Come long weekend and all we can think about is a getaway. The July 4th weekend of 2010 saw us visit the Redwood Parks, settle in tents and cook over a fire kindled by us. There is something so exhilarating about experiencing nature’s elements in its unadulterated form that could put a five-star vacation to shame. Having to crawl into tents and zip up so you’re not woken up by anything besides the sun, cooking fresh meals at every meal hour, and jumping into the river to feel the icy cold water rub against your skin. Aah. The pleasures of camping in the wilderness.
So here goes a detailed review of the 3 nights and 4 days:
Day 1: Friday, July 2nd.
*Journey to campsite
*Set up tents
We left the South bay at about 5.35pm. Took 101N all the way and made our first stop at Ukiah, for dinner. ‘Reun Tong’ was a house converted to a restaurant that served decent food. (http://www.yelp.com/biz/ruen-tong-thai-cuisine-ukiah)
Dinner took an hour so we reached our campsite at Myers Flat at 11.30pm. It’s a private campsite, very close to the information center for the Redwood parks. Here’s the link to their website: http://redwoods.info/showrecord.asp?id=225. Set up tent using headlights and a lantern. Super cold, but super fun. Crashed into sleeping bags inside tents. (Tip 1: Get sleeping bags that keep you warm, not the ones that lack any form of insulation. Costco has some decent bags I hear)
Day 2: Saturday, July 3rd.
*At campsite: Volleyball, plunge into river
*Founders grove
*Ferndale
This was when I was able to see our campsite in daylight for the first time. Located facing the Eel river, the water gushing coupled with the robins chirping were a pleasant sound to wake up to. Each tent site is separated from it’s neighbor by Bamboo screens. 
The restrooms were located at a stones throw from our campsite and it seemed clean on the first couple of days. Here are a couple of views.
Breakfast consisted of toast, veggie sandwiches and instant coffee all prepared on propane stoves. A group of 8 people, all trying to add their ingredients ironically did not spoil the broth! After B’fast we decided to make use of the Volleyball that K had so graciously lent us and it was a full hour of volleyball at the court facing the river. Fun! The Eel river seemed enticing by now, what with beads of sweat dripping down like a trickle of water. Little did we know how cold the waters would be. One step into the water and I felt like little needles poking every inch of my skin. This was, however short lived – I was dunked in the same cold water by my dear hubby along with the rest of our friends. It certainly helped – I was able to swim across the river and enjoy every moment of it.
After the exhilarating river escapade followed by lunch consisting of veggie masala burgers we decided to drive around and explore the redwoods. Ended up at Founders grove on Avenue of the Giants, a half-mile-long trail among the Redwoods. Its probably a quintessential redwood groove. The sheer magnificence of the giant redwood trees (taller than the statute of liberty, yea) makes you want to look up again. 
Starting at the founders tree at the very beginning of the trail, you can hike up to the fallen Dyerville Giant at the far end of the trail. Great place for pictures. 
When we read about a small Victorian town called Ferndale about 25 miles from where we were, we did not expect it to be faux Victorian. Ferndale was a disappointment to those who looked forward to some Victorian flavor. To me, it seemed more like a movie set with the frontal portion of the buildings masked with Victorian art work, and leaving the rest of the building to plain cement and paint. All this was located on Main street, which, not surprisingly, was extremely commercial with sky high prices on most items. The good thing about this visit was the homemade ice cream at Main street,http://www.yelp.com/biz/cream-city-cafe-ferndale, which was served by a very friendly staff.
That night, we lit up a fire by the campsite, cooked dinner as we warmed ourselves and played games before crashing.
Day 3: Sunday
*Lost Coast
*Dinner at Eureka
After another game of morning volleyball (this time with other campers) and lunch consisting of tofurkey/burgers and dogs we decided to drive to the much awaited lost coast only to realize that it was one of the most scenic drives. About two and a half hours of winding roads among the giant redwoods later, we reached a vista point that overlooked a black sand beach. Decided to stop and take a look. Oh what a wonderful decision! It was an absolute delight to walk on the warm black sand and dip my feet in the ice cold water every so often. However, after the first couple of dips, I decided that my eyes were sufficient to enjoy them. The next couple of hours were spent just chilling on the beach. Great place for pictures. After tiring from all the posing and clicking, we continued our drive alongside the lost coast and found ourselves atop a hill so windy the grass on the hills moved in rhythmic waves. Perfect place to harness wind energy though I don’t know how they’d transport it. Oh well.
Dinner was at Chapala, a mexican restaurant at Eureka. Decent food.http://www.yelp.com/biz/chapala-cafe-eureka. This was followed by the July 4th fireworks that was visible at a point that overlooked a water body, just behind Chapala. Nice end to a long day. Couldn’t wait to get back and cuddle up in my sleeping bag which is exactly what I did that night.
Day 4: Monday
*Drive through tree
*Journey back home
Oh the trip was coming to an end! Soon after b’fast (this time ‘twas different – had corn roasted over the fire) we packed up and vacated the campsite by about noon. (This was when the restrooms had reached their worst form. Ugggh. Never mind.) The next stop from the campsite was the drive-through-tree. Its off of highway 1. http://www.drivethrutree.com/. A $5 fee and 20 minute wait later, our pathfinder managed to go through the giant opening in the tree, and it wasn’t a squeeze. Pictures. Having done most of what we had planned to over the weekend, it was now time to head back home.
It was well past 3 when we reached Fort bragg and were in desperate need of veggie food. Being July 5th, it wasn’t easy but we managed to chance upon a sushi place. http://www.yelp.com/biz/off-the-hook-sushi-fort-bragg. Oh what a pleasure it was. Yummy rolls, mouthwatering rice bowls and a veggie platter later, we were ready and rearing to go. Our next stop was coffee at flying goat coffee, Healdsburg. http://www.yelp.com/biz/flying-goat-coffee-healdsburg N says the coffee was an absolute delight. My red tea wasn’t too bad either. We drove down back home, and after a yummy dinner at chat paradise at MV, we reached home by 11.30pm.
Lessons learned:
1. Get a sleeping bag that’s warm. It can get as cold as 50 degrees at night.
2. Get pillows – it makes sleeping in a bag more comfortable.
3. Get a sleeping pad – I’ve heard it makes a ton of difference. Sleeping on hard ground can any day be made better and am sure that the sleeping pad is one of them.
4. Carry camping towels – they dry really quick and absorb a lot of water. Microfiber camping towels are available at REI.
Some pics from the trip:
Its a different experience biking through a highway and this route offers you a little bit of everything – highways, shaded parts and cross roads. After about a couple of miles on 29, make a right at Oakville cross road, where Napa valley winery is on your right. Ah, now begins the sun, and the obvious tanning. For as far as I could see, the trail seemed pretty open, barring a few random, sporadic trees on the side. Yes, there were wineries every so often but umm.. they didn’t do much to shield me from the sun. Oh well.
It's the journey, not the destination.. 