This is a typical of Hwy 199 from Grants Pass to Crescent City
First thing Wednesday morning, we checked the highway reports for the Siskiyou Summit and the news was terrible – up to 2 ft. of snow and more snow and high winds were expected for the rest of the day. We quickly put plan B in place and at 8:30am, we drove down I-5, in the rain, towards Grants Pass, OR.
A rainy, foggy day on Hwy. 199 driving towards Crescent City
We got to Grants Pass at 9:30, and after filling up with diesel, we headed west on Hwy 199 towards Crescent City, CA. It rained buckets all the way to the coast – I mean it just poured! The scenery would have been great if we’d been able to see anything but it was wet, cloudy and foggy too. The only good thing was the temperatures kept rising the further south we drove and when we crossed into California it was already 50F.
The foggy Pacific Ocean off of Crescent City, CA
I had never driven Hwy. 199 from Grants Pass to Crescent City before. I’ve read, and heard, several conflicting reports about how suitable it is for pulling a 5’er. Some said it was too twisty and considered it unsafe. Others said it was just fine. There are some parts, near Crescent City, where there are several significant curves and twists in the road, but I found that if I just slowed down to the posted warning speeds, it was no problem at all. I wouldn’t hesitate to take this route again. It sure is a convenient option to the Siskiyou Summit when I-5 is covered in snow.
The path at a rest stop took us down to this view of the Pacific Ocean
When we got to Crescent City around noon, we turned south onto Hwy. 101 for the drive down the coast towards the KOA in Willits, CA. It was fantastic to see the Pacific Ocean again even if it was foggy and still raining hard. It just made taking pictures very difficult.
The entire coast area is populated by these moss covered trees
The coastline was beautiful, as were the Redwood Forests we drove through along the way. Those trees are huge, we’re always amazed at how big they are even though we’ve seen them several times now – it’s still a pretty impressive site.
This part of Hwy. 101 was lined with neat looking Eucalyptus trees
Once we got all setup at the KOA, we were planning to go and get some takeout Mexican food to celebrate New Years, but after unhitching and hooking up the water and electrical etc., I was soaked as it was raining again. Paulette was beat too from hitting the imaginary brake pedal on the passenger side of our truck! So, we just thawed out some chilli we brought with us and that was our New Year’s Eve dinner – it was just right!
While I’m driving, Paulette keeps very busy sewing blocks for quilts
We spent the rest of the evening with the TV on while we wrote our blogs and eventually made it to bed around 10pm - well before 2009 came to a close. Party animals we are not! There was a big party, with a live band, going on in “the barn” here at the KOA, and we were invited to attend, but we just were not up to it. Friday, we head to Marina, CA for a 2 night stay on the Monterey Peninsula. We are really looking forward to that as neither Paulette or me have been there before. I just hope the weather cooperates just a bit.
Happy New Year and thanks again for visiting.
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