R R 2023 California Part 3

Rangeley on the beach 30 miles south of Crescent City California.

Roaming Rangeley Fall 2023 California

Tuesday – November 14, 2023

We are officially headed back toward Phoenix. Today was a very rainy day with temps in the mid 50s. Rangeley loves the water and cool temperatures, so he didn’t care. I actually just bought a new high end rain jacket so I didn’t really care either. The rains kept people off the beaches and out of the woods, so that was a plus for Rangeley as he gets to run free when no one is around.

Our morning started the same as the past 3, Rangeley runs on the beach for 20 minutes, then we walk out to Whaler Island. It used to be an Island but to build the harbor they connected it to the mainland. It actually is a great harbor. Rangeley loves this routine. He will be disappointed when we get home and he has to walk on lead on dry land. Poor dog. He is not spoiled. He does love the ocean. Typically he does not look out the window when we drive. He just lays down and waits for the next adventure. The past couple days when we are along the water he sits up and looks longingly at the Pacific. I took a picture of him, see below. We have timed our beach walks well with low tide. This morning as we took off the tide was 2 hours from high tide and the beach was already almost gone. I have noticed in the mornings how the water has come right up to the rocks beside the road. A bit south of town we stopped so Rangeley could play in the waves. He stays where he can run, but he likes “chasing” the water as the waves break and rush up the beach.

In the south section of the Park we did inland things, figuring he had had enough water. My decision, certainly not his. It continued to rain hard, but it did not affect any of our activities. The picture of the elk (below) I took while seated in my car. If you look at the upper part of the photo you can see all the rain drop streaks. I didn’t want to get the camera wet. This trip down the coast has been fun for me. I rode my bike through here in 2018. The big hills are much easier with a car by the way. When you are pedaling a bike you see much more as everything is in slow motion compared to being in a car. There were fun reminders everywhere the past couple of days of that great trip.

Wednesday November 15, 2023

Our morning in Fort Bragg started with a 1/2 mile walk from our motel to the waterfront. Rangeley was disappointed as it was all cliffs, no water access. Oh well. I promised to stop at a beach as we drove south. I picked out a promising option before taking off for two reasons. A) I picked something about 90 minutes away and B) there is very little cell coverage on the coast, so no researching things after we left. I randomly selected Hearn Gulch Coastal Access because it has “Coastal Access” in it’s name. California is great at labelling side roads along the way. It says – No Coastal Access, Coastal Views or Coastal Access at pretty much every side street off the CA1.

BTW – In Washington, Oregon and very Northern California, the coastal highway is US101. In general it is a wide, easy to drive road. There are only a few stretches where it is still “old” – so windy and slow. Once you reach Leggett California, US101 stays inland and CA1 heads back to the coast. CA1 is an amazing road – not just the spectacular views but the construction and maintaining of it. Three times this morning we had to stop and wait (about 15 minutes each time) for constructions crews as they work to repair the road. (CA1 is currently closed south of Big Sur and has been for months.) The road is very windy and clings to the coastal cliffs. You can not be in a hurry as you go. If you ever get the chance I would highly recommend travelling along the California coast.

When Elizabeth and I did our California National Park trip we wanted to drive the middle part of the Pacific Coast Highway (CA1) from San Simeon to Monterrey but it was closed back in 2021 as well. We did drive south from Monterrey past Big Sur but then had to turn around and head back north. From Monterrey we drove the 101 north, missing the coastal section I drove yesterday and today. I have also ridden my bicycle south through here, which is even better than driving it in a car as you can hear and smell the ocean as you pedal. I stopped once where there were cliffs as I could hear the Sea Lions barking down below. Anyway – back to today’s story.

At the Hearn Gulch Rangeley got to play in the big waves as they were breaking right at the shore. I took a video (which I can’t put on this website) and froze several frames so you get the idea. His first go with a big wave didn’t go so well as he got swallowed up by it. He quickly figured out to run ahead of the wave as you will see in the photos.

We are currently in Los Banos, CA. I did decide to come over to I5 from the 101 this afternoon. It is shorter and quicker to get home and avoids some of the Los Angeles traffic tomorrow. I am posting this final journal entry tonight as the next day+ is just highway driving home. I am not planning any interesting side excursions.

As always – thanks for traveling along with us. I always appreciate any feedback.

Once the travel bug bites, there is no known antidote….unknown