Crescent City Road Trip 2017
Those who know us will know only too well how much we love a road trip. It's not just about the sights along the way, sometimes it's about the movement, the constant change and distance travelled. In July 2017 we hit the road again to make a 5000 km road trip to northern California. The weather was incredible for the whole trip, constant sunshine meant all we had to do was choose where to visit without worrying about conditions. We began by stopping off at Lundbreck Falls in southern Alberta, 200 km south of home on highway 22.
Just 20 km along highway 3 toward Crowsnest Pass we stopped again at Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, we've been here a couple of times now but this time made a short hike in the hot sun above the slide and into a small meadow filled with wildflowers. Frank Slide was a huge rockfall that slipped from the north side of Turtle Mountain in 1903 and buried the small mining town of Frank beneath 90 million tons of limestone. Fatalities were high due to the event occurring at 4am. Between 80 and 90 people were killed and remain buried beneath the rock to this day. From the slide we continued another 20 km east on highway 3 to the town of Fernie where we stopped for lunch.
After lunch we continued east on highway 3 for 200 km to the small town of Creston where we were stopping for the evening. After settling into the 'Sunset Motel' we drove 30 minutes north to the Kuskanook boat launch on Kootenay Lake to watch the sunset. While there we saw a local dog leaping in and out chasing sticks, we were also eaten alive by midges for the time we were there as we had left the bug spray at home....oops.
We had breakfast in Creston before heading south to the border crossing at Rykerts, there was no traffic at all and we were soon on US 95 south. We stopped in at the town of Bonners Ferry because we saw a small market from the road and as we needed to get US dollars we decided to go to the bank here and visit the market. From there we rejoined the highway and continued south to Sandpoint Idaho where we stopped at the beautiful little City Beach Park.
After sorting out our dollars and splashing around in Lake Pend Oreille we made a 3 hour jaunt through Idaho and into Washington via the Spokane Valley. We stopped for lunch in the town of Kennewick on the Columbia River and after collecting an A&W fast food takeaway in the town we went to Columbia Park for a picnic in the shade,
We continued south on I-82 for just 30 km before turning on the the more scenic US 14 that runs beside the Columbia River on the north bank. We stopped at a viewpoint for John Day Dam and dangled our feet in the cool river water from a floating dock which was so hot we could hardly sit on it.
We crossed the river from Washington into Oregon and went straight into our hotel there, sited directly on the riverbank it has wonderful views and easy access to the river. Once settled we headed 15 minutes west to Rowena Crest viewpoint for sunset. The sunset itself turned out to be a bit of a wash out with smoke from wildfires drifting across the sky but the view along the river was fantastic. While there I had hoped to make a light trail shot of the road leading to the viewpoint but there was just not enough traffic. Fortunately we met a photographer called John Rinehart, and after talking a while we worked together to create a lovely light trail shot. I took my truck with all lights blazing and drove that particular section of the road a couple of times while Sarah operated my camera from the viewpoint, then John took his truck and did the same while Sarah operated his camera. Together we were able to generate enough light to create the shot you can see in the gallery below. It was great to meet a fellow photographer 'in the wild' and collaborate to achieve the desired result for both of us and it made a perfect end to another great day on the road.
After a good nights sleep and an excellent breakfast at the Shilo Inn beside the Columbia river we continued our journey south using US 197 (the Dalles - California highway). If I had known the wonderful view of Mt Hood we would get from the highway I would have started out before sunrise to make an image, but I didn't, we just happened upon the view soon after starting out. We could also see Mt Adams over 100 km north and though I made images I would love to return here for sunrise and repeat the shot in better light. After 3.5 hours on US 197 we stopped at Diamond Lake Junction Cafe for lunch before turning west on US 138 to staggering Crater Lake. Adding Crater Lake to our trip made for a long day but it was worth every second.
From Crater Lake it was another 3 hour drive through the wonderful scenery of Cascade Gorge, Grants Pass and the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park before arriving at our coastal hotel just north of Crescent City. After settling in to our suite the sea view from the balcony was too much to resist and we headed out to Clifford Kamph Memorial Park just 2 minutes from the hotel to watch the sunset.
We began our first day in California with a walk on the breakwater and city pier at Crescent City, mainly this was to kill time until the sea har had rolled out. Once it did we made our way to the Redwood Forest and walked in the shade of these incredible giants. Road closures meant the trail I had intended to take was closed but we soon found another and enjoyed the morning in the dappled light of the forest.
In the afternoon we returned to the Clifford Kamph Memorial Park and splashed about in the sea for a couple of hours, but our intended trip to Crescent City for sunset was forgotten when we got back to the hotel and had dinner, we called it a night and hit the casino instead, coming out with a nice $200 windfall.
The sea har cleared out early the next morning and we hit the beaches all day beginning at Tolowa Dunes State park where we built rock structures around a redwood carcass on an enormous stretch of beach we had all to ourselves. When we finally pulled ourselves away from the park we went a couple of miles south to Point St. George and stopped for a nice cliff top hike and some rockpooling. After that it was on to Crescent City for a fish and chip lunch and then another short hike to a high rocky outcrop close to the harbour. After looking around the harbour we headed back to the hotel where we could freshen up before returning to Crescent City for sunset.
All too soon our California break was over and we were back on the road, with a long days drive we reluctantly opted for the interstate over the coastal highway. The coastal route from Crescent City to Portland was going to be 2 hours longer than the 6.5 hour interstate route and when we got up this morning the sea har along the coast made the decision for us, we headed for the interstate. Heavy congestion around Portland added an hour to the journey but we arrived in time to go and explore a little bit locally. We opted for highway 30 in the hope of visiting a number of waterfalls and 'Vista Point' for sunset. Unfortunately the highway was closed due to roadworks, we did manage to visit one pretty impressive waterfall before heading back to the hotel, stopping for dinner at a nice local restaurant along the way. All in all it was nice to get the journey done and settle in for the evening, there will be other sunsets, and coconut creme pie with coffee sounded better this evening. All of the images are of Multnomah Falls just east of Portland in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge.
We left Portland the next morning and enjoyed a beautiful drive through the Columbia River Gorge calling at the 'Bridge of the Gods' and Cascade Locks before stopping for a snack at The Dalles (where we had stayed on the way south). We then took highway 14 east to Columbia River State Park and made a short hike to a small waterfall in a tight canyon there where it turns out shorts were a poor choice for me, I got back to the truck with 1001 scratches on my legs from the local vicious briars. After the leg ripping stop we made the rest of the journey to our overnight hotel in Spokane Valley, Washington. Once settled we hopped on the interstate for 30 minutes to Coeur d'Alene and visited the city beach and park for sunset.
The final leg of our journey from Spokane to Cochrane was broken up with another stop at the beautiful city beach in Sandpoint Idaho. We walked the beach and harbour again before walking into town, shopping on the main street and stopping for thick milk shakes in the shade of a street cafe. The whole trip rounded out at 4500 km (2800 miles) taking my truck perfectly to it's next service interval which Sarah booked in as we drove home. The journey was a good one again and even holiday traffic didn't hold us up. Once back into Canada we headed north to Radium Hot Springs where we had our evening meal before carrying on through Kootenay and Banff National Parks and home to end another fantastic road trip.