A surprisingly restful night at the KOA as the rain held off and the well-manicured lawns provided soft relief for our backs unlike the gravelly sites at the various state parks.
After a large breakfast – The result of GT doing the shopping – we hit the highway, anxious to put some miles on the legs before people awoke this Saturday morning.
The recommended cycle tour through the Victorian neighborhoods of Eureka was a little disappointing. The homes were a little beat up to say the least and the West Coast version of ‘old’ probably means 90 years which is young by comparison to some of the homes in BDA or Canada's East Coast.
We made good time along the quiet 101 to today’s feature attraction; the 32-mile Avenue of the Giants scenic highway that rolled through the Redwood Park and the massive old growth forest. With camera’s whirring and necks crooked far in the air we slowly meandered down the road, stopping often to take pictures as the beams of light darted among these giants.
With October being near the end of the tourist season we were pleased to find the narrow road completely void of all RV traffic and we often found ourselves riding two abreast as the road meandered along the Eel River valley. The trees are a marvel of nature; enormous creatures so strong and pointing straight to the sky. Temperatures in the shade were cool (55f) and when the road meandered in the sun they shot up 20f in 50feet. Amazing.
There was original two million acres of the old growth forest before someone got the wise idea they should log it. 150 years later and only 4% remain either in State/National Parks or private trusts. We highly recommend visiting these wonders of nature soon!
We made the requisite stops at Mammoth Tree, Never Ending Tree, and of course the Drive – Thru Tree @ Myer’s Flats. We missed the Drive – Thru tree, instead stopping for a forgettable wine tasting and lunch stop.
With the forecast calling for rain and both of us experiencing a bit of ‘tent fever’ we decided to stop for the night at the Riverwood Inn. The Riverwood advertises itself as the last of America’s true Roadhouses. A roadhouse is defined as a having a hotel, dining, bar, men’s room – no not a restroom but rather a MAN’S ROOM – and live music. While not expecting a reincarnation of Patrick Swayze to return for a cameo we were tempted by the interesting website, and promise of a fresh Mexican feast and live music. We’ll save the soup for tomorrow.
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