The "Dew Drop Inn" Chronicles

So close, but so far away. It is a long way through a lot of mountains. I will wait till toward the end of April even if the trailer is done sooner.
My kids say this is the most excited they have ever seen me and the first time I have done something this big just for me.
The frogs are really loud tonight. They just echo all around. Such a welcome sound in the spring. Although a couple of years ago the frogs all started singing and then the temperature dropped and we got an April snow storm. That is the only time I ever saw a snowstorm that late in the year.

 

3" of rain in days! Glad we're in sunny California for the time being anyway. We do miss the frogs though, not many in these parts.

Michael

 

A cautionary tale. State Road 1 between San Simeon and Monterey is not for feint of heart. I mentioned to Susan when we headed north that it's gonna take us a couple of hours to get to the Pfeiffer campground, huh, how come, it's only about 50 miles. Cuz It is one of the gnarliest roads with sheer drop offs to the ocean and towering rock faces opposite I have personally driven. I don't ever remember seeing so many 15 and 20 mph advisory speed limit and falling rock signs in 50 a mile stretch. It took them 18 long years of blasting and bulldozing to carve the road out of the mountainsides when they started in 1919. If you do go try to pick a nice sunny day so you can enjoy the incredible scenery.

Michael

 

I read somewhere that it is highly recommended that one travel south to north on that road. That way you are in the lane farthest from the precipice…

As they say around here, "if you're scared, get a dog."

 

Each direction has perils, northbound you have the falling rocks and the blind turns.

 

Sue and I drive parts of HWY1 every year and love it. The scenery is spectacular. We were on it today. Went to Bodega Bay north of SF. Checked out a campground there, Doran Beach(Sonoma County Parks) on a peninsula between two bays and a nice big beach just across the park road. Might have to camp there soon. When we camped near Gualala two years ago the Park Ranger called Hwy 1 the "Dramimine Highway".

Jim

 

Dramamine Highway, very funny. Yeah the coast road California State Route 1 does have several official names, Pacific Coast Highway, PCH in SoCal, Cabrillo Highway in the Bay Area and Shoreline Highway in Northern California and of course "the coast road". I drove PCH through Malibu to work for years.

Thanks for the tip about Bodega Bay Jim, it's on our itinerary. We watched Hitchcock's "The Birds" a few nights ago on Dewey's DVD player, love that movie, now we're itchin to visit the area.

Michael

 

Devils Slide just south of Pacifica is an interesting area. Every few years there would be massive landslides that would take out the road. Last year the completed a tunnel through the mountain and now you bypass the slide area. They have just opened up the old road as a hiking trail.


I think the school house(privately owned)in Bodega is open for tours, but didn't stop. Last time we were there it was closed. There is a life size statue of Hitchcock in front of one of the gift shops. The Tides Restaurant and gas station in Bodega Bay are just begging for a large flock of gulls to dive bomb for a little atmosphere.

Jim

 

Yes, the Tides Restaurant, didn't know if that was real or a set, glad to hear it's real. There are pretty good slides on the PCH through Ventura and Malibu, always had to check 1070 LA before I committed to that route, if it closed while on the commute and you ended up having to back track and go around... I don't even want to think how late and screwed you'd be. There were closures due to the fires as well!

Michael

 

Just a few thoughts about our TV/DVD, we love it, we wouldn't be without it. It is surprising how many stations we receive in some places. I think we had upwards of 30 stations in New Orleans and SoCal. On these long winter nights when you can't focus to read another word but not yet sleepy it really comes in handy. A fun thing we planned on was to watch some of our favorite movies about some of the areas we were visiting, like Giant in West Texas, The Big Easy in New Orleans, Cannery Row for Monterey etc. it has heightened our travel experience a tad and well worth the price of admission. The unit is LED so it's very thin, so it doesn't use up much storage space. I think it's a plus without a downside, so a win win.

Michael

 

Michael, I assume you are refering to your CI tv/dvd? If so are you using an antenna? I had not thought we would be able to watch much tv so we are going through our dvd collection. If my wife can catch any of her "shows" from time to time so much the better.
MDP
Mike & Denita

 

Yes Mike the CI TV/DVD. We have a small window type antennae from Wallymart, we store it in the trailer when we're rolling then just plug into the exterior coax plug that comes with the option and prop it up on top of the trailer, works great,

Michael

 

Wright's Beach is a great little campground on the coast, north of Bodega, I think. Very dangerous beach, so be careful!! "Sneaker" waves? Something like that.

We also like Bodega Dunes, right in Bodega Bay. Make the hike through the dunes to the ocean. Lovely place. The Bay can be windy, so.....it's nice to hide out in the dunes.

-Al

 

yep, Wright's is north of Bodega, but south of Jenner

There is GOOD clam chowder in Bodega Bay, by the way. Little shack on the road. Go there.

re the danger at Wright's Beach: SLEEPER waves

"This coast is not for swimming, and lifeguard service is not provided. Sleeper waves, backwash, sudden drop-offs, rip currents and the cold water, make even surf play or climbing on nearby rock outcroppings dangerous. It is especially important to keep children back from the highest water-line and never turn your back to the ocean. Many rescues are made each year. Also be careful of the bluffs and rocks. The shale formations are unstable and unsafe for climbing, so stay on the trails and heed warning signs."

-Al

 

All good advice Al, thanks for the camping and chowder reccomendations. We had planned on going to the sea shanty circle at the seaport in San Francisco but it is held on the 1st Saturday of the month. We need to be in be back in Port Townsend by April fools day so we missed our op. We now plan to sneak through the big city this Sunday before anyone wakes up. Thanks for the great invite to overnight at your place Al and Kathy, we'll miss not meeting you this time but hopefully our paths will cross in the future. By the by Al, we were at Trader Joes in Monterey today and got a half case of 21st Amendment Brewery's Back in Black black IPA in cans. When we find good beer in cans we buy it.

Michael

 

Sorry we will miss you on your way through. Enjoy the black IPA - it's a good one.

If you find that you need anything as you pass through the Bay Area, don't hesitate to give a shout.

Looking forward to hearing about more adventures as you venture north.

-Al

 

ps As you head north from the Golden Gate Bridge, I highly recommend Navarro Winery (Anderson Valley) and Hendy Woods. After all that time on the central coast, you need some redwoods and spotted owls.

https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UT...562&ei=f1wfU5KdDsm6oQS9mYHIAw&ved=0CB8QtgMwAA

 

Thanks for the reccomendations Al, we'll keep them in mind as we head north.

Went to Point Lobos yesterday, words cannot describe how beautiful it is, many have said that there isn't a more picturesque spot on the whole of the west coast. If you visit this area you must come here and decide for yourself.

 

Susan and I really love the reading lights on our boat, we have them above our bunks and bench seats in the main cabin. We had to have them on Dewey as well so we sent a pair to Camp-Inn during our build. They are great, we flip them up for an area light, down for reading, they are super efficient LED so little draw on the battery, they are warm like incandescent bulbs and of course bright enough for reading. They are directional so one can read and not disturb the other who may be sleeping. They are available from imtra.com

Michael

 

Sweet lights. I want them.