Northern California Road Trip

I just completed an awesome three-day road trip around northern California. Started in Ukiah (where I'm staying at my mom's for a little while), drove over to interstate 5 and north up to Lassen national park where I camped for the night in a campground with a lot of snow around because spring comes late up there. Went on a hike up the road because the road was gated, although free of snow, and got a great view of bubbling sulfur pits and Mt. Lassen, a volcano.

I drove back west on winding highway 299 over to Arcata, a little hippie town on the coast, home of Humboldt State University and where I graduated from in 2002 with a BA in World Religions. Drove south down highway 101 and camped at a campground in the redwoods. The next morning I continued south and then took highway 1 (the Pacific Coast Highway, although that generally refers to the more southern part closer to Los Angeles) down the coast.

I wondered if I would be able to recognize the spot where the Hart family recently drove off a cliff into the ocean, killing all eight people. Sure enough, as I came around a corner I recognized it and saw a memorial there at the exact spot they must have driven over. I pulled over and got out. There were flowers and other things including six rocks with the names of the six children who died, all adopted children. What a tragic story.

I continued south down the coast to the quaint little town of Mendocino, where I visited many times as a kid and since then. I stopped and walked on the headlands, had lunch, then continued south and then inland back to Ukiah. Glad to have arrived safe and sound, no problems, tickets or breakdowns and reminded of how damn beautiful my home state is...especially the north! But I'm a little biased. Videos of the trip coming soon on Youtube.