Day 35: Redwood Highway, Avenue of the Giants, and a Night at the Historic Benbow Inn

Traveling has taught me that planning is both a blessing and a trap. Without a plan, I scramble last-minute for accommodations, which have ended in disappointment. With too much planning, I find myself stuck—committed to stops that maybe didn’t need to happen at all. It’s a delicate balance I still haven’t mastered.

Today was one of those days. I’d originally planned to stay in Mendocino, but as I mapped out the drive, I realized it would take five to six hours without stops. Add in coastal view stops and Redwood National Park detours and at least part of the Avenue of Giants, and it would easily stretch into eight or nine hours behind the wheel. Too much. I needed an in-between stop.

Eureka and Arcata were options, but they were barely two hours from Crescent City—too soon to call it a day. A little farther south, Garberville appeared on my lodging search. Small, unassuming, but perfectly placed. So Garberville it was.

I left my Airbnb reluctantly before 10 a.m., already missing the comfort it had offered. A quick stop in Crescent City gave me a chance to snap a few ocean photos. The coastline was beautiful, but after several similar stops, it all began to blur together. Even the redwoods, as awe-inspiring as they are, risk becoming repetitive if you try to take them all in at once.

I pressed south, pausing only for a photo at the “Redwood National Park” sign and deciding against dog-unfriendly trails. My first real stop was in Ferndale, a charming victorian farming town. I strolled its main street, hoping to find lunch, but nothing caught my eye. Back on Highway 101, I passed through Fortuna, another small town full of character but not somewhere I could imagine myself settling.

By the time I reached Eureka, I knew I’d made the right call not to stay overnight. The hotels were clustered along busy roads, and the city lacked the draw of natural beauty or charm I was looking for. I filled up at Costco, then continued south.

The Avenue of Giants more than lived up to its name. Acres upon acres of towering trees, their sheer size almost impossible to take in. For a while I was spellbound, craning my neck to glimpse the tops, marveling at the silence and age of it all. But eventually, even here, I caught myself thinking: once you’ve seen one redwood grove, you’ve seen them all. Maybe it was road weariness, maybe just the pull of home.

By 4 p.m., I rolled into Garberville and checked into my hotel. The town itself was small, with little around besides the hotel, but staying at the Historic Benbow Inn made the stop worthwhile. The grounds were beautifully kept, and I found myself intrigued by the history woven into the building. While I usually prefer the comfort and clean lines of modern furnishings, sometimes it’s worth stepping outside my comfort zone to experience a place with a story. This was one of those times.

It was still early, then I thought to myself, I could have made it an extra two hours down to Mendocino. But Garberville was quiet, unremarkable, and perhaps what I needed. A simple evening—dinner, rest, explore the grounds of the historic hotel, bed—before pressing on toward Mendocino tomorrow.

Sometimes, travel days aren’t about dazzling sights or perfect discoveries. Sometimes, they’re just about making progress, mile by mile.