Ferndale and Trinidad

After leaving Mendocino we followed Highway 1 north. This took us along a thinly carved road that ran around and over every contour of a mountainous forest. With my teeth gritted and the whites of my knuckles exposed, I followed that path of tarmac as quickly as I could. Eventually, after the constant dipping and swerving had taken its toll on Rebecca, we emerged at Leggett and the first traditional motorists tourist trap of our trip.

Standing at 315 feet, The Chandelier Tree has been attracting faint and weary tourists since the 1930's due to the 6 by 6 foot hole that has been cut through its base to needlessly facilitate the passage of motor vehicles. Whilst I am not a fan of the vandalism that this attraction represents, I was attracted by its historic appeal; so we paid our $8 and drove through this magnificent redwood en route to the pleasant park that lay beyond it.

The Chandelier Tree

Our next stop was Ferndale, a recommended detour off Highway 101 north of the impressive 'Valley of Giants' stretch of that long and impressive road. Like a scene from an eerie 1950's television show, this place was both pretty and breathtakingly odd. Empty streets dominated and personal possessions were left out in the evening sunshine in anticipation of the towns annual yard sale that was due to take place the following day.

Ferndale

The next morning we tried to pay for our camping but failed as the only attendant assigned to the campsite was nowhere to be seen, and had been nowhere to be seen since we arrived the night before. Therefore with an extra $10 in our pocket we headed north toward Trinidad, a small town hugging the ocean, which appears to have been neglected by many of the guide books that we have read to date. We both immediately liked this place and its small community vibe. This isn't a town trying to be anything other then is, which is a friendly community overlooking the most beautiful beach either of us had seen so far.

Trinidad Beach

A Dead Shark

© All Images By Paul