You may be wondering why we're traveling through little inland towns like Hopland and Ukiah when the PCH is beckoning near ocean towns like Mendocino and Fort Bragg. Several reasons like very narrow switchboard roads through this portion of Route 1, more expensive to stay as well as many material temptations. Staying the inland course also provides the opportunity to drive the "Avenue of the Giants" - the Redwood Highway.
After leaving our campsite this morning, the plan was to head to Legget to see the drive-thru tree park which ended up being an attraction called Chandelier Tree. This is kind of sad because it's actually an ancient redwood that was handcarved at ground level to allow a car to drive through it. There is a fee to walk, bike or drive through and take a photo. We turned around when we realized.
But all was not lost; we found a beautiful spot to camp at Standish-Hinckley State Recreation Area. it overlooks the Eel River which boasts the best swimming hole of the area, and I can confirm that statement. They are still offering winter rates but only have one RV site with full hookups; it's the camp host site unstaffed till mid-May. We took it! So not only do we have shower, freeflowing water and electricity, we also ended up with some unexpected guests! Right at sundown and dinnertime, a car stopped by to ask for information so Jose played camp host and sent the folks on their way! Then a young woman arrived on a bike packed with her belongings which included a package of bread hanging from the back. Seems she has subsisted mostly on PBNJ since January when she left Jacksonville, FL with a group of bikers raising funds for a Honduras hospital as part of a non-profit group called Young Philanthropists. Dinner was on the table so I asked if she was vegetarian and she said no. So we invited her for a warm meal of pork ribs and mac and cheese. It was such a pleasant interaction and further expansion of our horizons that we felt so uplifted by our new acquaintance, Georgie from Texas. hooks
GOOD EATS: Across the road is an eatery called Peg House with outdoor patio and small stage. They were in Sunset Magazine's top 25 roadside cafes along Redwood Highway highlighted for their juicy grilled burgers. A sweet delight is their wild blackberry sundae which is actually some creamy vanilla ice cream with fresh whole blackberries that form a nice berry syrup as well; some of it stays creamy while some at the bottom of the dish combines with the cream creating a sort of berry creamsicle freeze. So simple yet so fantastic. Also the vocalist and guitarist is an undiscovered talent, embodying voice quality somewhat like Kenny Loggins. As we headed out of the parking area to cross 101 on foot with the dogs back to our campsite, our singer was now a working hand shoveling dirt from the back of a truck, waving and thanking us for coming by...
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