Escape To The Redwoods
 

Tomorrow morning we're meeting up with other members of the Jaguar club for a 3 day road trip through the Avenue of the Giants, which runs through Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...e6e2221cdf.jpg

That's where the famous picture of the Model T going through the tree was made. I'll try to get Nix to pose but no promises.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...7c0368081b.jpg

Nix is anxious to go, she's been ready for a couple days. She's looking forward to meeting some of her cousins she hasn't seen in several months, some of them almost 2 years!

There will doubtless be Loads of pictures upon our successful return.
(';')

That should be a ball. I've never been in that grove. But, yes, in others,
somewhat closer to here. Majestic is the best word I can come up with to describe them.


Factoid: They rely on the moisture in fog as much or more than the root system for sustenance. So, the drought has stressed many of them.


Looking forward to an illustrated story.


Carl

Have a good trip.

Sounds like fun.

Have a good trip. Should be able to get some stunning pics.

Actually, fellas, we got back yesterday evening. I'll get it all written up tomorrow probably as I've been playing catch up with my work today and I don't work Fridays anyway.

I will tell you this, just thinking about that 3 days driving Nix on highway 101 (twisty, hilly, curvy mountain highway) between Upper Lake and Ferndale at 70+mph makes me smile and giggle!
(';')

The Drive!
 

Monday morning as scheduled we met up with other participants at the agreed upon spot in Williams (convenient for everyone, about the same distance from where we live, and Sacramento) and proceeded along highway 20 to Upper Lake, where our Tour Leaders live.

Highway 20 is a mountain road, narrow in places, but there are passing lanes on almost every hill. One can have a Lot of fun driving it if one has a car that does corners and hills (and corners on hills) well.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...6a8ddafbb7.jpg
Even though we have been over to Upper Lake more than once, these official club drives are led by a member; in this case our Activities VP. He drove a newish XK. Another member couple brought their Outback, which she said belonged at the end of the line as it wasn't a Jaguar. So it was the XK, Nix (Xj6) and the Subie Outback to start out.

This twisty, winding mountain road was merely a hint of what was to come.

After a quick lunch in the Tour Leader's (herein after referred to the TL) Lovely back yard we were on our way to lodgings among the Redwoods, the goal for Day 1. Our TL grew up in this area, drives 101 from the Bay Area to Ukiah on a regular basis and knows this road Very Well. Not only that, he likes to DRIVE his Jaguar (2001 XK8 coupe) to it's fullest capability.

You've heard it said, "Getting there is half the fun." Usually that's a Colossal lie but not in this case. When we got on Highway 101 the fun began for me. I've driven 101 before, following this same member in March 2014, from their house to Santa Rosa for another club activity. Nix was in great need of front suspension bushings (and other things) at that time so, although it was a fun drive, I spent a lot of time fighting the car. Not so this time!

At first the VP was right behind the TL but having followed him already for an hour, and seeing how badly he drove, I was determined not to have to watch that again. So I put Nix second in line where I could not only see good driving but experience the road to the fullest. With that the VP fell into 3rd place, and then 4th as an XK8 convertible also passed him up. Now he was only in front of the Outback and another Brand X driven by the club's past President.

Now TL and I could do some Driving!

Some parts of 101 are very sedate;
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...feaca812a3.jpg
It's a full blown freeway, divided most of the way, and almost all of it 4 lanes. And it's Very Fast! The only exception is through the town of Willets, where it's 2 lanes, 35mph with non-synchronized stop lights on almost every corner. They are finally starting to by-pass this place and it should be completed in a couple years.

But i digress........

Most of the road looks like this!
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...6ce6a0c82f.jpg
or even this...
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...7c2f543941.jpg

It follows the Eel River in all its twists and bends. It's a Great road for a well sorted Jaguar! Long, sweeping curves that lend themselves to speed. Short, tight curves that make your rack work hard! It's a Grand Road, and has become my #1 favorite! It makes me smile just thinking about it!

We stopped for a break at the Benbow Inn, which is a historic landmark in Garberville.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...a0a3dc21a6.jpg

It's a Lovely old place. Has a Very nice private bridge out back and a lovely lower patio area.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...9b981b1ec5.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...3585d138e5.jpg

But they were under some construction and a bit pricy. It's good we hadn't planned on staying there.

A few miles farther up the road (I was having a Great time already!) was the small town of Miranda; blink and you miss it. Almost literally. Here is where we were to stay.

Miranda Gardens Resort:
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...25291d78f0.jpg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...69736fbbf5.jpg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...d5a8564460.jpg

Once you get past the ho-hum front, the cabins are absolutely Charming:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...0282a51d10.jpg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...5a4c2c5d67.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...4e090c354d.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...f6f9a87198.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...ba22ccf8be.jpg



https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...70c6efed4a.jpg

Their back yard was fun too:
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...4785811bcf.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...c5f8c1a584.jpg
and a hiking path for those so inclined. However, as we were planning on hiking quite a lot through the trees, we didn't go any farther than the photo-op.

The Jaguar lineup:
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...37a535eb36.jpg

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...d9be1a38ce.jpg

And on to the trees.

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Visitor parking is on a large paved area with walking trails in a loop. Everyone can enjoy these as they're not the least bit arduous. Even the member with the recent hip replacement had little trouble getting around with her cane.

It's impossible to adequately display with mere pictures the scale of these trees. Superlatives become boring. One Must experience it for themselves.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...ded7ad9cf7.jpg
Lilliputians.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...10d059fa5d.jpg
Keep looking up and up and up until your neck hurts.

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The obligatory Photo-op. That guy is our TL, he's 6'2."

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Fallen long ago. We saw a lot of this, and much newer falls. This is a living breathing forest.

in 1964 a weather disaster occurred in the Eel River valley, wherein the water was 40 feet above the road bed. This is one of the high water markers.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...4f62a190e1.jpg

Some members spied a blackberry patch and we lost them for a moment,
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until the TL called time as we had other things to see and our supper was waiting.

Cats lined up at the high water marker.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...52e26ea361.jpg
Notice Nix is in her proper place, and the convertible has dropped its top. It was an absolutely Lovely day for a drive through the trees; top and windows down. Nix was happy I got her windows fixed for this occasion and purred all day.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...41d51ca5e4.jpg
You see the difficulty with scale in this place.
As I mentioned, this is our TL who is over 6 feet tall.

In case you can't read this sign;
Height of this tree; 346.1 Feet
Diameter at the base; 12.7 Feet
Circumference; 40 Feet
Height to Lowest Limb; 190.4 Feet!

Tuesday evening some of us ordered Pizza from the place up the street and ate in the large Gazebo across the driveway from the office. It's a Lovely structure.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...b79ad51950.jpg

Afterward we all gathered around a fire pit provided by the resort, and eventually other guests joined us, several families with young children.

In the beginning we flamed a few marshmallows, some made S'Mores, we all had some wine or beer, some brought champagne, and we talked cars, trees, how lovely our lodgings were, what a Grand time we' had, how it was an Awesome road.
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At least 3 members (one of the wives!) complemented my driving (may have been more but the champagne was Really good), which means quite a lot to me because all had been around road racing, one had driven professionally for a while, and one still drives Pro. But I was just having fun! The best fun ever!

And then it was Wednesday morning, our last day. I took another walk through the resort to snap some more shots.
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https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...2e60e49f4d.jpg
I discovered a second Gazebo besides the large one up by the office.

The Tunnel Tree
After checking out we made our way to the tunnel tree. Husband got a good shot of the inside of the tunnel, a bit of a tight fit as you can see, and if you look closely, you can see where someone has scraped the side!
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...5ae2dcde52.jpg
That's our TL just gone through. Next it was Nix's turn.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...ea0c6b4d59.jpg
Right here, just almost not enough room to escape, is a tourist trap which trapped several of us. Some bought t-shirts for their grandkids, I just bought earrings.

Our VP came along after Nix and I, and after that they left our group and headed home, as did the convertible, the owners of which were celebrating their 35th anniversary. The TL, the Outback and Nix went on to the gas station, where I found a couple cute little noses peeking out from a line of big uglies!
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...366ab98629.jpg

And then we were back were we started 3 days ago, at the TL's house.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...bf3e75d5ec.jpg
See Ya!
(';')

Tons of fun. Enjoy it. A great story, well told and illustrated.


Print those pictures and stow them? Or down load to disc and store.
But, one wonders about the latter. With tech moving on, will one have
an old computer to read them???


From time to time, I've looked at our old tech paper albums. neat adventures stored there. From the days that cameras used film!!!!


Carl

Thank you, Everyone,
It was Awesome! Great Enthusiasm and Enormous Panache were the driving rules of the trip!
(';')

I finally got around to the calculations:
721 miles covered,
41.08 gallons of fuel used,
making for an average of 17.6 mpg!

Considering the road and the way I was driving, we're Very satisfied with that!
Nix is Such a good girl!
(';')

Elinor:


Those numbers as driven would suit me just fine. No feather footing, huh???


No trip computer in NIX to tattle as you go, huh!!!


The one in my SIII is nuts. It gets GM data ands thinks it is Jag data.
Almost hilarious. So, to me it is merely a clock!!!


The one in my 94 Jeep Grand Cherokee is far more sophisticated. A bit distracting, not good, to select modes. But, one show MPG in real time. Kind of fun. lead foot and the numbers go way down, not that much jump from it's 4.0, 6, though!!! Feather foot and/or down hill and they get astonishly big.


One can play games, compare the tach numbers to the MPG numbers....


But, nowhere near as fun as into and out of curves, seeking the proper line, within limits of the center stripe, of course. Light throttle in, add a bit or a lot on exit.


We have a challenging curve on a nearby road. Rather sharp left, down hill and reverse camber. Fun if dry. But treacherous if wet.
Grooves help, but still gets a lot of folks. Too much brake and oh, oh!!! Best, no braking.... Enter too fast? Steer gently and pray.
Brakes will do you in. I've not thought enough as to the effect of ABS
in that situation. Jeep has it, of course, the Jaguar does not. But,
pushing the limit is not the Jeep's forte.


Oh, I was looking at the cut log with over 6' in diameter. Cut way back, in pre chainsaw days!!! What a two man buck that must've been. And, even in more recent times, one h... of a chain saw!!!


In a way, tis a shame that those downed giants are just rotting away and not put to use. But, just mebbe they are in nature's way. "ashes to ashes, dust to dust", nutrients for the growing Sequious (sp).


That part of the country reminds me of Ruidoso, New Mexico. Big
pines there. The rental cabins were far more primitive. But, just right, it seemed. Extended family went there that way. When as a late teen, we went and camped out. T Ford, or the last time in Billy's ex USGS 40 Chevrolet....


Carl

Thank you, Carl,
Those downed trees help to wrap one's head around the scale of these giants. They're Coast Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens), different species from the Sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum), which are shorter but a Much bigger diameter.

There was a plaque stating that this is the only commercially logged Redwood forest on the planet, and that all Redwood products originated there. We drove through only a very small part of the entire forest, the commercial operations are kept far away from this touristy area. I was around logging operations for a bit before college, and it's Not a pretty sight. Tourists and tree huggers wouldn't like it one bit!

No, None of us were "feather footing!" Our TL set the pace (having a Lot of fun with his foot in it) and it was up to the rest to keep up. (I had No trouble at all!) However, before we left a parking lot he informed everyone where we were going next and about how far in case they lost sight of us. Most lost us at least for a short time.

In summer when I drive Nix quite a lot and we get down the road Just Fine; she and I become one! She looks through my eyes to see the next curve, where to enter, where to hit the apex and where to exit! Then she just follows what I see. Sir William was right; she's as close to a living thing as I've ever driven.

Then when I have to drive the Sonata, what a let down! It's too tall, too high off the ground, and even though it handles Way better than Wart did (2001 Ford Windstar) it still takes some adjustment after driving a well sorted Jaguar. I take Nix every chance I get!

Fortunately, weather will be good for some while yet, so there's plenty of Jag time left in the season.

I think the Jaguar trip computer would be an annoying distraction in a very short time. The Adequate Vehicle came with one, has a multi-layer screen. I only use it for the odometer layer. I'm glad Nix doesn't have one.
(';')

yeah, I've thought of swapping the radio and trip computer, radio up, computer down. I pay more attention to the radio. and that isn't much.
1 or 2 stations or a cassette.


Leaned something. good thing, always. Two Redwoods. And, I think they have a fast growing cousin, oft referred to as a redwood. A Deodar. We had a giant one, Deodar, in a front yard of a past house in SOCAL.


Going to have to chop out two big limbs of a Bay in the front yard here. Seems like four trunks intertwined as a sapling. Should've been pruned to leave the dominant one. PO's did not do. so, two of those trunks have expired. Drought and old age?


I'll cut them off as neatly as I can and do it safely. Then a whole lot of clean up.




Off to errands. Jaguar weather...


Carl
Carl
Carl

sounds like fun ,envious.

Redwoods and Deodar are a members of the rather Large Cedar family. Hence the similarity.

From your previous postings, Ron, I perceive you would Positively Love this drive!

I Highly recommend it for any well sorted Jaguar, but not for a 'high profile' Toyota, Chevy, Dodge or Hyundai. This road would have made mince meat of my Sonata.
(';')

Elinor:


Thanks for the lesson in Botany. A green thumb is not within my lexicon!!!


Gold in them that hills: Not long after wifey and I returned from Germany, we and my parents went to Ruidoso. Durn near new daughter along as well. Dad, Ellen and I went for a walk in the woods.
Mom stayed back, enthralled with the baby girl she always wanted!! Poor Mom, she got me and my brother!!!


We stopped to rest and admire the tall pines. A rivlet meandered along. Ellen was enthralled. Gold??? Yeah, little yellow dots in the sands!!! Busy, getting them out, "nugget by nugget". "We are rich"!!!


Dad and I. Gold just mebbe ??. Not likely, more like quartzite, aka "fools gold". We had a look. Much more mundane! Copper BB pellets!! Spoil her fun? Not for just a while. When, explained. into the dog house. It took a few years til she was able to "forgive" us and join the joke. Sure miss that gorgeous blonde Fraulein. But, we had a lot of fun, some with cars, some with out!!!


Carl

..

how about a NEW Corvette??

what year your Sonata, they have come along way in past few years, 2014/2016, 2.0T GDI.

New 'Vette might do it, probably would, because it's low and wide. Sonata is too narrow and sits too high.

I know everything Sonata is tuned to a gnat's eyebrow and handling is a quantum leap better than, for example, a Ford Windstar, but it's just not the same as a well sorted Jaguar.

I freely admit my bias.
(';')

Heck yes i'm also biased with my XJS roadster V12.

but i know local guys who have some excellent tuned Sonata's ,also you may know that KIA Optima (same car as Sonata) has come lightyears ahead since intro.

check out K5 Optima store,or Kia Optima Kenetic.

The problem here is California's emissions laws. Basically, ya can't tinker with anything newer than December 31, 1975 no matter how emissions/performance improve. If it ain't stock (as it came from the factory) it's an automatic fail, Unless one obtains a certificate of absolution from the BAR, and that is Not easy to get (someone already did that dance with Nix long before she came to me)!
(';')

.

gotcha , you dont live in a free state! shame.


i have a 1978 Jaguar that has special TEXAS plate/tag/registration, does not have to be inspected by any state or local offices!

just renew every 5 years, as a classic /collector vehicle, cost $60.dollars!

of course i carry my own insurance thru Geico.