back! unfortunately....
had a blast!
the perfect Norcal trip. Mostly redwoods, rivers, and lakes.
That part of the state is really great.
Highlights: Lost Coast, small fast cold rivers with swim holes in the mountains, houseboat on Trinity Lake, and numerous remote spots and small lakes in the National Forests East of Redding...
Main camping lesson: weekends availability without reservations for the main / popular campgrounds (e.g. National Parks, main recreation areas) is likely to be impossible, but there are many campgrounds in the National forests that are without water and showers and much more likely to have sites available since the weekend warriors are likely to shun them. During the week, never had trouble finding a great spot in a nice campground.
Other lesson: on the lakes, the jet skis are like the quads on the trails or on the beach... 'nuff said...
Yet other lesson: it gets really old to store all the food, utensils, stove, and dirty clothing in the truck every night to avoid turning the camp and trailer into bear magnets... Gotta figure something out....
Still other lesson: must take fishing implements in that region. Everybody was out taking fishes everywhere....
One more lesson: for towing the trailer in the mountains, the 100 is a real pleasure. The 80 would have struggled in some spots.
Finally, a camping spot in old growth trees on the beach of a clear lake at 5000 ft can't be beat for sure....
Sorry I could not contact some of you who offered. Little phone reception where we went. Thanks for all the suggestions. They made the trip!
Going back again for sure.
