blustery storms and drive-thru redwoods

mel and i headed north on thursday morning with a few errands to run and an eventual goal of fort bragg, home of mel's sweet adoptive parents bill and susie. on the way, susie called to let us know that hurricane weather was coming and did we know it wasn't going to be sunny? we told her yes we knew and i checked it out on the internet while mel met with her old adviser to discuss her phd project (bc her current adviser sucks). weather.com said the weather was going to be no big deal. and at first it wasn't. susie did call us a few other times just to check on us and let us know what was going on - like it was expected for the power to go out.

we took the scenic route to fort bragg and while in town sampled the best cookies ever at the mendocino cookie company, visited the tattoo museum owned by a famous tattoed couple (and this one was actually interesting), bought gas just in case the power went out, and bought some local ice cream to top the apple pie we had bought at an orchard. we met up with bill and susie and shared our recent adventures. for dinner we went to the north coast brewing company for pint night so mel and i could add to our collection of pint glasses. we finished the evening with apple pie a la mode and watching the news... and what we really should have done was take a shower. the worst weather was supposed to be early in the morning.

that night it poured. and the wind blew like crazy. and the power went out. i woke up at 4 bc i was blowing so hard, but snug in my orange sleeping bag that i still love, i fell back asleep. i decided that no matter what the weather was, driving through a redwood was still top priority. we packed extra clothes and sleeping bags just in case, and susie outfitted us with flashlights and extra batteries. off we went for about twenty minutes until we were turned around by a cop. there was debris and branches on the road, but the weather was alright - still rainy and windy, but not too awful. well we turned around and it occurred to me that we would have to drive back over that power line that i had driven on bc i didnt realize what it was until it was too late, but the cop was in front of me and he drove over it so it must be ok. i kept a better lookout after that. we dropped in on bill and susie, used the bathroom, and let them know we were going to take another route out of fort bragg - the dreaded route 20. mel hates this road, but after being on windy curvy roads in nz, this road was cake. and it is gorgeously overhung with tree branches (that in current weather conditions should have worried me).

we drove and drove. it rained on and off and poured on and off. a lot of the creeks next to the road were brown and swollen with runoff, but not really close enough to worry about too much. we finally made it to leggett, home of the first drive-through tree and it was closed! there was a gate so you couldn't even see it. so we toasted chocolate chip cookies (from the mendocino cookie company) and made our way to the next stop - avenue of the giants in humboldt state park. i thought we were there when the highway became a narrow two lane road between towering redwoods, but it was merely a sneak peek and home of bigfoot's woodcarving. so not only is he alive and well, he has a respectable job.

after traversing through part of avenue of the giants, we came into meyer's flat, home of the second drive-through tree. this one was open and i giggled as we drove through it - a tight squeeze. we rolled down the windows and touched the inside of the tree as we went. then of course we had to get out and walk through it as well. the tree is mostly dead and hollow, but a sign said that one tenth of it was still alive bc it was still producing leaves and things. neat. we took a photo with bigfoot's friend and then headed back home because it was a long way back and the bad weather was not yet over. it rained a lot and sometimes very hard, and it was windy, and it hailed, but we made it home.

still no power, when we returned, though a lot of businesses in town had generators. we ate soup to warm up and hung out with bill and susie and their neighbor. they were well-prepared with dry wood, a cooler with necessities, a camp stove to cook with, candles, and headlamps for everyone. so we sat around the table with our headlamps and mugs of coffee and played boardgames. the other weird thing for me is that bc they were on town water, you could still flush the toilet, or take a cold shower if necessary. i remember ten days without power and melting snow to be able to flush the toilet. these people were by no means roughing it the way i have on snowy days in virginia... but it was nice to not have the smell.

when we woke up the next morning, there still wasnt power and we listened to the radio to determine which road out was open to return south. mel and i went and got the best muffins ever for breakfast (mendocino cookie company again) and had breakfast and coffee with bill, susie, and rich before hitting the road.

it started a little gray and blustery, but pretty soon it was sunshine and blue skies as we winded our way down highway one, stopping at lighthouses and pullouts. sorry to leave my lovely new adoptive parents and the emptiness of northern california, but it is nice to back in santa cruz with electricity and hot showers.