3rd & 4th October 2009
One final drive through the Ponderosa Pines, Cedar Pines and Sequoias of Yosemite before leaving the park through the north west exit and heading for Sacramento.
We followed scenic highway 49 through many small towns set up during the gold rush including Sonora where we stopped for a lovely sandwich followed by a massive cinnamon bun (between us!). We headed off again, passing through a tiny settlement with just a camp site and garage and surprisingly flying the Welsh flag - of course we had to stop for a photo :).
The motel at Sacramento was probably the worst place we’ve stayed in so far, noisy and stank of cigarettes but at least it was cheap at about £23 a night! We spent a nice evening out anyway with a meal at the Cheesecake Factory followed by the new Bruce Willis film ‘Surrogates’ - quite enjoyable to do something ’normal’.
Due to the noise, we were on the road early this morning, heading for the Redwood Coast, some 5 hours north. This morning we passed Clear Lake in Lake County the largest natural freshwater lake in California where we saw Egrets, Herons and loads of Turkey Vultures (like Buzzards) looking for road kill on the roads (of which we also saw plenty, including Raccoons and Deer).
After a relaxed lunch stop we drove up the Avenue of the Giants, through the Humboldts Redwoods State Park, a 31 mile scenic drive through groves of the tallest known tree species in the world. Coastal Redwoods can grow for up to 2000 years and average 250 feet in height and even as tall as 350 feet in some cases.
Our motel this evening in Eureka is better than last nights, even though we were a bit concerned to see the Tsunami Hazard signs as we came into town. We are only about 40 feet above sea level here so you can see why.
