Late Summer 2024

With great memories of our visit to Yosemite, we left the park with a promise to return in the future. We turned west and headed to the California coast. We jumped onto the Coastal Highway (Rte 1) at Bodega Bay. Ah, the blue of the Pacific!

Further up the coast, we camped at Hendy Woods State Park, one of our favorite parks, near Philo, CA. You camp among the trees, and then you can hike into the redwoods right from your campsite. Wandering a trail among the giants is awe inspiring.

We stopped in Mendocino and walked the meadowy headlands trail. From here, we had great views of the ocean, and over our shoulder, a misty view of the town.

Mendocino is the only California town designed in Victorian style. Most of the town is on the National Register of Historic Places. The shops are eclectic and independently-owned. The Goodlife Cafe in the center of town is a hot spot for yummy breakfasts. (Even though the muffins cost $6…it is California, after all.)

Mendocino was the “Cabot Cove” of the Murder She Wrote tv series. Its foggy mornings are like Maine’s but, for filming, the winter weather is a lot more cooperative than New England’s.

We also visited the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. This isn’t a huge garden, but with its excellent collections and dramatic ocean views, it packs a big punch. We were a little late for the big rhododendron display, but right on time for dahlias and summer wildflowers. To me, dahlias are the dessert of the summer garden feast.

Sidebar: We love listening to Mendocino’s radio station, KOZT 95.3 FM, The Coast. We stream it on our phones while we’re traveling. They have interesting playlists and live concert recordings we’ve not heard elsewhere. It’s like having a bit of California with us, even if we’re far away.

Our last stop in California was Crescent City. We splurged and stayed at the Village Camper Inn, which is a private campground complete with landscaping, floral displays, and a laundromat (yay!).

We wanted a several-day home base for exploring Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. The park is home to amazing groves of ancient trees. Seven percent of all the old-growth redwoods left in the world are in this park. The four parks along California’s north coast contain almost half of California’s old-growth redwoods, in an area four times as large as Manhattan. Easy hiking and well worth visiting, over and over again.

Say what you will about California. Why do people want to be on California’s coast? It’s expensive. The freeway traffic is crazy. There are serious climate-related issues, fires, floods, and drastic economic inequities.

All that’s true. But when you see the craggy cliffs and cobalt blue of the Pacific, and then feel the magic of the redwoods in the same day…well, you understand.

Oregon

Continuing north, along the coast, we crossed into Oregon and stayed outside of Coos Bay. The weather turned cool and misty. Oddly enough, ten miles east of us, temperatures were soaring in the triple digits. But for us it was in the 60s and time to haul out long pants and jackets.

The very best part of our time in Sunset Bay State Park, was bumping into our friends Rhonda and Tom. We met last year as Care-A-Vanners on a Habitat for Humanity build in Floyd, Virginia. Meeting up again was a total serendipity and a delight! Seriously, what are the odds that we’d connect again, more than a year later and 2,800 miles away? Surprises on the road. Such fun! We hope to visit them in their new home in Pittsburgh in the coming year. Or perhaps travel paths will cross again?

Our last stop in Oregon, was Newport. A few days to walk the beach, ride bikes, and have the van serviced before turning and heading east. Sigh.

This time, we chose a northerly route for our eastward trip. This was pretty much a “pedal to the metal” trip – a lot of one-night stays after long driving days. We did manage to see some sites along the way back to Pennsylvania. Here are a few of the memorable highlights from 3,000 miles of driving:

Pompey’s Pillar is on the banks of the Yellowstone River in southern Montana. This ancient sandstone formation has been a meeting place for thousands of years. It’s also on the Lewis and Clark Trail. William Clark decided to climb up and add his signature to the petroglyphs and other signatures.

This inscription is the only remaining physical evidence left by Clark along the trail.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, North Dakota

When Teddy Roosevelt first came to the West in 1882, to hunt bison, he had no idea how profoundly the experience would impact him. His love and respect for America’s wild places helped shape today’s conservation policies.

I grow very fond of this place, and it certainly has a desolate, grim beauty of its own, that has a curious fascination for me. Teddy Roosevelt on the Badlands

The prairie in this park is one of the few remaining that have never been plowed or mowed. Less than 1% of America’s original prairie lands still exist.

This is the place to see bison. Herds graze along the park’s main road. They look docile, but keeping a respectable distance is wise. The whole herd is very protective of females and calves.

This is also the place to see prairie dog towns. Hundreds of prairie dogs inhabit each “town” area. Their communication, which is actually pretty sophisticated, is like barking. Pretty cute, but hard to photograph. Like a game of Wac-a-Mole, they pop up and down too quickly.

Turns out, that prairie dogs are an important part of the prairie ecosystem. Prairie dogs share their dens with other wildlife (mice, burrowing owls, snakes). Their relationship with bison is co-dependent. Bison eat down the grass. Prairie dogs gravitate to short grass, so they can watch for predators. They continue to cut the grass, which forces new growth that is good for the bison. Sadly, prairie dogs are also considered the “candy bars of the prairie” because everything eats them. Hence, their expansive communication system, to warn each other of predators. Not an easy life being a candy bar.

Jamestown, North Dakota
The World’s Largest Buffalo. Well, sortta…
Once in awhile, you have to give in and do the tourist shot:

John, is someone following you?

Sauk Centre, Minnesota
Stayed at Sinclair Lewis Campground, a private campground next to Big Sauk Lake. Rode the bike trail and discovered a small pocket garden. Mary’s Garden.

After dinner, we were treated to a free concert in Sinclair Lewis Park. This lovely bandshell was built in 1929. The mural was added a few years ago. Nearby, folks were enjoying a sunset outing on the lake.

A terrific summer evening in an American small town. The next morning, we packed up and headed out again.

We would be back in our old hometown for a quick series of appointments, and then head to Maumee Bay State Park in Ohio to camp host for September. It’s been a busy, travel-filled summer.
Looking forward to what’s next.

Almost forgot. When you go through Wisconsin, remember to say, “Cheese!”