We drove home to Portland through the redwoods of Northern California and past the beaches of southern Oregon.
Tuesday, April 16 – Returning North – We left Oakland via the Richmond Bridge, heading north on 101. We passed the exit to my college, but did not stop until we reached the redwoods.
Crossing the Bay Bridge – Mt Tamalpais to the west.
The hills in Sonoma County were green!
Waving at Sonoma State University as we drive past…
Our first stop in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, was at the Gould Grove.
Stretching our legs at the Gould Grove Nature Trail, a short loop.
Into the forest…
Just breathtakingly beautiful!
and large!
Red wood
We drove a little farther along The Avenue of the Giants…
Avenue of the Giants
And then stopped for another walk, in the Founders Grove.
Founders tree
Looking up…
Oxalis on the forest floor
Horizontal nurse log
Foliage
Scale…
Shattered tree
Looking up again.
We stayed that night with a friend in Arcata, and went to dinner in a fabulous old building in the town square – The Plaza Grill.
Wednesday, April 17th – Continuing northward…we stopped in the morning for a short hike on the Trillium Falls Trail in Redwoods National Park –
Trail guide
Redwoods
Red wood
Trillium Falls
Trillium
We continued driving north on 101, into Oregon. We were planning to stop at some of the beautiful beaches in the Boardman Corridor, but the wind was howling, so beach walking not a good option. We stayed in Bandon, our destination for the evening, hoping for a calmer day tomorrow.
Welcome back to Oregon!
Beach views at Arch Rock in southern Oregon
Arch Rock
Crossing one of the many Art Deco bridges on the Oregon Coast – over the Rogue River in Gold Beach.
Looking North from the Face Rock viewpoint in Bandon – the wind it is howling!
View toward Bandon Beach from our hotel.
Thursday, April 18th – The wind had calmed! We had time for a long walk on Bandon Beach in the morning, before heading north again towards home.
Crossing the beach dunes…
Looking north toward Face Rock
But first we walked south, to the rock formations on the beach
Reflections in the sand…
And shadows
Serpentinite
with veins
Time to walk north, toward Face Rock
Sea stacks, with oyster catcher
Oyster catcher
Sea stacks
Face Rock viewpoint, where we nearly blew away last night
Flying geese
Face Rock
Goodbye to the beach for now – though I would love to return to Bandon for a longer stay. We drove north on 101, with a short detour to the Darlingtonia Wayside near Florence, to eat lunch and take a quick look at the carnivorous plants.
Another Art Deco bridge, this time over Coos Bay.
Darlingtonia Wayside
Carnivorous plants
From there, it was about 3-4 hours driving to our home. I loved seeing the California landscapes again, and I hope to return and see many more places we have yet to visit.
Location Map, California Road Trip, April 2024
Margaret Quilts 