Daily: 80 Miles / 31.7 MPG
Total: 507 Miles / 34.5 MPG


It was just a short hop up the coast from a thick pine grove to a genuine redwood forest. Along the way we passed a herd of 20 - 30 elk grazing on a thin strip of grassy dunes between the highway and the beach. We were so surprised to see them that we were a mile down the road before we even thought of stopping to ogle.

We got to our beautiful little campsite to find a group of rangers a bit agitated by the antics of an adolescent black bear. Seems the fearless fella had been making a nuisance of himself recently, helping himself to the camper's goodies, just like Yogi. The previous night he'd knocked down a tent in pursuit of a snack. Not the kind of news you want to relate to your wife before her second night camping. We were scrupulously clean and tidy that night, you betcha! We stuffed the steel "bear boxes" provided at each campsite with our food, cosmetics, shampoo, anything that smells.

We spent the afternoon taking a beautiful but very strenuous hike along aptly named Damnation Creek. The trail followed a redwood cloaked ravine down to the sea; a vertical descent of 1000-feet in just two horizontal miles, and of course a 1000-foot ascent on the return trip. The setting was remarkable. Most of the parks along the coast are comprised of second growth forest; this hike was through original old growth stands. Many of these giants were 4 to 6 feet in diameter, some appeared to be over 12 feet in diameter.

At last the ravine open onto the sea, the beach was strewn with boulders and driftwood. We explored the tidal pools and cliffs for a while and then faced the climb back up.

Sweaty and exhausted, we luxuriated in an extra long shower and an early dinner. Maybe it was exhilaration, perhaps exhaustion, but neither of us could get to sleep until long after midnight.