Beginning our journey, October 5, again from Marin County we planned on being gone for almost two weeks. Luckily, again I was able to make reservations at Doran Beach in Bodega Bay only two weeks ahead of time. Site 13 in Shell Campground was our first spot for two nights, then we would move to site 19 for one night in the Westside campground. Arriving for the night around 5pm, the weather was a bit cloudy and windy, but our view was perfect of the harbor. |
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After breakfast, we decided to hike into town to have a seafood lunch and took the Bird Walk Coastal Access Trail. At times it was a bit narrow along the highway, but manageable. Later in the day, Mike and Tami joined us for a walk on the beach with their two dogs and a short visit. The sunset that night was fabulous. We also chatted with our neighbors who had been coming for 25 years and they were surprised we were able to get into the campground. They come every year and try and get all the sites in Shell Campground but are finding it harder and harder for that to happen. They have already reserved for next year! | |
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The next morning it was moving day over to the Westside Campground. This is quite a different campground with mainly pull through sites, and a different perspective of the harbor. After lunch we drove up to Bodega Head and took the Bodega Head Trail which is a 1.7 mile heavily trafficked loop trail depending on the weather. It was a bit windy at times, but the views made up for it. That night we enjoyed the low tide and watching all the birds (so many) migrate into the harbor area. | |
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Next on our spots to see were the sites of Boonville. Staying at the fairgrounds for two nights allowed us to have water and electric and replenish our batteries. The site we chose to camp was in the dirt field where we had a great view of the goats at Pennyroyal Farm and their routines. We walked around Boonville and then settled in for the evening. |
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Saturday morning, we made plans to go visit Hendy Woods SP and the surrounding areas, then come back and hike to the Anderson Valley Brewery for lunch. Unfortunately, after visiting Hendy Woods and thinking it’s a bit to dense for our liking, we walked to the brewery only to find out they only serve beer. So back in the truck we drove to Lemons Philo Market and got sandwiches. Later in the afternoon we walked over to Pennyroyal Farms and checked it out. | |
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Leaving on Sunday morning with a full tank of water we drove Highway 128 to Navarro River State Beach for two nights. We had sunny but windy weather and watched some tent campers struggle to keep their tent stable. |
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On Monday we drove into Mendocino to take in the sites, shops and to have lunch. |
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Tuesday, we traveled to Van Damm SP hoping to have a site (19), and to listen to the Giants game. We lucked out and without reservations we decided to stay two nights. Around 2 pm we decided to hike the Fern Canyon Trail from our site. We chose to not do the loop section due to time but found the 4-mile section we did do beautiful. | |
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In the morning, we drove up to the Big River Estuary and hiked along the old logging road that parallels Big River. Next time we will need to kayak this, as the water was super inviting. We stopped for lunch again in Mendocino and walked around town and went to the museum. |
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Since the Giants were in the playoffs, our next day’s journey took us to the KOA in Benbow for the first time. We had wanted cable so we could watch the final game of the series. After a drink at the Benbow Inn, we watched the Giants loose to the Dodgers and end their season, happy they had gotten this far. |
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Our final night was in a campground on the Avenue of the Giants. This campground, Ancient Redwoods RV Park is small and very new. We have stayed in almost all the campgrounds around this area so wanted to try it out. We had site 35 and had sun until around 4:30, so decided to walk to Holmes and check it out. There was a cute veggie stand open and we chatted with the owners about the area and told them we would return in the morning for some of their homemade apple fritters before we left to go home. |
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