We were not interested in hanging out our “campsite” along the side of the road any longer than we had to. We packed up quickly, trying our best to avoid the thorny plants all around the car and hit the road. As always, we were on the lookout for the closest place to get our morning cup of coffee. We came upon One Log House Espresso & Gifts in Garberville. They had coffee, baked goods, and lots of redwood souvenirs. The coffee was good but the scone was just ok. I think I got spoiled by the one I had a few months back in Wyoming. Right next to the shop is a home built inside a giant hollowed out redwood tree you can tour for $2. We were kind of intrigued but we skipped the tour and just looked at photos of it in the gift shop.

Armed with our coffee, we got back on the road. We drove through beautiful Westport and Fort Bragg stopping often for pictures. We can’t get enough of the gorgeous ocean views. While in Fort Bragg, we stopped at Mendocino Cookie Company for more coffee and wifi. We got a sunny spot by the window where we could get some work done and enjoy our coffee. They had a large variety of delicious looking cookies and seemed to do a pretty brisk business. We stayed until our two-hour parking expired, then kept driving.

We wanted to start looking for a place for the night a little sooner so we could find something a little nicer than the night before. We stopped at Mendocino Headlands State Park thinking it might be a possibility. We took a nice little walk out to the beach and explored a little. It actually looked like a decent place to stay but it was not clear if overnight parking or camping was allowed so we moved on.

Freecampsites.net helped us find a pullover in the state park that allowed overnight parking. There were no facilities but it was free and the view was beautiful. A few more travelers joined us over the evening as we relaxed in the back of the jeep.