DAY 18- Northern California

The three road-trippers slept in later than intended this morning.  Maybe it has something to do with all the coffee and energy drinks we've been drinking lately that kept us up so late....hmm.  We left our hotel in North San Francisco around 10:30am and after a McDonald's breakfast run (you know you love it too) day 18 had begun.

Saint Teresa of Avila Church in Bodega, CA- seen in "The Birds"

We had quite a long drive ahead of us- still traveling on the scenic Highway 1.  Our first pit stop of the day was at the quiet town of Bodega.  It was in this town and the surrounding foggy bay that Alfred Hitchcock filmed a lot of his famous horror film "The Birds".  We were able to walk through the exact church seen in the film as well as the old schoolhouse.  Very cool and a little creepy at the same time!  Still traveling along the ocean, we twisted our way up the coast through some very breathtaking scenery of hills and valleys- a little more tame than the wild cliffs of Big Sur, but still beautiful.  One of the most prominent spots along this drive were the Sonoma Coast Beaches- small, rocky beaches that were filled with local families and surfers out enjoying their weekend.

The lovely town of Mendocino, CA

We continued along until we came to one of the prettiest towns on the California coast, Mendocino.  This picturesque small town is an ideal upscale vacation spot for big city dwellers looking to escape for a while.  We peeked in some of the shops and cafes along the area, which were very cute with friendly attendants.  By now, it was nearing dinner time and we were pretty hungry.  We wanted someplace with a little more reasonable price range than the restaurants here, so we headed about 10 minutes up the road to the blue-collar, lumber town of Fort Bragg, quite a different feel than Mendocino.  Most of the restaurants here looked pretty sketchy, but we took our chances on a Denny's-esque place called Perko's.  After ordering our drinks (water), Nancy asked the scrappy looking waitress about the soup of the day.  She responded in a mumbling, fussy tone that she "wouldn't recommend the potato soup" because it looked kind of "brown and gross".  At this point she awkwardly said that she wasn't our waitress and that she would try and find our real waitress to tell her we were ready to order (even though we weren't).  Scared of the possibility of food poisoning from the "brown and gross" soup and annoyed at the horrible service, we immediately left and headed for some always reliable fast food.  All I can say is, if you ever happen to pass through Fort Bragg, avoid Perko's at all costs.

Driving through the Chandelier Redwood Tree

It was about an hour later before we came to our next stop of the day- the famous drive-through Chandelier Redwood Tree in the sleepy town of Leggett.  This giant stood a massive 315 feet tall and was estimated to be as old as 2,400 years.  The experience was so cool, we drove through it not once- but two times!  We snagged a few small things at the gift shop (including some surprisingly pleasant smelling redwood cologne) and hurried to try and make it to our hotel before it got too dark.  The last leg of our long drive took us through the astounding Humboldt Redwoods State Park, and along the appropriately named Avenue of the Giants.  Just as the sun was setting, we twisted along a dark, narrow road through some of the most massive redwood trees in the entire state.  I must say, seeing these amazing trees and being up so close to them was one of the highlights of the trip so far.  What a way to end our day!

Total travel time:  11 hours
Total miles:  314.3