.

The old I.O.O.F. building (now businesses), Ferndale, CA. Photo by Virginia.

Main Street Barkery & Bath, Ferndale, CA. Photo by Virginia.

The Roadtrek on Main Street, Ferndale, CA. Photo by Virginia.

Abraxas Jewelry and Leather, Ferndale, CA. Photo by Virginia.

Belated photo of Peaches in her jacket purchased in Eureka, CA in 2019.

After spending a couple or so hours in Ferndale, we hit the road to our next camping destination in the midst of the giant redwoods!

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Coastal Drive Loop & Sue-meg State Park (Formerly Patrick's Point State Park)

After leaving Mill Creek Campground on 20 Sep 2019, we got back on Highway 101 South; and as we neared Klamath (CA), I noticed a sign for a scenic drive. The Coastal Drive Loop is a narrow, one-way, partially paved 9-mile scenic loop accessed from 101 via Klamath Beach Road. It was such a visually stunning diversion from the highway and very much worth the added miles to our next destination.

Wilson Creek Beach, Klamath, CA. Photo by Virginia.

Redwood National & State Parks, Klamath, CA. Photo by Margaret.

Redwood National & State Parks, Klamath, CA. Photo by Margaret.

Lagoon Creek Day Use Area, between Crescent City & Klamath. Photo by Virginia.

Lagoon Creek Day Use Area, between Crescent City & Klamath. Photo by Virginia.

Coastal Drive in the Yurok Reservation near Klamath, CA. Photo by Virginia.

The Klamath River empties into the Pacific Ocean. Photo by Virginia.

The Klamath River empties into the Pacific Ocean. Photo by Margaret.

The forest along Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. Photo by Virginia.

Elk Prairie Campground was full which sent us to the nearby Patrick's Point State Park (which was renamed Sue-meg State Park on 30 Sep 2021). We were able to get a campsite for one night (for $19) and were told to check back before noon the next day to see if our (or another) campsite would be available for a second night.

The Roadtrek in Sue-meg State Park. Photo by Virginia.

Sun rays in Sue-meg State Park. Photo by Virginia.

It was almost too cold for me to sit outside in the shade, but I braved the brrrr because the birdsong was such a delight! During my time sitting in our campsite and walking about the campground, I saw chipmunks, squirrels, Stellar’s Jays, small dark chickadee shaped birds, and others too. The forest was so alive!

Sun rays in Sue-meg State Park. Photo by Margaret.

Our T-Mobile signal was hit-or-miss 1-bar LTE, and you know how frustrating those fragile connections can be. It wasn't really a hardship because...we got that second night, and well, just LOOK at what we were in the midst of!

The Rim Trail in Sue-meg State Park. Photo by Virginia.

I enjoyed walking the gorgeous Rim Trail with all of its vibrancy and animal chatter. The view of the Pacific Ocean was breathtakingly gorgeous.

The Pacific Ocean from the Rim Trail in Sue-meg State Park. Photo by Virginia.

The Rim Trail in Sue-meg State Park. Photo by Virginia.

The Rim Trail in Sue-meg State Park. Photo by Virginia.

We left Patrick's Point State Park (renamed Sue-meg State Park) two days after arriving and visited the largest nearby city where a shivery-cold Peaches got something to warm her up!

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