Days 188-189: California's Costal Redwoods

California’s Coastal Redwoods

Days 188 – 189

July 4 – 5

California Pacific Coast Highway

Leaving north from San Francisco, I was now traveling with Lynzee, an American woman whom I met whilst traveling in Lima, Peru.  She stayed in the same hostel bunkroom as I, and became a member of our quickly-growing New Year’s weekend friend group.  After we parted ways, we kept in contact, joking that I might pass through her hometown of Reno on my summer motorcycle trip.  Then, jokes turned into a planned stop.  A planned stop turned into her joining me for a few days through California.  And a few days in California turned into the remaining five weeks of the trip: from Reno, NV to Sturgis, SD with 4,400 miles in-between. 

Yes, you read that correctly: I met a woman in Peru for two days and now she was joining me on my across-the-country motorcycle trip.  It’s not supposed to make sense on paper. 

The first night, we camped in the Redwoods.  The second day, we rode up and down mountains on winding roads through redwood forests, and camped along the coast.  The third day, we rode through Avenue of the Giants, a road passing through the home of some of the world’s tallest trees.  We stopped to climb over the downed skeleton of one many times wider than I was tall.  That night, we camped on the beach two miles south of Oregon.  We could see the next state from here.  

Motorcycle: check!
Two-person tent: check!
Surrounded by Redwoods: check!

Redwoods are thiiiiis wide.

And thiiiiis tall.

Our first views of the California coastline.

Hidden gems were common on many beaches along the way.

On Avenue of the Giants, the trees soar hundreds of feet above our heads.

It's like standing next to a mountain.

The uprooted end of one Redwood tree.

Our last night in California.  We can see the Oregon coast from here.