Waterfalls, Redwoods, and Sand Dunes

North Coast Roadtrip travelog #5 
Crescent City, CA - Sun, 28 Mar 2021. 8pm.

We've had a busy day out here on the far northwestern coast of California. But busy in a good way: less driving to places and more doing stuff once there. Today we've taken short hikes to a few waterfalls, walked through old growth forest among huge redwood trees, and driven miles on the beach to collect rocks.

In between all that we did drive, of course. The odometer shows 120 miles for the day. But that's way less than yesterday's 305 miles and even Friday night's 155 miles. Not having to drive so much is the benefit of staying in one place on a trip. Tonight we're staying at the same oceanfront hotel in Crescent City as last night. Tomorrow, though, it's time to head home, and the miles will pile up again. We'll drive at least 400 miles tomorrow; maybe more if we take a side trip out to the Mendocino coast.

Where's the Pics?

Waterfalls, redwoods, and sand dunes sound great; So where are the pictures? you might ask. It takes time to review them, select the right ones to share, and clean them up. Doing that is the main reason why my travel blogs tend to fall days behind, even for short trips. [Already this blog is 36 hours behind - Ed.] I'm blogging the outline of the trip now; I'll come back with pictures and details later. Stay tuned!

Getting our Rocks Off in Crescent City

North Coast Roadtrip travelog #6
Crescent City, CA - Mon, 29 Mar 2021. 8:15am.

I haven't written much about the hotel we've stayed in the past two nights in Crescent City. All I did write has been about the prevalence of Covid-denying idiots there. But there was a good reason we chose it. It's one of few hotels on the shore in Crescent City. We booked a room with a balcony and a view. Here's the view from our balcony:



Why did I not share this picture earlier? Well, the weather hasn't cooperated. First, Saturday night, we got in after dark; then all day Sunday the coast here was foggy. Now, Monday morning, as we're leaving there's a bit of sun.

Another reason we booked this hotel is that it's a bit of nostalgia. We stayed here back in 2008 or so on our anniversary. Back then it was a Hampton Inn. Hampton Inns hold a special meaning to us since we proposed to each other while staying at a Hampton Inn one weekend. Then, we started our honeymoon at a Hampton. It sort of became an in joke.

This particular hotel is no longer a Hampton Inn. It left the Hilton brand several years ago. But we still remembered the property and wanted to return. And, the property still has a number of Hilton hangovers. Like the lap-desks I used to eat breakfast while catching up online this morning. Current Hamptons don't have them anymore; but this property still does as a holdover from its past.

Were there other hotels we could have stayed at? Sure, there was a cheaper one a mile or two south that I stayed at with a buddy on a road trip through here years ago. It's a relic from the 1960s with drive-up exterior doors, tiny, outdated bathrooms, and showers that take forever to get hot water.

"You're willing to stay at dumps with friends, but when it's me you insist on nicer places," Hawk groused. Marriage, everyone!



As we headed out of town this morning we stopped by the beach to get our rocks off. Literally, rocks. Hawk had, like, 50 pounds of them in three sacks from collecting at beaches Saturday and Sunday. She sorted through them at the hotel the last two nights and separated out the dull, boring ones from the keepers. Wanting to make sure they're returned to a proper habitat, she asked that we put them out on a beach. Neither of us cared to try to figure out which beach, so we dumped them with others of their kind at the beach in Crescent City shown above.

So, that's the first stop on our road trip home today. Less than five minutes out, and we've already stopped. Given that we've got some... 440 miles to travel... at this rate we'll be home around... June.