The Redwoods and beyond

Aaaaah, the Redwoods. Giants of 346 ft high, and some 2,200 years old. They were around with Alexander the Great, and when the Great Wall of China was completed, and when the Romans … you get the picture. They are old…. But I’m jumping ahead.

Reluctantly, we left Mendocino – the kind of place where you could hang out or go for cliff walks or collect driftwood from the beach for days. The road from there was twisty for miles – tiring but exciting for riders – until we reached Humboldt Redwoods State Park then turned into the Avenue of Giants to see the tall and mighty Redwoods.A walk round the Founders’ Grove circuit brought us up close to some fallen giants and some uprooted trunks with a surface area bigger than a small apartment. It was humbling. Also shocking to note that only 2% of the original forests of Redwoods have been saved!


Now we needed a campsite for the night and settled on a beautiful spot on the Smith River called Panther Flat, where the river ran fast and cool along side the sites and the washroom had hot running water and showers! Music to a camper’s ears. campsite neighbour was taking an 8-week ride on a BMW through the national parks of CA, MT, UT and OR (he’d clocked up 18 so far) and still had 3 weeks to go. Couldn’t decide if he was super wealthy or just out of work.

We debated our route through Oregon for the next day – straight up the Interstate 5 (Yuck!), or a detour on some far more interesting roads, at the expense of a longer route. We opted, of course, for the backroads and loved our second trip through Cascade Lake Country, with wide-open roads, bordered by forests and mountains. Destination Elk Lake. the last campsite, threw up the tent and ran into the lake to cool down. This is our favourite lake – snow-covered Mt Bachelor as backdrop, crystal clear cool water, and a rustic resort next door that serves cold beer.

620 km today! After an early breakfast in Bend (also a favourite town), we motored through rolling hills of the Deschutes National Forest all morning until we reached Portland and from there it was one long slog up the Interstate 5 to Seattle. I won’t dwell on the traffic that blights the Seattle corridor solidly for about 3 hours. Seattle is better avoided altogether. We stayed outside in a small hotel in Bothell for the night where a pool and comfortable bed awaited.

Day 14 - We headed to BC next morning and were home by noon – elated, a little tired, and looking forward to sharing our pictures.

By the Numbers:
Total KM: 4,500
Camping nights: 8
Hotel nights: 7
National parks: 3
States:3
Cities: 3
State Parks and Forests: countless
DHs 27 including DH1,3,5,12 and 18
Sore bums: 2

Thanks for reading our blog ! Happy Travels and safe riding!