Skip to main content

Day 1 - Is Cheaper Gas Really Worth It? Why No, it is Not.

We are going on our first real trip (not a BBQ competition) in our fifth wheel.  Fourteen days traveling from Sacramento up the coast through Northern California and Oregon over to Portland and then back home down I-5.  Being from Northern California, I do not refer to it as "The 5".  Packing for an RV trip is definitely different than packing for a month in New Zealand.  For the NZ trip I was very particular about what I brought.  Everything needed to serve multiple purposes.  For this trip I haphazardly threw things into the RV.  Six pairs of shoes?  Why not?  Three jackets: rain, warm and cute.

Today is our longest day of driving: 234 miles from Sacramento to Garberville, CA.  We started out this morning full of excitement, only to hit traffic within 20 miles of home.  It turns out that when people are driving along the freeway and they see a sign for "Guinness Book of Records World's Largest Corn Maze" they must slow and gawk.  Google saved us a few minutes by detouring us through the lovely farmland and orchards near Dixon.

We stopped for lunch in Healdsburg for a much deserved margarita and Mexican food.  Towing an RV is stressful when cars don't merge like a zip.  Agave Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar was a great find.  The Chili Ancho margaritas had a nice zing and they were not skimpy with the tequila.  They also make their own margarita mix so it was not overly syrupy or sweet.  I had Mom's Special chicken mole enchiladas with rice and black beans.  Nice hint of cinnamon in the in dark, chocolate brown mole.  Shawn had a Mexican pizza al Pastor.  It was a giant charred tortilla slathered in black beans, pork, cabbage, avocado, and thinly sliced radish.  It was beautiful.



Continuing on our journey, we decided we should find some diesel prior to arriving at our campground.  I installed the GasBuddy app and searched for the station with the cheapest  diesel. $2.75 seemed like a bargain; however, Google could not find the station.  We looked for the next station and Google said, sure that's only a few miles away.  You would think we would have learned  from our New Zealand adventure...never turn down an unpaved road.  A quarter mile down the gravel road, Google indicated we should drive down someone's private drive to get to the main road.  We thought better of that and Shawn deftly backed up a quarter mile down the gravel road (the grape vines were lovely).  Three point turns are not a thing when pulling a fifth wheel.  We made a pact then and there...no driving down unpaved roads no matter what Google says!


Highway 101 past Willits is beautiful with tall redwood trees.  We finally arrived at our first destination: Benbow KOA in Garberville.  A nice little campground off 101. We will stay here one night before heading up to  Patrick's Point in Trinidad, CA tomorrow.

Agave Mexican Restaurant & Tequila Bar:  5 stars
Benbow KOA:  3 stars

Comments

Unknown said…
I look forward to reading about your adventure and about more margaritas!
Unknown said…
Was that only a quarter mile, felt like six going backwards...

Popular posts from this blog

Sounds Like a Fiord

At 7:00 AM we were standing in the rain waiting for our bus to Manapouri and our final destination of  Doubtful Sound in the Fiordlands.  We switched to a ferry to cross the lake, and then back to a bus  to finally reach Doubtful Sound.  The sound got its name when catain Cook got close to its entrance in 1770.  Fearing he would not be able to sail his ship Endeavor back out, he noted that it was Doubtful. We travelled through the fiords for 3 hours.  The rain was a curse and a blessing.  There are only a handful of permanent waterfalls in the sound, but when it rains there are waterfalls everywhere.  If it had stopped raining (which it did not), our guide said the waterfalls would be gone within 4 hours.  So we had low visibility with the rain and mist but lots of waterfall sightings.  The pictures do not do justice to the beauty and vastness of the fiords.  You'll just have to trust us, or better yet plan a trip! We g...

Boulders, A Castle, and a Bunch of Churches and Fancy Buildings

I was probably a little harsh about the B&B last night.  We got up this morning and Norman and Stephanie had prepared a lovely "Kiwi Lite" breakfast for us.  It is their take on the continental breakfast, but Norman said he can't call it that if they're not on a continent.  The table was laden with fresh raspberries, rhubarb, fruit salad, granola, toast, yogurt, cheese, butter, cream, custard, and jams.  Then they passed around hot cross buns.  We shared the tiny dining room with two couple from China.  One couple from Hong Kong spoke English and told us about their trip.  They left their one year old son with the grandparents so they could take a 2 week holiday. On the way from Oamaru we stopped to view the Moeraki Boulders on Norman's recommendation.  The boulders jut out from the beach.   Scientists explain the boulders as calcite concretions formed about 65 million years ago. Crystallization of calcium and carbonates around charg...

Best Husband in the World

My day started out with a surprise.  As Shawn was walking around Matamata this morning in search of coffee (either a long black or a flat white), he found a patchwork shop.  The owner was very friendly and showed me her selection of New Zealand designed fabrics (of which a few are coming home with me).  She said quilting is popular in New Zealand and there are many guilds, but many shops are closing because it is cheaper to buy fabric on the Internet. We drove to Rotorua to see the thermal geysers at Te Puia.  Lots of bubbling mud, steam, and the occasional spouting geyser.  I've noticed the parks in New Zealand are very well maintained with paved walkways and informative signage.  Its probably obvious, but I must mention it was hot, humid and smelled of sulfur. They have carving and weaving schools to teach the younger generations the age old art.  The designs are very intricate. We stopped in t...