Giants, Whales and stuff

From Garbaville California to Coos Bay Oregon.

Our first adventure was breakfast. Mark tried some American "eggs". probably made from yellow powder.

Checking google we immediately felt superior. Wellington 8 degrees yesterday and feels like 4????????

Up and away today and only 6 miles down the 101 highway is a Road named "The Avenue of the Giants."

The giants are Redwood trees and the ride through here of about 30 miles is fantastic. Slightly windy and narrow the trees come up either side immediately at the edge of the road. It creates a very still and peaceful environment in which to stop and ponder. They grow very straight and tall and its interesting to compare them with the Kauri forests in Northland.

Having hugged our fill of trees we shot off down the road to a small place called Fortuna. Today was the annual car show where the street get blocked off and out come the Maugiers wax and polishing cloths.

I snapped a heap of Cameros for Kevin to look at (bottom of this post).

Nice place to spend an hour or so and we got chatting to few locals. One chap knew Christchurch very well, having done business there selling redwoods in the district and another old timer informed us that Garbaville, our previous nights stop, was the Marijana capital of the state. Explains all the dodgy characters we see saw there....perhaps Mark wasn't being too judgemental after all.....

Then we found some of the famous straight roads. Our first. Much of the 101 is an interstate and you can travel at 70 to 80 mph without attracting too much attention.

There followed a pleasant few hours with heavily forested country side and gentle (slightly) winding roads with speed restriction of either 65 MPH and 55 MPH. We tootled along at this plus a safe margin to avoid meeting the nice man from "CHIPS" and our riding companions thundered off.

We came to a bridge and found dozens of people had pulled over and where gazing down into the river below.

Two whales had been there for a few days. The river mouth wouldn't have been more then a mile or two away as the road follows the coast quite closely. The photo doesn't show it but the mother was a decent size.

Oregon appeared an hour or so later with no great fanfare but the coat line is beautiful. The roads seem better looked after as well.

The further north we travel the bigger the vehicles are becoming. There are now a heap of the dual axle utes and so on.

The day was mostly a pleasant 70 degrees but hit 80 a couple of times. Not one cloud all day.

Its fair to say the travel and time zone change over has taken a toll. We are both a little weary but having a ball.

Tomorrow its North yet again to Astoria. nearly Canada time. We may see showers.