PCH - Day 4 (San Francisco to Eureka CA)

I started off the day by driving up to San Francisco from Skip and Jean's and stopping in the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park to visit my favorite bridge. It's still there. :) Leaving San Fran, I headed north through Marin County, winding my way through Muir Woods to the coastline and then up through the Point Reyes/Tomales Bay area into Bodega Bay where I stopped for local BBQ oysters and clam chowder at a place called The Birds' Cafe right on the bay. Yum. After lunch, I continued up Hwy 1 through coastal farmlands - those cows probably don't even know how good their views are :) - and continually stunning views of the water, stopping at Point Arena Lighthouse on the way. After you come through the Mendocino area, Hwy 1 takes a turn up east through the mountains towards Leggett and becomes this crazy winding switchback logging road for 26 miles through redwood forests and the Eel River basin. When I finally made it to Leggett, I made the necessary pilgrimage to the Drive-Thru Tree Park and then continued north on Hwy 101 up to Humboldt County where I drove the 'Avenue of Giants' a scenic route lined with giant redwood trees before hitting Humboldt Bay where I stopped in Eureka for the night. Again, I'll say, it's hard to over-emphasize the beauty of the California coastline and how stunningly gorgeous it is to drive Hwy 1, definitely my favorite leg of the journey so far.

My favorite bridge, Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

California coastline at Carmet, north of Bodega Bay