Hwy. 101 ~ Scenic Byway

No AT&T service at our RV park Thursday night.  I typed this up for posting later:

We enjoy traveling on the many scenic byways in our country, but the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway (Hwy. 101) is our favorite and the one we’ve traveled on the most.  I’ve lost count on the number of times we’ve driven this highway but I know our first trip was in June of 1969.  We love it. 

It is a more winding, curvy road than going south on I-5, but it gives you so much more in the views along the way.  We plan to take this same route in December when we leave Tumwater after Christmas to head to Pismo Beach again.  This way we will not have to be so concerned about snow or road closures over the Siskiyou Mountains.

We had a good night’s sleep in the dry camping area at The Mill Casino in North Bend, OR.  After we took an hour walk and then showered, we got ready to leave.  Even when we dry camp, we have take our morning showers.  Can’t get my day started without a warm shower and a cup of Joe! 

                                            Bruce started with a window washing job before leaving.

The drive south from Coos Bay to California on Hwy. 101 takes you past small towns, resort areas and some beautiful ocean views.  The Oregon Coast is famous for it’s scenery, although the most spectacular views are north of Coos Bay toward the town of Astoria.  Still, the views on this southern trip aren’t bad.

                                   There was light morning fog on our whole journey down to California.

Speed limits on this Scenic Byway range from 35 mph to 55 mph since it is so curvy.  So if you are in a big hurry this may not be the route for you.  We know other RVer’s that will not take this route because of the tight curves and the slower speeds.  It works for us, though.

                                            Caution:  curves ahead!

                                 We made a pit stop for Annie and enjoyed the view while we were at it.

We did experience a few delays with Flaggers for road construction, but it wasn’t bad.  You also have to be very mindful of the many bicyclists on this highway.  We must have passed about 25 of them on our journey today.

Once we got into California we pulled away from the ocean views.  We drove through some rolling hills terrain for a while.  You get back to the extreme coastal area, with ocean views, in Crescent City.  From Crescent City we only had another 19 miles to our RV park.  This stretch of the highway took us through some of the tall Coastal Redwoods, new growth and old growth forests.  They are always amazing to see.

                                               The forest comes so close to the highway….be careful!

The first time I ever drove a large Class A motorhome with a toad was on this very same highway.  What an initiation to Class A driving!  I made it successfully.  Here in California today, we had a bit of fog on the highway in spots, but it wasn’t bad.   

Today’s drive was 180 miles.  On a road like this, that is plenty.  There are some areas with sparse population, but getting gasoline or diesel fuel is no problem.  You can get diesel in Coos Bay easily but we stopped in Brookings, Oregon to fuel up before heading into California.  There were several stations selling diesel.

We are staying 2 nights in Klamath, California before continuing our southward journey.  I hope everyone gets the opportunity to travel on this wonderful Scenic Byway someday.  You won’t be disappointed. 

Until next time…..so long for now!