Before pulling into Grants Pass (southern Oregon) to call it a night after spending the day driving from Seattle, we had to make a quick pit stop. Being the ever-dedicated college football fan, Chris has picked schools to cheer for in each conference. The University of Oregon Ducks are his pick in the Pac-10 and, coincidentally, Eugene, OR was on the way. Their mascot is Donald Duck, so I wasn’t opposed to the stop. However, there is no Donald Duck statue to be found on campus. Boo! But we didn’t waste an opportunity for a photo op with at least an “O” sign. Quack, quack!
The following morning, we started our drive to the Golden State. Fog assaulted our senses as we drove the US-101 out of Grants Pass and continued until we emerged from the valley. It was a beautiful site as the fog parted to reveal the tree-covered mountains. However, our first Redwood sighting wasn’t until we crossed the border into California. 
These amazing trees towered 300 ft above our heads. It was almost impossible to view the entire tree at once. Of course, we had to stop to take a better look at these giants. With trunks wider than a car, you could only imagine how old they were. According to signage, the average age of a Redwood is 2000+ yrs. Incredible! 
After our first Redwood sighting, we then had our first viewing of the Pacific Ocean. We stopped to play in the surf and inhale the fresh seawater. The drive continued weaving from the shore line into the forest and back again. It was interesting to see the mountains meet the ocean and form private alcove beaches (just like you see in the movies!). 
As the road veered away from the coastline, we quickly approached the Avenue of Giants. But before we could reach the avenue, we stumbled upon a cheesy awesome site. Giant statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox greeted us as we entered Klamath, CA. They stood guard at the entrance to an attraction called “Trees of Mystery.” Not quite sure what the attraction was and not having the time to waste, we just stopped for the cheesy awesome photo.
The Avenue of Giants is a 33-mile stretch of road that parallels the 101 that is over-run with Redwood Trees. Not knowing it was so long, at the sight of the first sign for the avenue I pulled off the interstate. It was a gorgeous decision! There were so many trees, they almost blocked out all of the sunlight. Winding down the avenue, we were taken aback by the sheer number of Redwoods. Then we laid eyes on the most insane sight ever…a drive-thru Redwood. Billie could barely fit into the tree – I nearly took out one of her side mirrors – but she made it! Once inside we saw that the tree was hollow, yet still alive. They are amazingly, resilient trees. Around the corner from the drive-thru tree, were some tree houses made of fallen Redwoods. Of course, we had to explore. ☺
Wanting to take a drive on the road that followed the coastline, Chris checked out the atlas and found out that CA-1 was a straight shot to the ocean. Or so we thought. Upon exiting for the CA-1, we both realized that this road was nothing like it looked on the map. It was the windiest road I have ever been on. Back and forth, back and forth for 22 miles! I couldn’t drive faster than 25 mph, but we were trying to reach the ocean before the sunset. We were in a race against time. With more Redwoods lining the road it was hard to tell when the sun had set. But after an agonizing hour of swerving, we took our last turn to find a break in the mountains and a picturesque view of the sun dipping below the horizon. We had made it just in time! The sky was exploding with color. 
As we watched nature’s painting, we took the time to recover from our drive. It felt like a never-ending roller coaster AND we still had to go back. So a recovery period was necessary. Chris took the wheel to drive us down the CA-1 along the coastline. The cliffs, rocks and beach were all aglow with a fiery hue from the setting sun. It was truly breathtaking. Then it was time to head back to the US-101 via CA-20. This drive was a little less curvy, but enough to make me feel queasy. However, I’m proud to report, I made it through without incident.Back on the 101, it was smooth sailing to Napa. Tomorrow: Wine Tasting Day 1!
