The Lost Coast of California

Take a look at a map of California and you'll see that it's possible to drive along the coast from San Diego in the south all the way up to Crescent City at the north end--except for the area around Ukiah. Here the coast road sweeps inland through the Redwood trees and the steep hills. But west of that on Cape Mendocino is the lost coast. Very few people ever make it there because it's protected by steep hills (I'd call them mountains) and a very rough and twisty road. The last time we were through here to visit my cousin Greg and his family in Petrolia was ten years ago. We were driving a little Toyota and although we remembered the beauty of the drive, we had forgotten the steepness.

To get to Petrolia you leave 101 at Weott and drive through a magical grove of Redwood trees on a narrow road that used to be paved but hardly counts now as there are so many potholes. From there the road winds up and up, then down and up again through the most amazing views of hills and trees. We passed through the first little community of Honeydew and the the road climbed up again to Petrolia. It took us more than two hours to go about 40 miles. But the amazing thing is that Mohita made it without a glitch. We met Greg and a couple of his kids on the main street and then he guided us up behind the town on an even narrower road along a ridge and into his beautiful property.

He and his family have lived here for more than 25 years and they have created a peaceful retreat that feels like Shangri-La. Level fields surrounded by hills covered with incredible trees. They're not actually raising sheep anymore as Greg does a lot of building and Margie is teacher and principal of the Petrolia High School (now with only a few students). When we last visited, Greg and Margie and their four children lived in a small house made from sawn wood and shingles, but they were in the process of building a new house of rammed earth. The old house has been moved now and the new house is pretty well finished. It's a beautiful building, with thick walls and deep windowsills, designed to take advantage of the site. Fireplaces give heat and banks of windows allow in south light. They have done an incredible amount of work on the house and the garden to create this paradise.

We spent the evening there and took a walk with the dogs the next morning. Greg and Margie have two border collies as well and after a period of introduction the four dogs romped around together without too much problem. Geordie was in heaven and clearly demonstrated that he wanted to stay there forever. We had to drag him back into the motorhome when we left.

We headed out on the north route that goes to Ferndale, thinking that the road might be easier to travel. No such luck--it is just as steep and narrow and rough. One hill in particular was incredibly steep, but once again Mohita handled it. By the time we were in Ferndale, the brakes were pretty hot and we took a break to let them cool down.

Ferndale itself is a pretty down with an almost intact Victorian Main Street and a lot of restored houses. But it paled after the views we'd had driving the lost coast. (These pictures give just a flavour.) This morning we're in Brookings, on the coast of Oregon and looking forward to a scenic drive to the Portland area.