Still driving inland because many sections of the coast road remain closed due to the recent flooding, we continued to make our way north. Rather than head quickly on the freeway to the coast and towns we’d both been in, we decided to explore back roads. Jeannie had plotted out a route by looking for the curviest roads she could find. It was a winning strategy.
It was, however, slow going. Snaking roads and steep inclines in any car would be a challenge. In a truck camper our pace was VERY leisurely—there was no other choice. That suited us both. For a couple of hours, we saw less than a handful of other vehicles.
The scenery was exquisite, the wildflowers diverse and profuse. Some of the colors were startlingly intense. (The photos are NOT enhanced.) I’m fairly good at wildflower identification (though better at flowers of the northeast) but there were varieties neither Jeannie nor I could name.
For part of the drive, we drove through an old growth forest. There were stands of gnarled trees, some adorned with clumps of mistletoe, others covered by moss. Some dead trees were riddled with woodpecker drilled holes. The bark textures and tree structures were complex and photogenic.
One of the things that surprised me most was that there were vineyards in the middle of nowhere. I now understand that northern California wineries have a lot of competition from other areas of the state.
We arrived at the coast at the height of rush hour. We stopped briefly to take a break, then headed to Pescadero, where we are camping for the night. We’re at a luxurious KOA campground, complete with an upscale restaurant where we ate dinner. Our site has a view of the ocean and the scent of eucalyptus.