Day 7 - Ukiah CA to Gold Beach OR



Day 7 - 23 June 2006 - Friday

--- Starting in Ukiah, California ---

We started out from the Motel 6 in Ukiah, where the light was burnt out in the bathroom so we got to shower in the dark. The one exit from the parking lot of the motel was guarded by the "Danger Chain":
Danger Chain

We continued driving up Highway 101. We were now in the land of Intel processor code names: Mendocino, Tillamook, Klamath, etc.

We got off the main highway and drove through the "Avenue of the Giants", a road that zipped right among the redwoods. It was very pretty, but it was nearly impossible to get a representative picture. The trees jutted out into the road at times, and the ones that did had scars from being hit by cars in the past.

We stopped at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, and walked around the south fork of the Eel river for a while. Here is a picture of me standing on a giant tree stump there:
Vince on a Tree Stump

The Eel River had a major flood back in the 60s, and the visitor center museum had a mark on the wall showing how high the floodwaters had risen.

We next decided to head to Ferndale, to see the Victorian houses there. Along the way we passed near an extremely smelly cheese factory, and due to bridge construction got to smell it for quite some time. Here's a picture of the Eel River from that bridge:
Eel River

We got to Ferndale, whose homes were known as "butterfat palaces" built by the Danish and Portuguese settlers who made a fortune on butter (at least according to the AAA book). This particular one is the most photographed one, at least according to the postcard I bought:
Ferndale Mansion

After that we went to Loleta and stopped at the Loleta Cheese Factory. Here you can see them making the cheese:
Loleta Cheese Factory

They had a pretty garden behind the factory that had some amazingly blue flowers:
Blue Flowers

We bought some cheese, and continued on to Eureka, where we regained the Pacific coast. Eureka also had a famous Victorian Mansion, this one built by a lumber baron:
Eureka Mansion

We then continued up the coast to Redwood National Park. There were some Elk crossing a river, so we stopped to look:
Elk Crossing River

We then drove up a hill to see the Lady Bird Johnson grove. There was the sign with the famous admonishment "Feed a Jay, Kill a Murrelet" of which I unfortunately neglected to get a picture (as the phrase underwent many mutations further on during our trip, I think ending as "Feed a Duck, Kill a Marmoset" ).

Here I am, in front of the roots of a fallen tree:
Vince and Tree Roots

We stopped near the Big Tree Wayside for a short walk, but a man there convinced us to go on the much longer and prettier trail to Cathedral Grove.

Here we were, on the Forest Moon of Endor:
Forest Moon of Endor

The Redwoods here were tall and beautiful, though the forest was a bit hotter and dryer than at Muir woods. Here is another tall tree:
Redwood

And here is a Banana Slug:
Banana Slug

We took a side road along the coast to the mouth of the Klamath River. Here is a picture of the coast there:
Coast

Near where that picture was taken was a WWII radar station that had been designed to look like a farmhouse so the Japanese would not realize what it was.

It was starting to get late, so we pushed on to Oregon.

--- Arrive in Oregon ---

We stopped for the night in Gold Beach. We ate at a really good Chinese restaurant, and stayed at a very nice motel. The only disturbing thing was all of the Tsunami Warning Information (Run Away! Run Away!). posted everywhere.

After supper we took a walk on the beach and watched the sun set. If you look closely in this picture you can see an otter swimming in the ocean:
Otter Sunset

--- Ending in Gold Beach, Oregon ---


Continue on to Day 8