Delayed TR - Babymoon

[super doody]

My wife was 34 weeks pregnant at this time. We wanted do a little getaway before parenthood hit both of us. Being first time parents, we didn't know what to expect but we were excited and scared at the same time. We wanted to save some of our vacation time for the baby so we decided on a quick 4 day road trip to see the redwoods while driving back on the coast and staying at a B&B (Gualala) for a couple of days. This is what we experienced.

Our campsite at Prairie Creek Redwood State Park. There is a hidden trail in the back that leads to the creek and beach area. We arrived here in the middle of the night after a "detour" in the rain. Everything here is super green. This is our first time being this far north on a road trip.

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Blue berry pancakes with real maple syrup from Canada. Please excuse the non-matching silverware




Elk. Amazing animals. Highlight of the trip to see these large animals up close and in their habitat.



Mud. Evidence of the unplanned detour. Apparently, there are two different campsites on totally opposites ends of the park. When you make reservation for Prairie Creek online, they don't tell you which one its for. The first one we went to (the wrong) included a 30 min drive on a dirt, winding logging road. By the time we arrived it was already 9:30 pm. It was super dark and wet from the fog/rain but the surrounding was beautiful. It felt like a night scene out of Jurassic Park with lots big ferns and really tall redwoods. So glad we brought the truck/camper instead of the wagon and tent



Trees of Mystery. Tourist trap but it was fun to be a tourist once in a while.










This place allows dogs. Abby in gondola up to the top. This was also our first trip without our older dog Indy who passed away a months earlier. we both of us choked up at different moments during this trip just wishing he was still with us. We were just so use to having Indy with us for trips like this. Abby has been a little down as well so we were glad we could give her some extra attention.



Rainforest of the northern hemisphere



Tailgated for lunch in the parking lot. Note the step stool for my wife which was very useful for a 5'2'' and very pregnant woman. We kept this small step stool in the cab with us.



Smith River




Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park Campground. A lot less private here and the Ranger was really difficult. There were just a few twig separating us from our neighbors. We asked if we could switch to another site which was open but the Ranger at the front entrance rudely told us no. I ask why and if it was against their policy. She said "yes" in a bs sort of way. We were over it so we went back to camp and got the camp fire started.



Chopped smoked brisket sandos for dinner




We stared to head south the next day.

Must stop for first timers




It was a long drive to get over to the coast. I don't think I'll do it again in one day from COB to Gualala. Lots of surf possibilities but not a lot of swell.




To be continued....

 

[billharr]

Nice report. I love the north coast.

 

[ski3pin]

Nice report. I love the north coast.

Yes, very nice! We are patiently waiting for the continuing story.

 

[highz]

Enjoyed the first part of your TR. I never stopped at Trees of Mystery, so it was fun seeing your photos. I remember seeing a lot of Trees of Mystery bumper stickers on cars along the coast highway. I suspected that visitors got them whether they wanted them or not.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

The North coast is also one of our favorites.
Sorry to hear about the "grumpy" ranger at Jed Smith CG.
Maybe she was having a bad day,but that's still not an excuse IMO.
Nice photos.
Frank

 

[Edgewood]

Sorry to hear of the loss of Indy. We are almost a year out from the passing of our dog. Christmas may be rough this year.

Oh and congratulations on the baby!

 

[super doody]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Stepping back a bit. As I stated last night, the 3rd day was a pretty long drive. We took our time driving along the Avenue of Giants. We headed west near Legget. My wife really wanted to go through a drive through tree. Unfortunately, the tree didn't have enough clearance for my truck. The ticket taker told us we could park the truck and walk through if we wanted. We said no thanks and got on our way. After filling up at a very sketchy cash only gas station, we started the windy drive towards the coast. This road is extremely windy. I drove a little too fast and made my wife a little sick. After about 1.5 hrs, we were excited to the see the coast again. We stop at a Mexican place in Fort Bragg thanks to Yelp. We made it to the Whale Watch Inn just after dark. Total miles for the day 283 miles (Crescent City to Gualala).[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Private Beach at Whale Watch Inn[/SIZE]

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[SIZE=10.5pt]The location of this BB is great and pet friendly but the rooms are a bit dated. Think green carpet, pink couch and lumpy bed. We ate breakfast (delivered to our room every morning) on small but private deck facing the ocean. Every breakfast came with fresh home made fruit butter and warm bread/muffins. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]During the day we did some exploring of Port Arena and a little hiking at the Port Arena lighthouse.[/SIZE]

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[SIZE=10.5pt]Perfect little cove[/SIZE]

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[SIZE=10.5pt]Some good potential for surf at this river mouth[/SIZE]

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[SIZE=10.5pt]Another potential surf spot with cobble stone bottom[/SIZE]

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[SIZE=10.5pt]On our last day, we spent a few hours at Fort Ross checking out the fort and visitor center before heading south again along the coast.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]This whole second half of the trip was somewhat of a tease for me being so close to the ocean but with no real opportunities for surf. There was almost no swell in the water and I didn't want to leave my pregnant wife and dog in the truck. This was more of a scouting trip for the future. Just before noon we drove by Salmon Creek. I pulled over on the cliff and below I saw about a dozen longboarders in the water and got really excited. The waves were small but well shaped. It was crowded and I only brought my fish shortboard which is about 4 feet shorter than everyone’s board but I was dying to get wet. After getting the okay from my wife, I quickly suited up after situating her and the dog on cliff. I could see her while I was in the water so I figured if something happened (i.e. labor), I could run up the cliff pretty quick. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]This picture says it all. This is one of the reasons why I got a FWC. My wife chilling on the cliff with a good book while I surfed in the water below. [/SIZE]

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[SIZE=10.5pt]Back to the surf…to my surprise, I got a ton of waves despite my small board. The waves were well shaped and steep on the inside. The peak was a bit shifty so I was able to position myself pretty well away from the main peak. The longoarders were mostly made up of families - mom, dad and little kids. It was such a cool sight to see. It made me think about my future son/daughter (we wanted to be surprised so we chose not to know the sex). This surf session was the cherry on top and the pot of gold. This was totally unexpected and reinforced idea of drives along the coast with little to no itinerary. You never know what you'll find. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]For a late lunch we stopped at the chowder place in Bodega Bay. The place was extremely packed so we ordered our food and went across the street. We sat at a bench facing the boat slips and this little guy popped and entertained us for a little bit. [/SIZE]

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[SIZE=10.5pt]This was the perfect ending to the trip. Our only regret, only taking two days off. Next time we want to drive all the way to Seattle and explore the Oregon coastline. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Thanks for reading![/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]BTW. It’s a girl. She is 6 weeks now. We love her to pieces despite the fact that she hates sleeping between 7 pm and 3 am. I can’t wait to show her the outdoors and this great coastline. [/SIZE]

 

[ski3pin]

Congrats new Mom and Dad and welcome new little camper!

 

[4buckeye]

Awesome trip and congrats!!!

 

[N'kwala]

THanks for the fine report and congratulations.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Congrats on the little girl.Girl children are the best IMO.My two (adults now) are fun to be with and do things.We started camping with them from the beginning. They still tell their friends how much fun they had with all the "weird" places mom/dad took them to.
Yes that part of hwy 1,Legget to Ft Bragg is one, every time we drive it my wife says not again.But it is a beautiful drive.
Thanks for the drive along.
Frank

 

[highz]

Congrats on your baby girl!

 

[alano]

Congrats on your little trip down the coast and the big trip into parenthood that you've just started.

 

[SunMan]

"...Lots of surf possibilities but not a lot of swell."

Don't feel bad, I've had the same experience each time I've passed through there too. Great drive no matter what.

 

[super doody]

Thanks all! Don't know if we will ever take my truck camping again as a family. I guess its almost impossible to fit a baby seat in the extra cab part. Both my wife and I have daily driver cars so I haven't really tried but base on what some of the forums have said, its almost impossible. I would rather not sell my truck with all the mods I have but we'll see come spring time.

 

[alano]

If you don't go too far away, you could take the truck and the car with the car seat. You could set up for a week by a lake or beach and use the car for transport to trail heads or to get more diapers and beer (if you have too much of the later, be sure you have enough of the former for yourself ). Eventually, at long last, they will outgrow the car seat.

Just a thought.

Alan

 

[Lighthawk]

Nice TR. I do enjoy the stories of young families (or impending ones

And a big congrats on the new addition. We will expect her to star in future TR's