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Last weekend I proposed to Susan and our daughter that we take a day trip to the coast. “Yes!” Kelly exclaimed, and they both quickly agreed it was a good idea. So it was that on Tuesday May 5th we headed out at 9am to take a day trip to the California coast.
Trip Considerations
As written in my previous post and considering the current “stay at home” orders by the state of California, we wanted to make this trip as responsible as possible. It was important to minimize contact with other people, especially outside our home area. We estimated we would be gone for nine hours. This meant we needed to bring food, water, and a full tank of gas. We thought we had thoroughly planned out our trip and would reduce or eliminate contact points during our travel, but that was not the case – which I’ll touch on later in the post.
Beautiful and Rugged California Coast
Items we brought with us included a cooler with drinks, lunch, and snacks. In case we could take a walk on the beach, we also brought flip flops, hats, sunscreen, and a couple towels. Another consideration was to have a jug of water and hand soap so that we could stay clean, along with hand sanitizer and face masks incase they were needed for some reason. Again, the plan was to not be in close physical proximity with anyone if at all possible.
Our Ride for the Day
Where We Went
We talked about what area of the coast to visit. I suggested an area that was a little more remote as we wanted to avoid crowds and congestion. In the end we decided to travel through the Napa and Sonoma wine country areas and then up Hwy 101 to the turn off for the Russian River road. This road meets California Highway 1 at Jenner, a small community on the coast where the Russian river empties into the Pacific Ocean. From there we planned to go north for about an hour and on up to the Timber Cove area. Fort Ross State Park is also in that area and it’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit.
Our Trip Route
The weather was sunny and breezy and driving on a Tuesday made the already light traffic even less congested. Our last trip before the shelter in place orders was visiting friends in Petaluma, which is also located in the Napa area. Susan and I spoke about how different the world was now verses our last visit there, just a mere two months ago. Driving by the Russian River was also beautiful. From Interstate 101 you take the River Road two lane highway until it merges with State Route 116. It is a gentle windy road that follows the contours of the Russian River and then proceeds through the assorted small communities that subsist next to the river.
Russian River Road into Highway 1
At the end of Highway 116 is the California Coast and Highway 1, the famous two-lane highway road that runs north and south and follows the jagged California coastline. Here sits the small town of Jenner California, a sweet and casual coastal town with beautiful views of both the Russian River and the Pacific Ocean. After driving through Jenner, we turned north up Highway 1 and pulled over to have lunch.
Traveling along “the 1” there are numerous rest areas and lookouts so that motorist can take a break, or even have access to the beaches and the pacific coast along the highway. Unfortunately, all of the beach and coastal access pullouts were blocked off and closed for our day trip. I understand the arguments for doing this, but I really think it was unnecessary in this remote part of Highway 1. As to be expected, all public park facilities were also closed.
Beach Access Closed
It was after lunch that I discovered the one oversight in our day excursion. Susan asked, “hey where do you think I can visit a bathroom.” Humm, I hadn’t thought of that one for this trip and what an oversight. With most businesses and state services shut down there was not a lot of choice of facilities to use. We eventually found a gas station with porta potties and took care of our business. Still, I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of or planned around that issue.
Lunch in the Cooler
After lunch We finished our drive up to Timber Cove. Highway 1 and the California Coast is always magnificent, and it was great to get out and see the natural beauty of the coast. The Timber Cove Resort is situated directly off of Highway 1 and it looked like a rugged but charming place to relax and stay. It’s definitely on our list for a future visit.
Final Thoughts
After being at home for the last two months it was nice to be able to get out and enjoy some scenery. Having said that, I also don’t know if I would do this again before travel opens up. Traveling during a public quarantine has many restrictions and the biggest one is that most things are not open. No restaurants, no cafes, no state parks. It’s just not that fun when many of the things you want to see and visit while traveling are not open. We were very disappointed that we couldn’t take a walk on the beach and basic amenities such as public restrooms are also much harder to find.
Even so, we enjoyed getting out and we were glad we took the trip. It was good to see something else other than our immediate neighborhood. The surreal circumstances surrounding this day trip weren’t lost on the three of us. This is what living through a pandemic is like. I’m sure my daughter (who is nineteen years old) will remember this day throughout her life.
Great Day to Be Out
