(Late May – mid June, 2019) From Truckee we made our way through the Donner Pass and across the central valley to Petaluma, California. After the cold, rain, and snow in the Sierras we welcomed the warm spring temperatures and cooling sea breezes near the coast.

Around Petaluma

Arriving in Petaluma we checked into the San Francisco North / Petaluma KOA for a seven-night stay. We had stayed at this KOA several other times and continue to be impressed at the ongoing renovations the campground is making to sites and other areas of the park. This is a very lovely KOA.

During our stay we spent as much time as possible visiting with family in the area – two nephews, a niece, and their respective families. We enjoyed home-cooked meals, trips to the park, just hanging out, and even a music concert (thank you Maddie, Lucy, Grace). Ben, Erin, Maddie, Lucy, Grace, Dusty, Adie, Connor, Sarah, Jordan, and baby Eliza so great to see you all again – can’t wait till the next trip!

Other highlights of our stay include day trips around Petaluma, Santa Rosa, and Bodega Bay on the coast; cheese tasting at the French Marin Cheese Co.; as well as dinner and brews at the Lagunitas Brewery.

Around Point Arena

From Petaluma we headed north on highway US-101 and made our way through the coastal hills to the Mendocino Coast for a seven night stay at the Manchester Beach / Mendocino Coast KOA Journey campground. This is another of our favorite coastal destinations and always look forward to another visit.

Having been here before, though, we knew how difficult this remote area of the California coast was to reach for a large RV, given the narrow windy roads and steep coastal hills in the area.

The best route we have found to this area of coast is via highway US-101 to highway CA-253 at Ukiah; CA-253 to Boonville; then highway CA-128 through Navarro to coast highway CA-1. This trip we tried taking the CA-128 all the way from US-101, but did not like how steep and windy the first 10 or so miles of the route were. In our experience US-101 to CA-253 to CA-128 is better. (For those of you considering a trip to this area – DO NOT TRUST YOUR GPS. By all means, do not allow your GPS to route you over Mountain View Road – the steep grades, switchback curves and one-lane sections of road are entirely unsuitable for most RVs and trailers. Also, it is good practice to call your campground and ask about current road conditions and recommended routes before traveling to this area.)

Highlights of our stay include day-trips to the Anderson Valley for wine and cheese tasting; scenic drives along coast highway CA-1; as well as visits to the coast at Point Arena and to the Point Arena Lighthouse. Overall, a very relaxing and enjoyable time.

Around Trinidad

Leaving the Mendocino Coast we retraced our route via CA-1 to CA-128 (via Navarro & avoiding Mountain View Road) to CA-253 to the US-101 at Ukiah. Turning north on US-101 we made our way to Trinidad, California, where we checked into the Emerald Forest Cabins & RV Resort for another seven-night stay.

The Emerald Forest is another park we have stayed at several times before and always enjoy visiting again. We were pleased to see that the park had added an enclosed dog run since our last visit. We also enjoyed a live music and wine tasting event hosted at the RV park. Excellent!

Highlights of our stay include scenic drives around Trinidad, Eureka, Humboldt Lagoons, Fern Canyon, Redwoods National and State Parks, and to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. We enjoyed dining and brews at the Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka.

This was our first visit to Fern canyon. It was a short, but lovely hike along a creek meandering through emerald green fern-covered canyon walls. A spectacular sight, but the experience is often marred by crowds of hikers due to increasing popularity.

In Trinidad we were stunned and disappointed to find that the Trinidad Lighthouse memorial had been moved from its prominent site overlooking Trinidad Bay to a poor location at the parking lot near the harbor. Recent heavy storms causing coastal erosion and land slippage, as well as other concerns, forced this replica of the original lighthouse to be moved to a new site. (The original lighthouse is still on Trinidad Head, but is off-limits to the public, except for certain occasions.)

The previous memorial site had a commanding view of Trinidad Bay that was quite photogenic. The new site has little or no charm and is not photogenic at all. Hopefully this will be a temporary move until a more attractive site is selected.

Still, the relocation of the lighthouse memorial was only a minor disappointment and we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Trinidad.

Overall we had a wonderful time making our way up the northern California coast and stopping at favorite places along the way. Next stop – Brookings, Oregon.

That’s all for now. Safe travels and enjoy the journey.

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