On the Road: Port Orford to Trinidad
Posted 03-30-2007 10:16 am
by Admin Admin
I love what I do every day (how could I not?) but some days are just sublime. Yesterday was one of them. Driving through the redwoods with Elvis Costello on the stereo--I just let out a whoop of pure joy and felt very, very lucky.
The sun was shining as I left Port Orford and headed south. The last time I saw this stretch of the Oregon coast, it was raining hard and while I do remember thinking the coastline was beautiful, I was mostly focused on driving. This time, it was absolutely spectacular. I'd be hard pressed to say that there's anywhere on the central or northern coast more beautiful (although I do love the area around Yachats and the Three Capes Loop south of Cannon Beach). I stopped in at one of my favorite places in the Northwest, the Tu Tu Tun Lodge in Gold Beach, to see what was new since I'd been there last. It looks beautiful and serene as always, even with construction of a new short golf course (it will be several holes long and it's being overseen by the folks at Bandon Dunes). The rooms are constantly being updated and they look gorgeous. It was great to get a chance to finally meet one of the women I talk to on the phone when I call to make reservations there. Heading south from Gold Beach to Brookings, I made a stop at Cape Sebastian State Park, which I'd heard has one of the best views on the coast. It definitely lived up to its billing. I stopped in Crescent City briefly to pick up a map of Redwoods National Park at the park headquarters, then continued south. The stretch of highway that goes through Del Norte State Park is just stunning--huge trees right on the sides of the highway. I got off the main highway just south of Klamath onto the Newton B Drury Scenic Parkway through Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Unfortunately, the trail I wanted to hike (Fern Canyon) is closed due to storm damage. I did a bit of the nature hike near the Prairie Creek Visitors Center and then a 2 mile hike or so on the nearby Cathedral Trees trail. Then it was on to the Lady Bird Johnson Grove, a bit further south. This is a very pretty one mile trail through the site where Redwood National Park was dedicated by the First Lady back in the late 60s. I arrived at the Lost Whale Inn in Trinidad in the late afternoon and was immediately struck by the beauty of the location, on a bluff overlooking the ocean and with sea lions barking in the distance (they like to haul out on a large sea stack in front of the inn--I'm looking at them right now in fact). Dinner was at the nearby Larrupin' Cafe. I made an embarrassingly large dent in a huge pile of delicious pork ribs (all that hiking!). The desserts sounded fantastic but I just didn't have room. A soak in the hot tub back at the inn after dinner felt just great after a fantastic day in the car and on the trails.
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