North to Oregon

Want to take the ultimate road trip? Head north!

One of my favorite drive trips anywhere leads north from San Francisco along wild stretches of coastline, beneath towering groves of old growth redwoods, past dozens of state and national parks and protected open spaces, across serpentine-colored rivers and through the domain of elegant Roosevelt Elk liberated from the threat of extinction all the way to our state's border with Oregon. It's a trip most of us, unfortunately, never take. If you want to escape the madding crowd, I urge you to follow Highways 1 and 101 north to Oregon, and discover your own private California.

The drive north is worth as much time as you have to give. If you rush, you can reach the Oregon frontier in about 8 hours. But why rush? Just take a look at a map and you'll find more fabulous stops than you can make in a dozen trips as Highway 1 skirts the coast through terrific towns such Elk, Mendocino and Ft. Bragg/Noyo Harbor and passes by natural and historic treasures too many to list in this little blog.

And then, when you join Highway 101 along the Eel River, the show continues through avenues of redwoods and a landscape rugged enough to hide Bigfoot. The Victorian charms of Ferndale, the post-hippie delights of Arcata and the lighthouse at Trinidad slip by en route to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and the aforementioned Roosevelt Elk, often found lounging around pristine meadows and enjoying their thankfully protected status.

Finally, there are the Klamath and Smith Rivers, the friendly but star-crossed Crescent City, inundated by a Tsunami generated by the great Alaska earthquake in 1964, and, at last, the Welcome to Oregon sign.

Proceeding on through Oregon is wonderful, too. The Oregon coast is tough to beat. But this side of the border offers some of the finest touring and least traffic California has to offer, and I hope you get there sooner than later.

For more of Doug McConnell's trips and tips for travel in the West, go to www.OpenRoad.tv.

Posted at 04:16 AM in Doug McConnell’s OpenRoad.TV Tips | Permalink