Rosie and The Operator had an epic day on the road today, it was filled with awe, sickness and frustration, we travelled from the coast to the middle of the state. From the thundering Pacific we crossed into giant redwood forest country, back into flat prime dairy farming pasture then wound up to 3,500 feet into Bigfoot Country where everyone drove a pick up and had gun racks behind the wheel and fishing rods in the back.
That description sounds idyllic, in actual fact most of the road was tortuous. State Highway 1 between Rockport and Leggett was a killer, we had crossed into a pine forestry zone, and that was the view as far as far the eye could see….all Rosie had eyes for though was the sign which read, wriggly road for the next 28 miles….you are joking! The road turned right, turned left, switched back, went up and down….Rosie was green and the Operator was in heaven, he was driving like he was about to win the World Rally Champs, until Rosie’s first sick stop, out of three…..the irony is it seemed fast but the average speed of the journey was less than 30mph….it took forever. Don’t be fooled, this picture looks normal…its not…..round the corner the road turned into a narrow two way lane, we couldn’t see the the sky for the trees, it was like driving into a dark hell…..The Operator has just told me to get over it…..Rosie must let go of this scarring experience….
…all horror stories come to an ending, we came to the turn off for the hole in the tree and turned down a lane with moss on the track and perpetual twilight from the height and canopy of these amazing redwood trees. We paid our $5.00 and it was as simple as that, we drove up to the tree and went through it…twice, there was no line of cars, it was all too easy. The Operator just squeezed through, there was only an inch spare on each side. Surprisingly the heart of this tree must be above the undignified hole cut into the bottom, as the tree is still alive, growing and ageing.
The Hole in the Tree was a welcome stop and from there we pushed on to The Avenue of the Giants which is a detour on the way North to Eureka. This is a beautiful scenic road, off the main highway nicely meandering for 16 miles through gigantic ancient forests. The light filters down dimly to the forest floor which is covered in red leaf litter, the peace, quiet and tranquility was amazing. We seemed to be the only ones there, the forest itself is silent, the trees stand patiently as they have for thousands of years, it was quite a moving place.
The immense scale and majesty of these trees is hard to convey, I cannot get the tops in camera frame as they reach so high into the sky. This photo is one with the car parked on the side of the road to get an idea of perspective.
We called into Scotia, the irony was certainly there, this is the biggest redwood mill in California, it is a small town with the basics and a mill museum. The mill hulks over the town and small workers cottages line the streets in barrack form in front of the plant. Once again this mill was enormous, the pile of shavings alone stretched for a mile and was two storeys high. The yard was full of unprocessed logs and next to them were processed and cut timber. The mill cut its last giant redwood in 1992, the trees were protected after that, it was the only mill to have a blade big enough to cut through the soul.
It was well after lunchtime, Rosie’s tummy was looking for a little sustenance, Ferndale was next on the map, this is another town on the Historic Places Register. A burger was on the cards so we headed to Poppa Joe’s for lunch, step back in time with me….this diner is not made to look retro it is the real deal…ps the burger was the best I have ever had.
The old timers down the back were sitting playing poker and chewing the fat…they do it everyday. The countryside around Ferndale is quite green and lush, the first pasture we have seen so far with colour in it, the size of the cow herds do not look big and the farms are pretty run down, we passed the dairy factory called the Humbolt Creamery and huge big Victorian Mansions are dotted in the paddocks, the word was back in the day there was alot of money to be bade from farming and these houses were known as ‘butterfat mansions’.
We were going to stay in Ferndale the night, it was only 2.30pm….it hadn’t been the greatest travel day so we thought we would push on for another hour and a half and bunk for the night in Weaver ville. We passed through Eureka and The Operator checked out the Harley shop while I consulted the map, inland we headed and just kept climbing up and up and up. The temperature dropped 10 degrees and we were surrounded by rocky forest hills with the Trinity river was on our right hand side. We stopped to look in the river, the mountain water was so clear you could see salmon in the shallows, and they were huge. Pick ups were parked in every lay by and you see the guys fishing on the riverbanks. We found a charming B&B, unpacked, unstretched and headed into town to take a look a look around and find a nice cold bevvie.
Things then took a turn for the surreal in Weaverville, full disclosure will be given but parental guidance may be required…….
