| 9/23/03 We woke up this morning at Elk Prairie camp ground. We woke up and the sun was shining. I really roughed it this morning with a hot coffee mocha and a hot shower. Camping is so rough! We got water for the tanks and dumped. I got to eat more blackberries around the campground as I took each of the dogs for a walk. Nearby the camp we saw the ocean and could hear the crashing of waves. |
| We had to stop and we found a little pull out for our puppies to run. We let them run through the bushes and down onto the beach. They were both smiling in the wind as they ran and the ocean crashed before us. In the distance away from shore were huge gigantic rocks, one was a brilliant white outcropping with waves all around it. We played on the beach for a short time then headed out. As we drove down the road we saw a sign for the Valley of the Giants with some of the biggest trees in the country. We decided to make time and just go on the regular highway but we also saw signs that there was going to be heavy smoke and we could even see smoke on the horizon. We were wondering if they were doing a controlled burn. |
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| Northern California: Hwy 101 Valley of the Giants |
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| We decided to pull over and close all the windows and after we had pulled over we realized there was no entrance ramp back to the highway. Darn! We would have to go through the scenic drive. The forest was beautiful with large trees and the sun�s rays peeking through. With the smoke you could see the sun�s rays illuminating in the branches. Again we were absolutely dwarfed by the gigantic trees all around us that stretched down the road. We ended up going all the way through the Valley of the Giants and it was gorgeous. |
| We did start getting worried about gas as we headed for Highway 1 but we figured there would soon be gas on the horizon. It ended up Highway 1 was twisty curvy and we were going about 15 mph. The road got significantly faster as we went closer into the town. There was a marine layer on the water and the sky was clouded with fog. We caught rare glimpses of the ocean and beach but nothing beyond. At times Sam would stick her head out as we drove and sniff the ocean air. As soon as we got to Fort Bragg, we stopped for gas. We were very relieved to see pumps at that point. We drove along the twisty road and found a campground along the ocean. We had salad with feta cheese and noodles and my stomach was humming. Sam and I got to ride the bike through the campground to deposit our money. Having a bike and Springer is so much fun! After we ate, we took the girls up the sand bank behind our camp sight and looked around in the dark at all the lights surrounding us. This had been another memorable day. |
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