From San Francisco to Seattle in Chugga Boom

Getting out of San Francisco

The coastal route from San Francisco to Seattle is a drive of just over 900 miles. It offers a diverse range of towns, spectacular scenery and a chance to taste a slice of small town America. Although there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the coast, much of the road is slightly inland, so it isn’t a case of driving along and having a view of the ocean the whole time. The most difficult bit of the trip is getting out of San Francisco. I drew the short straw and was the designated driver for that part of the trip. My first time driving an automatic and an unfamiliar city was a combination I found somewhat challenging and I did worse than a nervous learner driver on a bad day. Driving across Golden Gate Bridge was a relief and my driving improved.

The car was a Chrysler PT Cruiser. I have always thought they look like a cross between a London Taxi and Chugga Boom (the car driven by the Ant Hill Mob in the cartoon series Whacky Races). The car served its purpose, but I wouldn’t want to drive one of these strange vehicles on a regular basis.

We broke the trip down into five legs. This allowed us to take several short stop-offs on the way to each over night destination and arrive at them in the late afternoon to early evening. There were certain attractions that we didn’t have the time to fully appreciate, such as the coastal wilderness of Point Reyes National Seashore or the redwood forests. Enjoying the hiking and photography opportunities required a couple of extra days that we did not have.







The north California coast
The prettiest village of the whole trip was Elk, it has a population of a couple of hundred people. The village is dotted with clapper board houses which have picket fences and the main street has a lovely old church. Take the cars away and it could be a village from a century earlier. Mendocino is just as pretty, but larger with more facilities. It has an arty independent feel to it and apparently is home to some artists and writers. Both Mendocino and Elk are built on cliffs which provide good views of the ocean and they have accommodation options for the tourist.

Our first overnight stop was something of a contrast to Elk and Mendocino. Fort Bragg wasn’t arty or particularly pretty and in places felt a bit more like wild west, than west coast. On the edges of the town there are a series of drive-ins, motels and supermarkets. We opted for a standard motel. We did a bit of exploring and soon got talking to the friendly locals, but there wasn’t much doing, so we decided to eat at a diner attached to the motel, called TWs. We didn’t have high expectations, just to get some basic food in clean surroundings. TWs failed even to meet the low standards we had set. The place needed a deep clean. The most off putting thing was the staff uniforms which were covered in dried-on food. Looking back on it we must have been hungry and tired to have eaten there.
A typical seascape view



Mendocino

Fort Bragg

From California to Oregon

North of Fort Bragg is the tiny village of Westport, it has a small motel which gets some good reviews. There is nothing there really, but I understand it is a great place to have a sunset picnic on the beach. Another option for a place to spend the night in this area, is the Howard Creek Ranch Inn. This place looks full of character and charm, but has varied reviews. Reading between the lines of the reviews, I think it is a case of going with realistic expectations.

Beyond Westport the scenery is a combination of redwoods and seascapes. The beaches on this stretch of the coast are spectacular and have lots of rocky outcrops. Many of the towns on the immediate route lack charm and are ugly, but one town that is worth spending some time in is Eureka. We made the right choice in choosing Brookings as the next overnight stop. I’d recommend the Best Western Beachfront Inn. As the name suggests it overlooks the ocean. It is just across from a decent restaurant called the Smugglers Cove and short walk from a pretty harbour.

The Oregon coast

Driving north from Brookings there is a good stretch where you have a view of the ocean as you are driving along. The beaches are good to walk on and have lots of interesting rock formations. Bandon is a small seaside town which offers a good lunch stop. There is a choice of places to eat. We opted for fish and chips at a tiny little kiosk, which was doing a roaring trade. The owner periodically popped her head out of the window to see if people were enjoying their lunch.

Further north the coast changes totally and there are vast windswept sand dunes. The road comes inland a little on this stretch of the highway and it isn’t possible to see the dunes as you are driving along. Eel Creek is a good stop to experience the dunes. The sea is miles away and we were the only people on the dunes, had it not been for the nearby forres it would have felt like being in the middle of the desert. Walking around is hard work because of the very soft sand, the wind and the steep dunes. Well worth the effort though and quite surreal.

Our next overnight stop was Florence which is one of the larger towns along this part of the coast. It has lots of historic buildings and good range of shops. It was a good option for an overnight stay. North of here there are plenty of places to stop off and enjoy a happy hour or two. Yachats is a tiny coastal village which has a pleasant sleepy feel about it. Newport is a larger town, which we would have stopped at if we’d had more time. We made the mistake of stopping at Seal Rock, which is a pile of tourist nonsense. We didn't see many seals, but did see lots of tacky souvenirs. Rockaway beach made for a good rest stop with its long white sand beaches.

Me on the windswepts sand dunes


Rockaway Beach

A night in Astoria
The final overnight stop before Seattle was Astoria. We stayed at the Holiday Inn and were delighted with the size of the room and the view. The town has a new development by the waterfront front and we had a satisfying meal at a recently opened wine bar and restaurant. In conversation with the waiter we found out that he was soon to visit London so gave him some bar and restaurant recommendations. On the way back we went to a local bar. On walking in it was obvious this wasn’t a regular haunt for tourists, but we were not made to feel out of place. A guy came over to us and to our amusement said “Gee you two stick out like two sore thumbs, where are you from?” We engaged in conversation and he insisted on buying us a drink. He seemed pleased that we had done what most tourists don’t do and go into a local bar. It was a fitting end to our last night in a small west coast town. The following morning we were on our way back to a big city, Seattle.