Roadtrip with Vincent to see the kids in California! June 9, 2026
- Richard Parker
- Jun 23
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 23
It was Tuesday morning and we were up at 6:00am to say goodbye to Mollie. We made our way to Victoria for the 10:30 sailing on the Coho ferry to Port Angeles. After a stop at Safeway, we were on our way along highway 101. We got to the rest stop before the big bridge into Astoria where Vincent popped his top (!) and Holly made a chicken stirfry dinner. The weather was awful! It was cold and rainy and very windy too! We enjoyed an evening inside the bus, playing crib and relaxing! The diesel heater kept us toasty warm!
On Wednesday morning, we drove into Astoria for gas and coffee. The plan was about 520 km for the day and the weather was perfect for it! Sunny, dry but plenty of wind to keep the driver attentive! Vincent tends to react to gusts quite suddenly and the corrections need to be quick!
We paid the $7.00 entry to Yaquina Lighthouse state park and enjoyed lunch (Asian chicken wraps) in the parking lot followed by a walk around the historic lighthouse and grounds. The views of the birds on Colony rock were amazing. Thousands of common Murre and Cormorants cover every possible surface. Two nesting pairs of puffins have visited in the past and there are a number of decoys intended to attract more!
We pulled over at an access to the ocean south of the lighthouse and enjoyed a 5 km walk on the beach. Oregon beaches are amazing.
Finally, about 7:30, we found a gravel turn out beside the highway for the night and Holly created an amazing chicken stir fry and rice. Thanks to Holly’s culinary skills, we eat very well on our adventures! Whether in the bus, the boat, canoe tripping, backpacking or at home, the meals have no equal!
It was windy! Luckily, we had a bit of protection but we needed to peg down the loo tent well!
Crib after dishes and an exhausted couple hit the sheets! The wind calmed overnight and the bonus was the view of the stars! Amazing!
Thursday morning was beautiful. Wall to wall blue sky and warm! The wind kept up all day but the scenery was endless and spectacular. We left fairly early and decided a restaurant for coffee and breakfast was in order. We found a restaurant called Foxy’s at the harbour in Brookings. Like many places, short staffed and hurried service led to a less than an ideal meal and we spent 2 hours at this stop!
Just after Brookings, we crossed into California. We passed through Crescent City, Klamath, Eureka and Humboldt Redwood State park before our turn at Leggett onto Hwy 1.
This is the third time that Vincent has negotiated this 20 km winding road to the coast. I hope the video provides some feel for this amazing road! If I wasn’t so busy braking, steering and shifting, I would have been daydreaming about the motorcycle! Maybe one day!
The drive along the edge of the cliffs on Hwy 1 through Fort Bragg and eventually Mendocino are staggeringly beautiful! We decided on a hotel stay that night so we could arrive showered and rested! We chose the Schoolhouse Creek Inn.
There was nowhere close for dinner, so we brought supplies in from the bus and Holly made an impressive dinner (and breakfast wraps in the morning!).
Today is Friday and we will see the kids later!!! We left the hotel around 9:30 and headed toward Bodega Bay. Today’s drive was about 3 1/2 hours plus stops.
We experienced steep climbs and equally steep descents, hairpin after hairpin and broad sweeping curves. We went through forested areas followed by open views over meadows of yellowed grass, toward a white capped ocean. We passed amazing beaches with gravel parking lots. We went through numerous small towns and passed countless things that begged a stop and inspection. Another time! We were anxious to see the kids! We stopped for lunch at Bodega Bay and headed inland to San Rafael.
Arriving around 4:30, we had a wonderful early evening catching up with Christel, Boaz and Neve. We enjoyed Neve's guinea pigs and marvelled at how good she is at socializing and training them. Isaiah worked until 6:30 and when he got home, we enjoyed a Japanese curry that Christel had made.
It was an early night and we enjoyed Bo’s comfortable bed! Thanks Bo for giving up your bedroom and super comfortable bed for a few nights!
On Saturday morning, Holly and I took Vincent down to Morgan Hill to pick Selina up and bring her back to San Rafael for two nights. We got back to San Rafael in time to see Boaz at fencing practice. He is a talented fencer and enjoys the sport.
After fencing, we re-fueled at a local Poke restaurant and had bobba drinks. There was a thrift store close to the restaurant and they gave up a few of their treasures to our group!!!
Sunday came and after a quick breakfast, we were on the road to a place near Bodega Bay where a stocked trout pond provided entertainment for kids and adults alike! We were joined by Christel and Isaiah's friends, Kevin and Lauren and their kids Charlie and Rosy.
Nine fish were caught and Selina caught the largest at 17". It was Selina's first time fishing! After the fish were cleaned and put on ice, we headed to a seafood cafe on the coast called The Fishetarian on Bodega Bay! The kids love seafood and Selina had a raw oyster!
Back in San Rafael, we enjoyed dessert and a visit from Isaiah’s parents, Sam and Jane. We are so grateful that they drove over from SanFrancisco!
Monday was Christel’s birthday! It was also the day to take Selina home. Because we only have 3 seatbelts in the bus, and we had Selina, Bo and Neve with us, we rented an SUV and drove to San Jose. After an hour or two of playing at Emma Prusch heritage farm park, Adi joined us (thanks for the ice creams Adi!). She took Selina and we drove back to San Rafael to prepare the trout and get ready to celebrate Christel’s birthday.
We had an amazing trout feast and we were joined by fellow fishermen Lauren and her girls! We sang Happy Birthday, enjoyed candles on a muffin, opened a few gifts and the night ended with two exhausted travellers collapsing into Bo’s very comfortable bed!
Tuesday and sadly, it was time to leave and head home. But first, we went for a short hike with the kids and enjoyed Jumba Juice afterwards. We were on the road mid afternoon and got as far as Leggett. We luckily found a vacancy at a State Park and had a quiet evening. There was a walk to the river where people go swimming. It was too late for a dip but the exercise was great after sitting in the bus for a few hours. The hike to the river and back was about 1.5 km and very steep!
After waking on Wednesday morning, we enjoyed breakfast at camp and got on the road by 9:00. It was a 620 km (380 mile) drive day and we made Yachats, Oregon before running out of steam. We got lucky again with a stay at a State Park that we will visit again! There's a short 10 minute walk that goes under the highway to the beach and there are free showers! Campsites are private and quiet. Holly made an amazing beef stir-fry and the evening ended as usual with crib and a glass of wine.
We got up earlier on Thursday and were on the road by 8:00! This was following a bacon and avocado toast breakfast and a short beach walk! Today was another 620 km all the way back to Port Angeles. This was the first day of three daily sailings and we were on the 9:30 boat and back home by 1:00pm.
This was an epic trip and we had a lot of fun spending time with the kids. Here are a few extra pics!
