Day 16 – California

The main event today, I’ve always wanted to drive the Pacific Coast Highway in a soft top with the music playing, and today I got to fulfill that ambition!

So it was up and on the road early, the plan was to head South from Crescent City via the 101 and 1, ending up in San Francisco this evening.

First stop was the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and the Newton B Drury Scenic Parkway drive – this 8 mile long road runs alongside the highway and was my first sight of the redwoods for which this part of the world is famous.



On the way through I was lucky enough to come across a herd of wild elk feeding.



Onwards to Lady Bird Johnson Grove, this is mainly a trailhead for a number of walking trails that pass through various different eras of large trees (some that weren’t cut down during the logging here and others that the Park Service have planted as part of their efforts to improve the area.)



Just up the road from the main parking area is the scenic redwood overlook, this gives a great vista over the redwoods, all the way to the ocean.



A long run down the 101 now to Scotia.



This is one of the last company towns in the USA, pretty much everyone who lives here works for the lumber company and the town is owned by them, it might be my imagination, but stopping here and walking around was like walking into a strange bar – heads turned and conversation stopped!

They did have a small museum and a couple of examples of the historical methods of working timber.



Just south of Scotia is the famous Avenue of the Giants – this is a 32 mile trip on a wonderful road through the depths of the thousands of acres of redwood forest.



Outside the visitors centre is a fallen tree that has been dated from 1148 – incredible to think of the changes that have happened in the world over that time.



At the end of the 32 miles is one of the two trees here that you can drive through.



At the junction of the 101 and the 1 is the second drive-thru-tree – it would be rude not to!!!



Following this, I start to drive the 1, only to discover that I don’t have enough fuel to make it to the next stop – a 30 minute backtrack later I fill up ($3 a gallon as they’re “the only show in town”… grr)
And get the PCH underway.

It lives up to every preconception that I had – a truly fantastic drive, where every corner reveals another stunning vista







Midway through the trip I stumble across a Porsche club from Washington state doing their own road trip, we chop and change road position for the next couple of hours.



Sunshine, great roads, my V6 burble, air cooled Porsche engine whine and Toby Keith on the stereo – life doesn’t get much better. I think I’ve strained my face from smiling so much.

Truly a perfect day.

Anyway…. Enough eulogizing.

Final destination today is San Francisco – I booked my hotel on the Internet before I left the UK, and on the strength of the fact they have free parking (most hotels here charge $50 a night) I booked the Hotel Adagio… what a result, the room is probably one of the nicest I’ve ever stayed in – 14th floor with a view.

So that’s where I am now.. enjoying an ice cold Skyy and looking forward to tomorrow.