Day 6: Lumberjacks, Giants and a LOT Of Swearing

I'm A Lumberjack And I'm OK

The Somoa Cookhouse was fairly quiet on a Wednesday morning. The restaurant serves its meals lumberjack style, meaning long tables that seat 20 or so. And the menu itself couldn't have been simpler. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Literally. On the wall was written Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, with prices for kids and adults. That's it. Breakfast consists of eggs, sausage, pancakes and/or biscuits and gravy. I opted for just pancakes and sausage. No biscuits and gravy, I've thought they were gross. Delicious. It's an all-you-want kind of place, but one serving was enough for me - three big pancakes and 5 sausage links. All in all a great way to start the day. I was ready to chop some wood when I was done!

Getting Wood

Avenue of the Giants is the "old" Highway 101. The "new" Highway 101 is now 4 lanes, nice and wide and less winding through this area. It's a shame that most people by bypass this scenic alternate route. I dropped the top on the Mustang and drove at a leisurely pace through the Redwoods. Much closer than I'd have been on the newer freeway. Plus it's hard to appreciate the grandeur of anything when you're flying by at 65 miles an hour. I took it slow, stopped for a hike (and to see the remains of the Dyerville Giant which fell in 1991), pulled over often just to look, and all-in-all spent a couple hours among these magnificent trees. 

That's the base of the Dyerville Giant just above - a 17-foot diameter at its base. There were lots of felled Redwoods throughout the short hike I took. Others had been partially burned (from lightning strikes) and continued to live even semi-hollowed out.

Literal Log Cabin

The One Log House is one of those kitschy road-side attractions that make road trips like this one worth taking. It is literally a log cabin. One log. Singular. It once toured the country on the back of a flatbed truck but retired here long ago. Where it serves as a marketing gimmick to get people to buy coffee and souvenirs. 

FUCK SCENIC DRIVES!

South of the One Log House you can veer off of the 101 (the same highway I'd been on since Washington) for the start of Highway 1. Where the 101 turns in, the 1 hugs the coast. When planning my trip at home in the entirely cliff-free state of Iowa, that's what I decided to do, take the 1. That decision is one I soon came to regret. The next several hours were a stressful nightmare up steep climbs, steep drops, ridiculous twists and turns, with the roadway barely wide enough for two lanes of traffic with sheer drops of hundreds of feet down a cliff into the ocean on one side. Not a leisurely drive. I'm sure the views were nice, but I couldn't look. I had to focus. And I started getting cranky. On more than one occasion (probably 30 or 40 occasions) I glanced at the GPS to see the road ahead and said out loud "YOU'VE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME." I started an inner monologue of near constant swearing, similar to the near constant swearing I think of when I mow the lawn. FUCK RVS. FUCK "SHARNG THE ROAD" WITH FUCKING IDIOT CYCLISTS ON THEIR FUCKING BIKES ON THIS FUCKING ROAD. FUCK FUCK FUCK. By the time I reached Bodega Bay (Where Hitchcock's The Birds was filmed!) I'd had enough. I cut back inland to the 101. Which at this point was 6 lanes. Six glorious, nearly straight lanes. I could'e kissed it.

In-N-Out Burger

For years I've heard people I know rave about In-N-Out Burgers. So I figured as long as I was on the west coast I'd try their burgers out for myself and see if they live up to the hype. Well... they don't. It was OK. Nothing compared to B-Bops back home. I'd rank it below Five Guys as well. There was too much lettuce and not enough meat. Needed more sauce too, tasted like bread and lettuce for most bites. Better than McDs I suppose. But at least now I know. 

Jack-In-the-Box was also better. I had them for the first time last night.

And I've been given a lead for another burger chain I may have to try tomorrow.