Our August 2013 exploration of Northern California continued with a scenic drive south along California Route 1. We turned off of US 101 at Leggett and began the switchbacks up and over the coastal mountains. The curves and scenery attracted several motorcyclists and sports car enthusiasts. Our first view of the Pacific Ocean was at the mouth of Hardy Creek. The coastal fog bank was offshore and offered a beautiful backdrop to the seastacks and ocean. All of the exposed offshore islands, rocks, reefs and seastacks are part of the California Coastal National Monument that stretches across 1,100 miles of the California coast.
First view of the Pacific Ocean at Hardy Creek
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| Two gulls catching the thermals |
About 11 miles south of Hardy Creek and 10 miles north of Fort Bragg, we stopped at a roadside picnic area near latitude N39.571 and longitude W123.772. This is just north of Abalobadiah Creek. A memorial marker for Randy Fry, a local diver killed by a shark in 2004 is inlaid in a picnic table top. In the short time it took to drive this section of the highway, the fog bank had almost reached the shore and obscured the blue skies of just moments before.
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| The mouth of Abalobadiah Creek is in the cove on the horizon |
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| The shore from 90 feet up |
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| Islets and rocky outcrops |
By the time we arrived in Fort Bragg, visibility was down to two to three blocks due to the fog. A few miles south of town, the fog bank had moved offshore again. Route 1 bisects Van Damme State Park south of Mendocino. Although we didn't have time to hike along the Little River, we stopped above Van Damme Beach to enjoy the view of the small bay.
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| A park concessionaire rents kayaks |
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| The rocks on the horizon help create a placid cove |
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| Van Damme Beach |
Our next stop was a very small pullout near the top of Cavanaugh Grade just north of Cavanaugh Gulch near latitude N39.156 and longitude W123.734 south of the Navarro River. The pullout is approximately 3.8 miles south of the intersection of California routes 1 and 128 just as the road begins its descent into Cavanaugh Gulch. The fog continued to stay offshore, so we had some great views from this location almost 300 feet above the water.
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| Sunshine and sea stacks |
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| The rock outcrops focus the waves in a bow shape |
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| Whitewater around the rocks |
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| Another view of the cliffs and beach |
After crossing Elk Creek, we stopped at another pullout on top of the bluff near latitude N39.100 and longitude W123.707. This is about 5.7 miles south of the last stop at Cavanaugh Grade.
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| Note the line of whitewater signaling submerged rocks |
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| The beautiful, rugged coast of California |
Another 30 miles down the coast and just south of the town of Gualala, California, the Gualala River flows into the Pacific Ocean. A massive sandbar directs the river flow north for about one mile before it meets the sea.
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| The Gualala River turns north before meeting the ocean |
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| Blackberries beginning to ripen on the beach |
Our next stop was at a pullout near the entrance to the Stillwater Cove Regional Park. This location is 21.7 miles south of the Gualala River and near the mouth of Stockhoff Creek at approximately latitude N38.547 and longitude W123.297. This is between Ocean Cove to the north and Stillwater Cove to the south.
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| Sunlight filters through the trees |
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| Evening shadows begin to form on the cliff face |
The next breathtaking landscape was near the top of Russian Gulch at sunset. The location is near latitude N38.742 and longitude W123.159 at an elevation of about 400 feet.
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| Highway 1 twists and turns its way down to the sea |
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| Sunset glow |
Our final photo stop of the day was at a pullout just south of Russian Gulch near latitude N38.462 and longitude W123.142 at an elevation of about 220 feet.
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| Even without clouds, the afterglow of the sunset was magnificent |
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| The cone shaped rock is a good reference point for finding the location |
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| Twilight with what appears to be two clumps of feather reed grass |
If you have the time, the coast drive is definitely a better alternative than the inland Interstate 5.
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