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PineyJ Aug 7th, 2009 07:26 AM

Flight Suggestions for Route 1 California Redwood coast trip
 
Folks,
Wife and I are planning a vacation, late September/early October, up California route 1 to 101. Was thinking of flying into San Francisco, but am not sure where to fly out of when we leave. Anybody have an idea what a convenient commercial out of Oregon would be? This would be the most convenient to route 101. I say Oregon because I want to leisurely drive up the coast and not circle back. Trip idea is 8-9 days with highlights to include shore vistas, Spanish colonial missions, redwoods, winery in Sonoma, and a quaint seaside town or two. We’re looking for a mix of the cultural and natural resources the region is famous for. Any thoughts or ideas would be really appreciated.

montereybob Aug 7th, 2009 07:53 AM

Sounds like a great trip. You are correct in assuming SFO is a good place to start. Depending on how far north you think you are going to go, you could fly home from Medford, Eugene, or Portland.

iamq Aug 7th, 2009 07:58 AM

Where are you coming from? How far up the Oregon coast do you want to go? There are commercial flights into/out of Portland, Medford and Eugene as far I know.

Are you aware that most of the California Missions are south of San Francisco? There is one is San Rafael and one in Farfield though.

twelveoaks Aug 7th, 2009 08:32 AM

Eight to nine days is plenty of time to do what you want. I recommend you fly out of Portland as you would most likely get the best rate and most choices of flights. A great seaside town in Oregon is Cannon Beach to spend the night. Also, although I am a Californian I love Oregon's Pinot Noirs and there are numerous wineries starting in Umpqua county and going all the way up to Portland.

razzledazzle Aug 7th, 2009 02:25 PM

In the town of Sonoma, you will find the 21st Mission, Mission San Francisco Solano. It is the last and northernmost of the Missions. You do know you will have to do some west to east crisscrossing to there, as well as most Sonoma county wineries, yes ?

Back over on the coast,I would also say that no Hwy 1 road trip would be complete without at least a day exploring the Pt.Reyes National Seashore. There are many outstanding trails and beaches to prowl. Do time your visit when the Lighthouse is open-the views are quite spectacular out there.

Before you reach Pt. Reyes on Hwy 1 via Mill Valley,
you will be in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
There is some spectacular coastal driving that will take you through the little hamlets of Muir Beach -the Pelican Inn
here is said to have ghost-and Stinson Beach with it's beautiful crescent shaped beach often a great spot for
finding sandollars. Just past Stinson you will note
the Audubon Canyon Ranch Bolinas Lagoon Preserve. It will be closed during your visit, but note for a future visit,that mid-March to mid July is the season for the heron and egret nesting.

After Pt. Reyes, in the spot on the road known as Marshall
you will find the wonderful restaurant Nick's Cove.
Lots of fun and do arrive hungry ! Also near Marshall
is the famous Hog Island Oyster Farm. You can picnic here
and buy and grill your own oysters there as well.
Call ahead for rezzies.

Hwy 1 goes a bit inland after Marshall, until you reach the burg of Valley Ford-where Hwy 1 merges with the Petaluma/
Valley Ford/ Bodega Hwy. If you turn right here, heading east
you could venture over to the town of Sonoma via the town of Petaluma. The drive will take about an hour.

Continuing north on Hwy 1, you will have the opportunity to
make a small detour to the town of Bodega where Alfred Hitchcock filmed some of his movie "The Birds". Back on Hwy 1, you will arrive at the town of Bodega Bay. A brief jaunt out to Bodega Head will take you to the site of
a mid-1960's nuclear power plant. The local power co. had planned to build here until they "discovered" that the site sits on top of the San Andreas fault. To save face, after much bad publicity, they sold the Head to the state parks for $1. The power co. left the hole they initially dug to begin building on the site. It has since filled up with water and serves local wildlife as a pond. Locals call it-what else-The Hole in the Head ! Great views out here.

Just north of Bodega are the Sonoma Coast State beaches.
Salmon Creek and Portuguese Beach are our favorites
for looooonnngggg walks. Goat Rock is the northern most beach and worth a visit.

Next, you will cross a bridge and come to the intersection of Hwy 1 and Hwy 116 East. 116 will take you along the Russian River through fabulous stands of old growth redwoods,
the river towns of Rio Nido and Guerneville, and can connect you, at Wohler Road to many fabulous wineries and on into Healdsburg. Take a closer look at wineroad.com

The drive north on Hwy 1 via Jenner is spectacular all the way to Mendocino. There are special stops along the the way
and I'll let someone else (iamg, are you listening? ) fill you in on one of our favorite dirves. I will mention the tiny town of Elk for three of my favorite things. One is to dine at Queenies Roadside Cafe,
Two is to explore the unique store at the Greenwood Pier Inn
and Three, if you don't stay a night at the Greenwood Pier Inn. www.greenwoodpierinn.com do not miss the chance to explore the grounds.

Happy Travels !

R5

iamq Aug 7th, 2009 05:35 PM

I love Goat Rock! This is where the Russian River ends at the Pacific Ocean. There is a sand spit that may have several basking sea lions on it. It is a lovely spot.

North of Jenner is the Salt Point State Preserve. There are some nice walks and a pretty beach.

Just south of the town of Gualala is The Sea Ranch. If it were me, I would spend the night at the Lodge there. It is architecurally unique and scenic place with lots of walking trails. For stays of two or more nights I suggest a rental home instead of the Lodge. I suspect most tourists roar by in the rental convertibles en route to Mendocino or San Francisco or some other destination, but it is worth a stop, if only for a walk along the bluff trail to Black Point Beach. There are some good restaurants in Gualala just to the north.

Annapolis Road runs up the hills east of The Sea Ranch all the way to the town of Annapolis where there is a small winery. I dont drink, but I undersand their Pinot Noir is very good. It is a pretty place.

The lighthouse at Point Arena just north of Gualala is another not-to-miss spot. That is usually as far north as I get.

There is so much to do along this portion of the coast and inland, you might not make it to Oregon!

razzledazzle Aug 7th, 2009 07:15 PM

I love the Pt. Arena Light ! You can climb to the top via a spiral metal staircase for a wonderful view. Can't wait to be up here again.

R5

PineyJ Aug 8th, 2009 04:40 AM

Thanks for so much insightful input from all, I really appreciate it. Guide books are great, but nothing beats insightful ideas from people in the know. Think I'm gonna try to do a highlight reel kind of thing, I don't want to run myself ragged trying to do to much. The wife and I would be much better off relaxing, light dayhiking, sipping wine, etc. A day spent walking beautiful coast line is way appealing.
Thanks again

PineyJ Aug 8th, 2009 04:46 AM

What are your thoughts on redwood sight seeing? One of my biggest reasons for this trip is to see the oldest creatures on earth. A nice day of hiking combined with a night spent near them sounds super........You guys are just great!

iamq Aug 8th, 2009 05:59 AM

Humboldt Redwoods State Park is a great place to see really large, old Redwood trees.

Richardson Grove State Park is my favorite place for Redwoods.

If you want to almost all the way to the border there is Redwood National Park.

Navarro River Redwood Park is an amazing place. State highway 128 runs right through the center of the park. It is like driving through a green tunnel of trees.

Here is a link that shows all the state parks that have Redwoods.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24723

LoveItaly Aug 8th, 2009 09:00 AM

Hi iamq, Fairfield doesn't have a California mission. Perhaps you have heard or read about Mission Solano located in Fairfield. That refers to a nonprofit organization that takes care of the homeless. But hey, that would cut down on hotel and restaurant costs, lol!


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