Crescent City to San Francisco

Eclipse Road Trip Day 10 - August 23, 2017 (Wednesday)

Redwood to San Francisco

We would be driving quite a long distance today so we started early on our way out of Crescent City. After a home-cooked Chinese breakfast of porridge we checked out of the motel at around 8:30 this morning. ChC wanted to go to Rumiano Cheese Factory in town to get a fill of his favorite cheeses but they don't open until 9. So, we drove over to the lighthouse again for a short stop and see what it's like in the morning. It was low tide still but not as dry as the evening before and the thick fog made it even harder to see across. So, no photos taken.

After waiting a few minutes for the cheese factory to open, we quickly picked out what we wanted and soon on our way south. It's redwood country all the way, passing through a couple of state parks. A beautiful drive indeed!

Driving through the redwood forests (Del Norte)...

and coastal areas along the Redwood Highway in foggy weather.

Trees of Mystery, Klamath

Right before crossing the Klamath River to Redwood National Park, we came to this must-stop place by the road side, with the giant statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe standing tall next to the parking lot greeting tourists.

We like to stop here for a break even though we have never done the gondola ride or actually went inside the park.

This was what we were here for. Parts of this Paul Bunyan sculpture can move and when the time is right, someone could be talking through the loud speaker as Paul.

This huge gift shop is quite an interesting place, with lots of unusual merchandise that tourists would want to take home with. They even have canned raccoon!

Hmmm... interesting!

Tour Through Tree, Klamath

We came here last year when driving north to Seattle and thought that it was fun, so naturally we wanted to bring our visitors here for the ride. This time, there was a lady taking admission fees at the entrance. For $5 you can drive up the privately owned property to the tree and test your driving skill. We barely made it this time with this van after pushing the side mirrors inward. Anything bigger than a 7-passenger van would not go through. We did it twice and got enough photos and videos of the drive. This is an easy on and off from Highway 101 to Highway 169 (Klamath Glen Road).

Redwood National Park

Getting off Hwy 101 onto the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway is where we headed next to the Redwood National Park. This park is a very popular tourist destination needless to say. It's always amazing driving through the park among these giant redwood trees. It was quite busy in the park on this particular day. There are many hiking trails inside the park with signs posted. I was too lazy to even get away from the van so I just took a few pictures nearby.

I did followed the others for a walk to the Big Tree though.

Big Tree

Unfortunately we did not see any animals this time around. A few years back when we were here in the morning, there were a lot of elks roaming around the Prairie Creek Visitor Center area. I suppose you need to be there at the right time of the day for animal viewing.

behind the Redwood visitor center south of Orick

towards the beach area

With the wind and cold weather, we quickly finished our picnic lunch at the picnic area and continued our drive to San Francisco with a stop at the Eureka Costco for gas. We hit heavy traffic near Leggett but after that it was smooth sailing all the way to complete the long drive to our destination for the night--San Francisco. 

Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco

Before reaching San Francisco, as we passed through Golden Gate Bridge, we were not able to see anything because of the heavy fog so we did not stop for any photos. This was also the first time we crossed the bridge from the north without stopping at the toll booth. They have changed their system and we just had to pay online within 48 hours after we past through the bridge. You can also pay ahead, online. Everything is clearly explained on their website here.

We have stayed here at the Holiday Inn Express Fisherman's Wharf in 2013. That time we were put in a room in the back of the building on the second floor with a lot of noise from the street level. This time we got lucky, and we were on the third floor facing North Point. Even the rooms seemed to be larger and we were told that we had been upgraded as platinum members. Nice! The only thing was the outrageous parking fees. $58 for guest valet overnight parking in their underground garage, plus tax! Came to over $60 just for parking alone. Parking until 6:00 pm the next day with in and out privileges. Good thing we had the IHG annual free night awards for the rooms to make it easier on our wallets. BTW, there is also a Holiday Inn next door which seems to be bigger but we have never stayed there before.

Forgot to turn on all the lights in the room.

Hyatt across the street.

Much better!

After settling in, we went out to look for dinner. This hotel is just two short blocks from Fisherman's Wharf main area which made it very convenient. We planned on walking to Pier 39 and check out the restaurants along the way before deciding where we should feed our tummies.

Pier 39 at night.

Quite busy still.

After checking a few places, we decided on Pier Market. Prices seemed reasonable and business was good which is an indication of good food.

Crab Stand outside of the restaurant.

One side of the open-kitchen. The 'grill' kitchen is on the right by the window.

Grill kitchen

Good lobsters.

Fried seafood to share.

Some kind of blackened fish.

Clam Chowder in a bread bowl.

Too much food!

As we walked back to the hotel after dinner, we were attracted by the aroma of baked bread from Boudin Bakery. Just had to stop for a look.

Alligator, bears and turtles on display.

freshly baked bread

Fisherman's Wharf at night.

Back to Holiday Inn Express. No fancy entrance. 

lobby

We will spend some time touring beautiful San Francisco tomorrow.