Redwoods

My night off the Pacific Coast Highway went well. Other than waking to some slamming doors at 11:30 p.m., I slept through the night. There was only one other RV nearby. It was quite foggy again this morning, mystical and magical, as I got an early start carefully navigating the winding roads that eventually led me into the redwood forest. It was so beautiful, but so treacherous, as parts of the road were actually missing along the edges, around these hair pain turns. Vertical drop cliffs....no rails.

I did come across elk, at least six of them, that were casually enjoying their breakfast in the field. All the while I was concerned about deer jumping over the road, it never occurred to me that I also had to worry about elk. They are big.

Trying to keep some coffee in me, but at the same time hands-on the steering wheel was a task. I made it to Eureka, CA and Lithia Dodge. Yes it's the same Dodge dealership chain that I dealt with in last years "beaching the RV incident," in Corpus Christi, Texas, over a year ago. What a small world indeed. PTSD reminder?....yes. I had some lit dash indicators, while I was in San Francisco. So I wanted to ask about that, however those lit indicators have magically, for the time being, vanished. They mentioned that they couldn't do diagnostics efficiently, unless those indicators remain lit. So in essence it could have been an anomaly, and a reaction to wet pavement or that pesky curb that stupidly I jumped up and down over, while near the hills, near San Francisco. In any event, I'll keep a watch on it and find another Ram dealership, should it happen again. 

I stopped at jewlery maker, Holly Yashi, near Eureka. I remember this line of work many years ago during my wholesale trade show days. The husband and wife team have been running this studio/factory since 1981. I was just in time for a factory tour, were 60 employees create their line of work. It was fascinating seeing the tools and machines that were used, such is punch presses, water laser machines, tumblers, and fusion welding machines. Employees were there demonstrating the technique, including the coloring of the niobium metals through an electric bath system. As an artist, it was really quite interesting, really facinating, how technology, industrial ingenuity, and artistry all came together. They make all of their own die cuts tools and molds to create very attractive colorful pieces. Everyone was so pleasant and friendly, and my experience was really a fun and positive one. 

After a quick stop at the grocery store, as well as finally finding a car wash to make the Sylver Gypsy look shiny and new, I headed further into the forest, towards the Redwood area. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bryce Canyon National Park, then almost home

Image
​ A great night in the Utah desert, and a rather chilly morning, surprisingly, but I got up and hurried out of there with the intention of getting to Bryce Canyon National Park. I wondered if I would have enough time and decided it was only 20 minutes one-way, out-of-the-way as I continued on my route home. This would be my third time visiting Bryce and I’m so glad I did. As with any National Park, there are some new changes and the Ranger told me that because I’m over 20 feet I would have to park in the main parking lot and take the shuttle bus in to see the viewpoints. She gave me a tag to hang in my window. My heart sank to the bottom, since I know the shuttle buses will not except pets, and I was not willing to leave Jo Jo. However, upon examining the tag, it indicated vehicles over 23 feet to park and shuttle. My Travato is 21 feet. Hmmmm, I was annoyed. So I ignored the directions and went straight to the parking area at the sunrise amphitheater and not only did I see other campe...
Read more

At home now… from the great 2023 Alaska Road Trip!

Image
​ Jo Jo and I are home, from the trip of a lifetime! 106 days, 11,539 miles, 675 gallons of gasoline, a ton of fun, beautiful views, and amazing experiences. Other than a brief head cold, no other mishaps, except my souvenir windshield chips. The Sylver Gypsy performed wonderfully. She kept me safe and warm. My last days were drive heavy, but I managed a quick stop at Bryce Canyon National Park. My last night was in the Coconino Forest near Flagstaff, where I also made a brief stop at Sunset Crater. I’ll need a few moments to adjust being back to reality, but it’s nice to be home!
Read more

Montana to Blackfoot, Idaho

Image
​ Well, other than spending the day driving I didn’t do much else. Unless you consider the excitement of filling up my gas tank for $80.00. It’s the first time in a long time when I looked down I saw my gauge in the red and the yellow warning light came on indicating low fuel. I never do these things, but I must’ve been in “the zone” while driving. Either way, I made it to the next gas station and I also have 2 gallons as a spare mounted to my ladder. I wound up staying in the same place that I stopped in May, as I was traveling up north. It’s Rose Pond Park near the town of Blackfoot, Idaho. I even recall exactly where I stayed and it was open and available. However, there was a radio concert going on right around the corner. I wasn’t into listening to the “boom boom.” I found another spot just as a truck came with three ATV, mini bikes and kids who spent the next two hours driving around, mostly in the parking lot. I was actually concerned that they would come by too closely or lose ...
Read more