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