A motto we have adopted on the road is, "Visit popular places at unpopular times." That's what we did in January 2024 when we left the mild temps of Orange County, CA (where we had returned from Arizona on New Year's Day) and headed north of Los Angeles. Our final destination would be the redwoods near the Oregon border, but en route to see these mammoth specimens of biomass we'd stop at various points of interest. Sticking close the Pacific and avoiding interstates, our preferred roadways would be Highways 1 and 101. The trip promised to be a loosey-goosey excursion--our favorite kind!

The benefits of going up north in California in January were many: uncrowded highways and no problem parking our 21-foot-long van, Morgan. Also welcome: ease in reserving campsites, even in state and national parks. Cool temperatures for comfortable hikes. Oh, and no flies or mosquitos!

The downside of our wintertime excursion: unpredictable weather. Bundling up at times to ward off cold and wind? Check. Having to turn the heat on in the van at night, and awakening to condensation on the windows from high humidity? Yes, indeed. Frequent rain, not usually the horizontal kind that douses campfires and sends everyone scurrying for shelter, but misty, enveloping moisture that spells Rain Slicker and bad hair days? Affirmative. Add to these meteorological challenges the road closures, street flooding, detours, and construction (winter being when coastal highway crews are active and roads are most likely to fail), and you might ask, Would we make this trip in January again? Heck, yes!

What follows are some of the highlights of our amazing journey to Central and Northern California. Hope you enjoy the pics!