California Coast 2015 - Hendy Woods to Humboldt Redwoods State Park, May 18th to 26th

We drive through misty emerald forests as we travel up the coast on Hwy 1 heading north from San Francisco. The city is quickly left behind. The roads are narrow and twist and turn with the terrain, California roads blend in, not to overpower.

Our next camp is at Bodega Dunes Campground in the Sonoma Coast State Park. The campsites are in lush vegetation. There are not hookups but there are water taps, flush toilets and dump station. The rate is $35 per night, $33 for seniors. Large Monterey Cypress shade the campground. It's about a half mile walk on a trail across the dunes to the shore.

It's a great place for birding. A pair of California Quail visit our site.

California Quail visit our site.

He's all fluffed up and looking his best as he watches over his mate who is feeding on the ground nearby.

From Bodega Dunes we travel north to visit the Hendy Woods State Park. The coast is overcast, misty, cold and windy. I was thinking sun, sand and tanning but this seems to be typical May climate. Seems like we're too early for the best weather.

Mist and cliffs are the coastal scenes along Hwy 1

Beautiful little coves and . . .

. . . lots of pointy rocks.

A Violet-green Swallow has a favorite perch on a sign at at rest stop. Look at those beautiful sickle-shaped wings.

A Violet-green Swallow perched on his sign.

We decide to camp Hendy Woods State Park on Hwy 128 near Boonville for a few days. Hwy 128 follows the Navarro River away from the coast through a magnificent grove of Redwoods.  The campground has widely spaced sites on two paved loops in the Redwood grove. There are flush toilets, coin-op showers, no hookups, dump station and water. The facilities are old but the sites are great. A little bit pricey at $38 for seniors so the regular rate must have been $40 per night.

Our camp site in Hendy Woods.

There are several loop trails that offer easy hiking through the grove and we take a morning walk in the Redwoods. We add a Brown Creeper and Pacific Wren to the bird list we've been keeping.

Trails through Hendy Woods.

A cathedral of Redwoods.

Standing between a giants legs.

We take a bike ride on our lay over day at Hendy Woods. Highway 128 was beautiful through the Anderson Valley and it's wineries but through the Redwoods it was too busy with logging trucks and no edge to the pavement. We leave 128 and take the Philo-Greenwood Road at the park entrance and climb up the rather steep road to a ridge top. The sign at the top let us know why the climb took our breath away.

Just a little grade to that climb.

After our stay at Hendy Woods we head back to the coast on Highway 128.

Highway 128 winds through groves of Redwoods.

Our challenge was to find a place to camp for the Memorial Day weekend since all the parks were reserved and crowded. How about a nice little hideout on the coast with only a few campsites? We choose the Lost Coast in the King Range National Conservation Area. From Garberville on Highway 1 we follow the Briceland Road to the Ettersburg Honeydew Road to the Wilder Road and finally connect with the Mattole Road that takes us along the Mattole River to Mattole Beach. These roads are narrow, one-lane-two-way roads that wind up and down the steep ridges of the King Range before depositing us at the Lost Coast. These roads are like our forest service roads except that they are paved.  The Mercury loved the drive.

It's a misty day on the Lost Coast but the view is nice from our camp site.

We arrive on Thursday before Memorial Day and are lucky to fine a couple sites still open. This is a BLM campground and our Senior Pass lets us camp for only $4 per night, $8 without the pass. What a bargain! There are no hookups or dump but there are vault toilets and water is available.

Our camp at Mattole Beach.

A view of the Mattole Beach Campground.

We walked up a dirt road to the top of the ridge overlooking the campground. You can see our rig on the right side of the photo above. It's a short walk over the dunes to the beach. This is the wildest stretch of coastline in California.

The Mattole River estuary.

One day we take a hike south along the shore. The Mattole Beach Trail Head is at the entrance to the campground and hiking the 36-miles south along the coast to the Shelter Cove Trail Head is a popular backpack trip. Since it's Memorial Day backpackers cars line the gravel road leading to the beach and small groups of them, all nationalities, meander their way along the shore. We can't see the trail head from our camp and never noticed the quiet procession of hikers until we went for our own hike.

The Lost Coast Trail follows this wild and remote coastline.

Low tide on the Lost Coast.

We live in New Mexico so to see tide pools is amazing and we go searching for the marvelous life we saw at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Looking for tide pools.

Mussels left high and dry at low tide.

Pale turquoise Anemones adorn the tide pools. 

Sea Urchins come in royal purple.

Small 2-inch jellies with little sails are washed up on the beach.

And barnacles are fascinating. We found this one washed up on the beach.

We took a 7-mile round-trip hike to the abandoned Punta Gorda Lighthouse, the loneliest lighthouse. It's an easy walk but you must go at low tide because a section of the shore along cliffs is pinched off and made impassable at high tide. A tidal schedule is on the bulletin board at the trail head.

The Punta Gorda Lighthouse.

Punta Gorda Lighthouse plaque.

We climbed up a very narrow spiral stair inside the lighthouse to get to the catwalk.

Up on the catwalk. A couple we were hiking with takes our picture.

Taking in the view from inside the lighthouse. See the Harbor Seals on the beach?

Homely, lovable Elephant Seals bask on the beach.

Our hiking friends were walking just ahead of us back to the campground. The moment planted a Moody Blues song in my mind.

"Walking on the shore thinking of things, adventures in my mind. Tall ships that sail on the ocean wide. They won't wait for me. See how they guild away so gracefully. And with tomorrow what will they think of me. It leaves me so much to explain. That's the start of our guessing game." - Moody Blues.

Our friends take the lead, heading back to camp.

In the afternoons we sit on the beach watching the waves pound at the shore. Signs advise to stay away from the water. The sea is wild and the beach drops off quickly. There are no surfers or families playing in the water and signs tell people not play tag with the waves. Sneaker waves rise up suddenly at the surf line and just as quickly retreat dragging anything it connects with into the undertow. Foaming waves rush at the shore to explode in a thunderous boom. We sit on the beach and score them. Here are some 10's. There's 5 points for the entry and 5 for the splash. Of course the bigger the splash the higher the score.

5 points for great foam.

And 5 points for a foamy splash.

Here one with a nice curl for 5 points.

And 5 more points for great splash.

The California Spring decorates the forest with wildflowers in the woods along the road to the campground.

Foxglove.

Yellow Monkey Flower.

On the Monday of the Memorial Day Weekend we leave the Lost Coast and travel to the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. To get there from Mattole Beach we take the Mattole Road all the way back to Highway 101. It's a very scenic drive but is a narrow, unmarked 2-lane with some very steep grades and hairpin turns. Long trailers and motor homes aren't advised. The Mercury, however, handles the road with ease.

We figured most everyone would be on their way home on Monday. And sure enough, we're greeted at the registration station to the state parks Burlington Campground in Humboldt by weary staff who had a very busy weekend and are glad to have a break. In the entire campground there are less than 10 sites occupied. We timed it just right. We find our place in the Redwoods with no one else around us and let the peace and quiet of the trees settle around us.  However we find an unfortunate situation, the State Park turns their entire inventory over to Reserve America.  This mean that even though the campground is almost empty, we can only stay one day at a time.  This makes management easier but makes it difficult for those travelers (like us) who refuse to make reservations.

Our camp all by ourselves at the Burlington Campground in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

Burlington Campground has spacious sites among the Redwoods, paved interior roads, flush toilets and token operated showers. There is no dump but water is available near the sites. The cost is $35 a night, $33 for seniors. It's next to the park headquarters and excellent visitor center that has wonderful interactive exhibits.

A bucket list item. After we check in we go for an afternoon bike ride on the Avenue of the Giants that parallels Highway 101 and the South Fork of the Eel River. Burlington Campground is located about at the mid-point of this 60-mile road. The road is well paved with a 45 mph speed limit and curves through the most beautiful Redwood Groves. The ride is fairly flat, easy and gorgeous. If you'r a cyclist this should be on your bucket list. This afternoon we rode south on the Avenue. The next day we'll go north.

Riding the Avenue of the Giants going south from Burlington Campground.

There are easy nature trails that begin at the visitor center near the campground so we go for a relaxing, peaceful morning walk in the Redwood grove. The Humboldt Redwoods were named for Alexander von Humboldt born in 1769. He traveled the world in pursuit of his scientific research and was the chief proponent of his time for the studies of astronomy, earth and ecological sciences. Modern science owes him much.

Amazing trees!

Eloquence, strength and beauty. 

In the company of gentle giants.

After our Redwoods walk we ride north from the campground on the Avenue. The 30 mile ride is hilly and we're rewarded with a few nice climbs and gorgeous scenery.

The Avenue of the Giants going north from Burlington Campground.

If you want a few extra miles you can take a side trip on the Mattole Road from it's junction with Highway 101.

We road to the Founders Grove on the Mattole Road. There is also a nice hike here.

Views of the South Fork Eel River from the Avenue of the Giants.

In Burlington Campground there are huge, hollow stumps that make great forts for kids.

You wouldn't know this stump in the campground was really a fort.

Our time at the Humboldt Redwoods is at an end and we'll be heading north to Crescent City.
Until then. Happy Travels.
Jackie