11/18 Nelson

We made it!

There was a time today when we just weren't sure we'd done the right thing by exiting off 101 to CA Highway 1 (also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, or the Shoreline Highway up here). The first 22 or so miles of the drive took an hour -- literally. It was switchbacks, uphills, downhills, hairpin turns at recommended speeds of 10 mph, which of course means 5 mph in a motor home. And if that wasn't enough, shortly after we finished that stretch, there was another 16 miles of the same thing! Poor Dawn...she hates cliffs, and the drive today was scary for her. But she came through it all like a champ! It was tiring and I'm sure my arms will be sore tomorrow from all of the steering, but we made it to Fort Bragg just fine, and found an RV Park. I thought maybe we were in for more trouble when we checked in and the lady at the desk gave me directions on how to make one turn in the park to make sure we got by a tree without the RV hitting it and causing damage. I don't rightly know if she was more concerned about the RV or the tree. Anyway, she said to me, "I've got an experienced driver who is a return camper here, and he hit the tree last week and took his awning off." She also said something about, "A good driver can make it. A bad driver, well..." Let's just say we made it. Getting in to our so called "pull through" campsite was a different story. The right turn into the site is so sharp, it's got to be more than a 90-degree angle. Ugh. Needless to say, I'm not that good of a driver, and I unhitched the car, and backed the RV in from the other side of the site...then moved the car. Dawn was a great help...directing me backwards in the dark. She used a flashlight in the same way that those guys at the airport use those orange thingies to direct airplanes in to the gate. That was a big help. I couldn't have done it without her.

After that, we decided we were just going to relax for the night...so we made a quick run to the closest Safeway -- it's cool that you can buy "spirits" in grocery stores here in California. We were out of margarita makins. Also picked up a couple of steaks, which we grilled up for a nice little dinner. Made for a nice ending to a stressful afternoon.

I'm sure Dawn mentioned the fun we had in Ferndale (btw: we try not to read one anothers posts on this blog before we post our own, so as not to influence what we both write...just so you guys know). Ferndale is a really neat little Victorian town south of Eureka. Impressive. Thanks Rick and Joan for the recommendation! It was well-worth the side trip.

Speaking of Rick and Joan's recommendation, this blog thing is so cool, because we can read the comments you guys send us, and if you've experienced something along the same route we're going and you pass it along to us, so far, we've been trying to the recommended stops. Tomorrow we're going to Mendocino, thanks to my Aunt Lois and my Cousin Denise. That was our original destination for tonight, but we were ready to stop for the day when we found this place. We're going to get up a little earlier than normal tomorrow and head into Mendocino for breakfast...driving the car.

After that, we'll be off to our next stop. Quite likely someplace in the Santa Rosa/Petaluma area, where we'll get to spend some time with Aunt Lois, Uncle Steve, Denise, Todd, Jack, and hopefully maybe Laura and Dave (if they're able to join us for dinner on Sunday). We're also making plans to see my friend Emmy in the San Francisco area, and to do the Alcatraz tour. Thanks to Ron's suggestion, we're definitely going to try and find a cheap hat for Dawn...in case the birds "target her" again. Maybe we'll try to find one that's purple and gold with a big "W" on the front of it. Just in case. :) Speaking of that...tomorrow is the Apple Cup. I'm excited to listen to the game on XM Radio. Thank goodness for satellite toys! GO COUGS! (Speaking of which, if you have a minute...go vote for Jerome Harrison for the Pontiac Game-Changing Performance, http://www.pac-10.org/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/pontiac-2005.html. Thanks for putting up with the shameless plug. :)

With that...I'm ready for bed. It's been a long day. Thanks again for reading, and commenting. It's just as fun for us to read the comments as it is to write these entries. :) Good night.