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Slayerik
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on: August 03, 2017, 09:13:41 AM

So, in about 10 days making the cross US flight to Oakland (super cheap tickets to there)...renting a car, and heading to Willets, CA where a friend lives and me and my girlfriend will be basing out of.

Our basic battle plan is to get to Oakland, grab the car and a room for the night (flight gets in at 10:30pm). Wake up and head over to San Francisco for the better part of that day and then before nightfall heading to Willets. Everything else is pretty much by the seat of our pants for the next 6 days.

So, basically, hoping my ole f13 pals have some advice on points of interest, favorite places to dine, areas to avoid, favorite scenic routes, etc. Thanks!
« Last Edit: August 03, 2017, 09:15:16 AM by Slayerik »

"I have more qualifications than Jesus and earn more than this whole board put together.  My ego is huge and my modesty non-existant." -Ironwood
pxib
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Reply #1 on: August 03, 2017, 10:38:21 AM

Northern California is gigantic, nobody lives there, and its economy has been in a continuous state of collapse as the mining, timber, and fishing industries cut all the low-hanging fruit and then ran into the state's environmental sentiment. The collision of affluent tourism and post-industrial poverty can be very shocking, especially in old timber towns like Eureka and Crescent City. In the I-5 corridor and the Modoc plateau, agriculture and ranching are still clinging to life but the drought has been brutal.

Lock your car. Don't leave anything valuable visible. All the stuff they say about beaches in LA applies to parking lots in the woods.

That said: The coast is gorgeous. If you're thinking of taking the Skunk Train, and don't want to spend a whole day on it, I recommend the west end from Fort Bragg along the canyons of the Noyo rather than the more open, fields and trees Willits ends. Further north, the Avenue of the Giants extraordinary without being out of the way, and definitely take the Nature Traill at Founder's Grove to see the huge and relatively recent fallen tree... a nest of splinters the size of a coast guard cutter. If you want real old-growth, though, take Mattole Rd. west of there and walk the trail through Bull Creek Flats.

Eureka has a some classic old buildings from its 19th century Boom town days, but I especially recommend Arcata, the college town just north of it, for higher quality eats.

If you're going east, Shasta and Lassen are both extraordinary, with lots of car-accessible sights and short-trails. The Shasta Caves and Bumpus Hell (Lassen's volcanic geysers, fumeroles and mudpots) are unusual and fun. If you're headed all the way out to Modoc I recommend Lava Beds National Monument. They literally give you hard hats and flashlights at the visitor center and point you towards the caves, which are cool and comfortable all year round and (since lava caves don't branch) impossible to get lost in. Teddy Roosevelt's "Eighth Wonder of the World", Burney Falls, is also in a beautiful area.

Scenic routes? It's all scenic routes.

I'm no good for dining though, it's always been supermarkets and campgrounds for me.

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Goldenmean
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Reply #2 on: August 03, 2017, 12:30:37 PM

Be prepared for a lot of driving. It's all very lovely driving, but Willits itself is a bit of a cultural dead zone. You're going to be traveling a couple of hours to get to most of the things on pxib's list. I'd definitely recommend Mount Shasta or Lassen, but you're looking at 4-5 hours one way, so might want to make that an overnight sort of affair. If you are heading to Mount Shasta and are interested in theater at all, you might think about jaunting up into Oregon and going to Ashland. It's a small town, but it hosts the Oregon Shakespeare Festival every year, and their season should be starting up around now (though I have no idea what the ticket situation would look like at this point). Personally, I've never really seen the appeal of Eureka or Crescent City. They're just towns that happen to be along the Pacific coast. Mendocino and Fort Bragg are a lot closer if you want the coastal experience (and if you're traveling to Northern California, you should get the coastal experience). Mendocino is a bit more tilted to artsy tourism.

If you want more local things, there's a couple of nice lakes in the area. Lake Mendocino and Blue Lakes are within an hour. They were looking a little bit grim the last time I was through there, but I hear they've mostly recovered from the drought at this point. Clear Lake is nice also, but a lot larger. Ukiah is the next largest town in the immediate vicinity. You'll drive through it on the way to Willits assuming you're taking 101. I grew up there, and can't really recommend it as a destination, but it's got about three times the population of Willits, so your restaurant options are going to be better, and there's some wineries in the vicinity, if that's your thing. There's also the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, which can be fun for a quick jaunt.

And what pxib said about locking your car is doubly true in Willits. It's a very meth-y town. Definitely make sure you get all of your valuables inside.
Khaldun
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Reply #3 on: August 03, 2017, 01:12:13 PM

South, Geyserville to Napa is a great drive, can be crowded, can be hot. Great food, great booze, some of it insanely expensive, some of quite affordable. Lots of good places to just buy some cheese, crackers, pate, fruit and a couple of bottles of wine and just picnic.

Russian River valley out of Healdsburg all the way down to coast is another great drive. A couple of towns along the way dam the river up to make swimming holes that are nice in summer.

That's all about 40 minutes or so south of Willets, I think?

Not a lot of people up in the Mendocino Forest, so an interesting area to hike and explore. Be careful about going off-trail or anything, lot of pot-growers who are unfriendly in the extreme in some areas.

California Coastal National Monument is very beautiful; much of the coast is.
Goldenmean
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Reply #4 on: August 03, 2017, 02:49:26 PM

That's all about 40 minutes or so south of Willets, I think?

More like an hour for Geyserville. Probably another 10 minutes to Healdsburg.

If you want to check out the Russian River, there's a few places in the Guernville area (about 90 minutes south of Willits) that will rent you inner tubes and ferry you back to your car afterwards, so you can just leisurely burn a day floating down the river. That was a pretty popular activity in the summers growing up.

Khaldun
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Reply #5 on: August 03, 2017, 04:59:10 PM

Yeah. It's pretty awesome.

Basically, south = more people, more stuff, more activity, more options, more crowds, more traffic.

North and east = relatively empty, pretty but not stunning

West= always fucking amazing but sometimes not a lot besides amazing views
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Reply #6 on: August 03, 2017, 06:18:56 PM

If you're a wine drinker/food guy, Napa. Hit Ad Hoc in Yountville on a Sunday for brunch for some badass chicken and waffles, head a little bit north for dinner that day at Bottega or Teatro Bisteca if you're feeling Italian or Bouchon if you're feeling French. Gott's Roadside is a solid burger stand just off the side of the road. Further north in Calistoga is Brannan's grill which has been serving killer fish tacos decades. And

There's a solid winery every step of the way, standouts being Frog's Leap, St. Supery and Camus.

Tuned in, immediately get to watch cringey Ubisoft talking head offering her deepest sympathies to the families impacted by the Orlando shooting while flanked by a man in a giraffe suit and some sort of "horrifically garish neon costumes through the ages" exhibit or something.  We need to stop this fucking planet right now and sort some shit out. -Kail
Khaldun
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Reply #7 on: August 03, 2017, 06:41:37 PM

If I had the money, I think I'd be seriously thinking about retiring to Guerneville or right around there. It seems the perfect balance of 'far enough away' and 'really close' to lots of interesting things.
Nebu
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Reply #8 on: August 03, 2017, 06:54:49 PM

If I had the money, I think I'd be seriously thinking about retiring to Guerneville or right around there. It seems the perfect balance of 'far enough away' and 'really close' to lots of interesting things.


I was surprised to see how cheap houses in Eureka are.  The economy must have taken a huge hit in the area.

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Teleku
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Reply #9 on: August 03, 2017, 07:07:45 PM

I grew up in the Northern Sacramento Valley and spent every summer of my life growing up camping out of Fort Bragg or Eureka.  I think Pxib is overplaying the decay aspect.  I mean, I grew up inland in a poor shitty farming community with all the problems he listed (as everywhere in the US has).  I thought I lived in a poor shitty town until I started traveling to other parts of the US, and then saw what poverty really was.  Unless you’ve been living strictly in some rich suburb somewhere and never leave, most of the towns you’ll see in Northern California should actually look better than almost any other rural area in the US, or at least, not shocking in the slightest.  Dear god, the mid-west…

If you reeeeally like driving, you can consider Shasta/Lassen.  But it's not only distance, it’s that you are driving though pretty rugged mountains most of the way.  It takes a long time to travel anywhere.  If you are the kind of person that enjoys driving in their car all day through very windy roads, as long as the drive is beautiful, then sure, go for it.  Let me know, and I can line you out on a ton of things to go see in the North East half if you really want.

But my suggestion is to stay more local'ish though.  There is plenty of fun things to see and do (primarily hiking) in the vicinity, rather than spending all your time driving to each thing (again, unless the driving is a thing you like, which I know is true for some people).  Also note:  This is northern California, not southern.  The water is just above freezing temperature, and most places have an undertow that will drag you out and kill you.  When I talk about beaches, they are for walking along and wading out to your knees in.  Not swimming.  Great scenery though!

Fort Bragg – This is your immediate closest coastal area.  The little harbor is kind of cool, and I suggest driving down there to get lunch/dinner sometime.  If you want a large, classic beach, just north of town is MacKerricher State Park.  Big long sandy beach and a rocky area with some great tide pools.  To the south there is Russian Gulch State Park (we use to camp here all the time).  It has a sheltered beach and a lot of neat rocky cliff areas to hike along.  It also has a pretty trail you can take to hike to a really beautiful little waterfall in the middle of redwoods (though it is a few miles round trip I believe).  Right south of there is the town of Mendocino, which is a cute little touristy town up on the cliffs that is nice to walk around and get some lunch.  Pxib already lined you out on some of the other Red Wood hikes to see in the area.

Skunk train – It’s a pretty ride on an old train through lush forest.  May or may not be your thing, but if sitting on a train and looking out the window is fun for you, it’s certainly not bad.  We loved it as children, but I have not actually ridden it as an adult.

Eureka – I would certainly recommend driving up to this area and staying at least one night.  Red wood National park is gorgeous (It’s where they filmed the Endor scenes in Star Wars), and a lot of great hikes.  The Lady Bird Johnson grove is the easiest and shortest to hike, but still pretty.  Nearby is Prairy creek Redwood State park, where you can drive over to the beach area and hike up Fern Canyon (they filmed scenes from Jurassic Park 2 here), which I highly recommend.  Also nearby is Patricks Point State Park, which has a lot of great hiking trails along the cliffs, as well as opening out into Agate beach (where, you guessed it, you can find naturally polished agates littering the sand).  Depending on how much hiking you want to do, tons of longer trails in all these areas, and tons of fun touristy stuff to do.  The top North West of the state is just great.

Wine country – Everybody else seems to have already chimed in on this, so look at their suggestions.  But yes, just south are some really great places to eat and drink in the various wine growing valleys (Napa, Sonoma, Russian River).  Also a ton of great craft brew in the area (North Coast Brewing is located in Fort Bragg, and is one of my favorite craft brewers).  I highly recommend you spend a day down in this area.

I can give more specifics on any particular thing you want.  I grew up in the area, and my father basically forced me to drive and hike with him across every part of the north state every weekend as I grew up.   awesome, for real
« Last Edit: August 03, 2017, 07:11:34 PM by Teleku »

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Slayerik
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Reply #10 on: August 04, 2017, 05:28:05 AM

Wow, didn't expect so much info so quick. Thanks, everyone. Having grown up in the Flint, MI area I understand the rules of crime, poverty, and self protection/awareness of surroundings.

I'm not exactly a 'foodie', I'll be doing my best to have a cooler with lunches and drinks stocked as much as possible. I also recently cut alcohol out of my life, for the most part. Will probably enjoy a beverage or two. I'm thinking we should probably just skip Napa.

We are, overall, trying our best for an affordable, romantic vacation with a lot of photography, cheesy lovey selfies, and just adventuring...My GF is kind of a seat of her pants kinda traveler, and I would rather have some plans on how we are going to spend our day...almost like waypoints. And thus, here I am!

I guess I hadn't thought about the cost of going to all these parks...is there like a one time pass I can buy for the trip for CA state parks?

I like scenic drives, but I can tell by the end of the trip I'll be totally burnt out.


"I have more qualifications than Jesus and earn more than this whole board put together.  My ego is huge and my modesty non-existant." -Ironwood
Khaldun
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Reply #11 on: August 04, 2017, 07:30:04 AM

You could do worse than just spending the day at Clear Lake, which is pretty close by. If you're going to go up towards Lassen and Shasta, you might want to stay down in Red Bluff overnight, maybe fish on the Sacramento River if fishing is a thing you do--it's a pretty long haul from your homebase.

I think for photography and romantic scenes, I would always head down to the coast. Mendocino Headlands is close to you and beautiful. You'll pass through redwoods on the way. You could easily just range up and down the coast from there for several days.

The Mendocino National Forest is just not all that interesting, in my humble opinion. It's a fine area to camp and hike, but in a state where there are some real fucking mountains and redwood forests and amazing deserts and all that, it's basically just ok. 

Napa and Sonoma are very pretty to drive in even if you don't want booze, and like I said, you can get some amazeballs sandwiches and cheese and so on for a cooler at not-ridiculous prices from a number of places. One of the great things about California as a whole is that a lot of pretty standard markets have very great produce, meat, bread, etc.
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Reply #12 on: August 05, 2017, 07:31:11 AM

Having done the drive a few years ago, Hwy 1 north of San Francisco has got to be just about the most gorgeous driving anywhere. The switchbacks going south into Fort Bragg, and then coming south down through Mendocino and Sonoma County were stunning. Avenue of the Giants was great as well, and I wish I could have spent more time there.

Eureka was blah, but I was only there for an evening.

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Hoax
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Reply #13 on: August 06, 2017, 01:11:45 PM

Crater Lake is great. I can help with anything in SF but I have nothing on Oakland, if you do need Oakland help I could reach out to some people and ask around, almost everyone I know has moved there in the last 5 years.

Keep gas prices in mind when you pick the rental, sometimes I forget how cheap gas is in other places. I had to google where you are basing out of and yeah, prepare for some driving.

I'm wondering if you should be turning the return leg into a road trip / camping thing with a final night (or two!?) in SF/Oakland. Not sure how much you wanna spend though as obviously every night in the bay is expensive as fuck and I only have a couch and have roommate so I can't exactly put up two people comfortably.

If I were to make a trip out of the 6 day parameters...

Day 0: Fly in, public transit to cheap motel, eat something, crash. I wouldn't rent the car until the last minute, because honestly fuck driving in SF if you've never been, you will hate it and it will suck. The issue is going to be how mobile you guys are with your stuff. Myself or someone else can maybe let you dump your bags and whatnot at our place while you enjoy a day in SF? I bet there's even an app that lets you get a locker to stash them or something idk.

Day 1: BART to SF. Stash bags. Go out on town for the day. Too much to ever do in one day, we can narrow down what you guys like / are interested in later. Also what kind of food do you love best? If food is your thing you can def plan which neighborhoods and whatnot you see based on what type of food you love most. So anyways after far too short a time in SF its time to go. I'd say 3-4 hours to get to Willits, depending on stop(s).

Day 2-4: Willits. Enjoy some stuff nearby, others have suggested some good ones.

Day 5: Hit the road early. Travel west until you get to highway 1. Then head south. Stop wherever you want. There are many places. Russian River, Bodega, Tomales, Point Reyes, Stinson Beach, Mt. Tam and Muir Woods are all very pretty very norcal places to be imo. Supposedly the fantastic road side oyster place that I've always went to shut down recently? Idk but there are still options and imo its hard to beat some vodka and some oysters along Hwy 1. But there are tons of food and place and sight options or you can completely wing it. I'd camp somewhere this night. Not too far from GGB/Marin Headlands but give yourself some room to drive in early and check out the bridge and SF in the early morning while the fog is still covering everything hopefully.

Day 6: Maybe you hike the headlands, maybe you walk the golden gate or maybe you are ready for some more sweet city life bc you didn't get enough day 1? Whatever this is a placeholder for another Oakland or SF day. Back to your convenient to BART motel and then fly out the next day. 

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Goldenmean
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Reply #14 on: August 06, 2017, 06:30:56 PM

It's a small thing, but do yourself a favor and avoid being on BART from the east bay going into the city during the morning commute (or in the other direction during the evening one). It starts thinning out a bit around 9 AM. And yeah, I'd agree with Hoax, you don't want to be driving around in San Francisco if you've never been.
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Reply #15 on: August 06, 2017, 06:50:53 PM

Wow, didn't expect so much info so quick. Thanks, everyone. Having grown up in the Flint, MI area I understand the rules of crime, poverty, and self protection/awareness of surroundings.

I'm not exactly a 'foodie', I'll be doing my best to have a cooler with lunches and drinks stocked as much as possible. I also recently cut alcohol out of my life, for the most part. Will probably enjoy a beverage or two. I'm thinking we should probably just skip Napa.

We are, overall, trying our best for an affordable, romantic vacation with a lot of photography, cheesy lovey selfies, and just adventuring...My GF is kind of a seat of her pants kinda traveler, and I would rather have some plans on how we are going to spend our day...almost like waypoints. And thus, here I am!

I guess I hadn't thought about the cost of going to all these parks...is there like a one time pass I can buy for the trip for CA state parks?

I like scenic drives, but I can tell by the end of the trip I'll be totally burnt out.
There are only annual passes you can buy, not day/weekly passes.  Cost of admission for most of the State Parks is around $4-$8 to get in for the day, so its not too bad.  Here is the website where you can look download the PDF with all of the prices, as well as make reservations if you are interested in camping:

https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=737

Based on what you are saying, I'd just stick with the coastal areas in terms of bang for buck.  The coast from SF to Oregon is stunning, with a ton of romantic small towns and amazing spots to take pictures and selfies.  There are an endless amount of trails to hike along the coast and into the mountains.  The range within a 2 hour drive from Willits north or south is very dense with stuff like this.  Going inland up to Lassen or Shasta, you are looking at around 4-5 hours each way, before rest stops.  Mind you, its very pretty up there, but might not make sense with your limited time.  If you do decide to go up to Lassen, stay at an inn in Mineral or something, up in the mountains.  Not to pick on Khaldun, but recommending somebody stay in Red Bluff is like recommending somebody stay in Enid, Oklahoma.   awesome, for real

Taking highway One all the way back down the coast into SF the day before you leave is a good suggestion.  There is a lot of stuff just north of SF that you wont see on the way up, since you'll be taking Highway 101.  Highway One down the coast is stunning, but its slow going because its a ton of switchbacks, and people driving slow.

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Khaldun
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Reply #16 on: August 06, 2017, 07:39:40 PM

I dunno, Red Bluff has a nice recreation area down on the river that's cheap--I'm just thinking if someone doesn't like driving, but wants to go to Shasta or Lassen, you might want to just stop somewhere closer rather than go back and forth each day for a long drive. It's not like Willets itself is a swanky cosmopolitan metropolis. I actually don't think Lassen is that big a deal, to be honest--I wouldn't bother if I were on the west side of the Mendocino National Forest, I'd just go south and west.

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Reply #17 on: August 06, 2017, 07:46:22 PM

Yeah, I just like to shit all over my home area.   awesome, for real

And yes, while I think Lassen has a lot of neat stuff to see, the west side of the coastal range (where he will be) has more.

"My great-grandfather did not travel across four thousand miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see this nation overrun by immigrants.  He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland. That's the rumor."
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Strazos
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Reply #18 on: August 07, 2017, 05:55:03 AM

Taking highway One all the way back down the coast into SF the day before you leave is a good suggestion.  There is a lot of stuff just north of SF that you wont see on the way up, since you'll be taking Highway 101.  Highway One down the coast is stunning, but its slow going because its a ton of switchbacks, and people driving slow.

Again, do this. Spring for the nice convertible, it's 110% worth it.

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Slayerik
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Reply #19 on: August 07, 2017, 06:27:43 PM

Would the drive into SF from the east suck on a Sunday morning? I know rules are diff in Cali, so I won't assume anything about Sundays.....

Im starting to think maybe we will just kinda skip SF and take the golden gate up to some spots. I've been looking at some nice hikes on our way out of town. Probably hit Mt Tam,  Cataract Falls, etc. I think I would rather do that than fuck around in a city. Maybe Dawn Falls, I think it was, on the way over to 101.

The roads over there look super sketchy tho from the satellite view. But it could be awesome. Might post my Google maps route to see what you guys think....thanks again guys.

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Khaldun
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Reply #20 on: August 07, 2017, 06:51:45 PM

If you do Mt. Tam, think about going down to Stinson Beach, too, and then up Rt. 1 from there. That's a fantastic drive.
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Reply #21 on: August 08, 2017, 02:24:06 AM

Would the drive into SF from the east suck on a Sunday morning? I know rules are diff in Cali, so I won't assume anything about Sundays.....

If it's early-ish you'll be fine, but remember you'll have to deal with parking (which is free on Sunday and therefore more difficult), and beware the bridges on Sunday evening as everyone makes their way home after the weekend.

Quote
Im starting to think maybe we will just kinda skip SF and take the golden gate up to some spots. I've been looking at some nice hikes on our way out of town. Probably hit Mt Tam,  Cataract Falls, etc. I think I would rather do that than fuck around in a city. Maybe Dawn Falls, I think it was, on the way over to 101.

Mt Tam is great; the Cataract Trail is one of my favorite hikes (also a fan of Rock Springs and Steep Ravine).  If you'll be there on Sunday morning and want to breakfast like a badass, hike to the West Point Inn for pancakes (second Sundays during summer, your timing is perfect).  I also recommend the Mountain Home Inn for a post-Muir-Woods beer atop the mountain, or the Pelican Inn in Muir Beach if you prefer to be closer to the water.

Hwy 1 is treacherous and wonderful.  I echo the sentiment about renting a nice convertible.  Did that a few summers ago and took 1 all the way home to SF from Ft Bragg; most fun I've ever had driving.

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Strazos
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Reply #22 on: August 08, 2017, 03:44:45 AM

Hwy 1 is treacherous and wonderful.  I echo the sentiment about renting a nice convertible.  Did that a few summers ago and took 1 all the way home to SF from Ft Bragg; most fun I've ever had driving.

Yes. The whole stretch from (any spot in) Oregon, down to SF, is painfully gorgeous and scenic. Coming down into SF out of the hills, through the amber waves of grain and cow pastures, in mid-to-late afternoon is fantastic.

Caution: the stretch going south into, and then out of, Ft Bragg can be tough on a passenger if you're in a nice car and not being a slowpoke. Back-to-back-back etc etc hairpin turns can be hell for whoever is in the passenger seat if they're prone to motion sickness.  Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly?

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Reply #23 on: August 08, 2017, 04:59:15 AM

We are totally doing the West Point Inn breakfast thing! Thanks for that pointer!

"I have more qualifications than Jesus and earn more than this whole board put together.  My ego is huge and my modesty non-existant." -Ironwood
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Reply #24 on: August 08, 2017, 08:02:44 AM

Caution: the stretch going south into, and then out of, Ft Bragg can be tough on a passenger if you're in a nice car and not being a slowpoke. Back-to-back-back etc etc hairpin turns can be hell for whoever is in the passenger seat if they're prone to motion sickness.  Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly?

My sister's exact words were "you don't need to go QUITE so fast".   Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly?  But OMG is it fun accelerating out of those turns in a Mustang.

We are totally doing the West Point Inn breakfast thing! Thanks for that pointer!

 DRILLING AND MANLINESS  My one word of caution is to try to get there early (like before 9am) if you're planning on parking at Pantoll for the short walk.  If you're fine with a longer hike you have more flexibility.

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Reply #25 on: August 08, 2017, 08:09:00 AM

Looking at taking the Rock Spring Trail, parking near the Ampitheatre. My googling informed me its a pretty flat trail, taking about 45 min each way. Once we come back from there, it looks like Cataract Trail isn't too far! Seems like a pretty nice way to spend the day...head up the coast on the way out up hwy 1. Or , maybe just head over to 101 and do the 1 coastal thing on the way back to the airport, as recommended.
« Last Edit: August 08, 2017, 08:13:38 AM by Slayerik »

"I have more qualifications than Jesus and earn more than this whole board put together.  My ego is huge and my modesty non-existant." -Ironwood
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Reply #26 on: August 15, 2017, 08:24:16 AM

So far having a great trip. Sunday, we hit San Fran and Mt Tam (west point sunday breakfast and all) and took 1 up the coast to Mt view drive. Stopped a million times, was gorgeous. Then across to 101 up to Willets. Yesterday we hit the avenue of the giants and went down to shelter cove in the King Range conservation area. Picked up a 16 over ticket on 101 that's gonna cost me 350 bucks. So much for my relatively cheap trip. And now I have to drive like a bitch the rest of the trip...which is worse IMO. Off to clear lake and Montgomery woods state park today. I've taken like 500 pics so far.

"I have more qualifications than Jesus and earn more than this whole board put together.  My ego is huge and my modesty non-existant." -Ironwood
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Reply #27 on: August 15, 2017, 08:39:18 AM

Great on trip, too bad about ticket.
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Reply #28 on: August 16, 2017, 05:42:20 AM

If you are coming back through SF on the way out lmk but otherwise have fun. Yeah tickets out here are no joke, gotta fund the court system somehow, if you look close you'll see that the actual ticket is like half that and the rest are fees tacked on.
« Last Edit: August 16, 2017, 05:45:08 AM by Hoax »

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Reply #29 on: August 21, 2017, 10:04:56 AM

So how did the whole trip go?

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Slayerik
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Reply #30 on: September 07, 2017, 12:48:57 PM

Minus the $445 ticket it was pretty amazing. Caught a huge King Salmon, enjoyed the mountains and the redwoods, enjoyed a wine day in Sonoma valley...drove my ass off. I appreciate all the tips. On the trail to West Point Inn, I stopped a foot away from a big rattlesnake. I had a walking stick, and I was thankful for it...but I just waited for him to cross the trail. My girlfriend about lost her shit though.

Fort Bragg was pretty nice, Mendocino Botanical Gardens were nice to spend a couple hours at. Willets was pretty methy, as predicted, but not too bad!  All in all, a great trip. Thanks again!

"I have more qualifications than Jesus and earn more than this whole board put together.  My ego is huge and my modesty non-existant." -Ironwood
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