It took 11 hours to drive from Orange County to Shelter Cove, CA
Click to get a map of Shelter Cove



Since we left at 5 AM, we were there by 4 PM and had time to take in some of the local flavor (which left us with indigestion). We had planned to camp on the beach, but conditions were stormy so we stayed that the cheapest motel we could find. It was the type of place where you feel more comfortable sleeping in your own sleeping bag rather than their bed.



The next morning, a shuttle picked us up to drive us two hours and 25 miles north to the mouth of the Mattole River. I took Dramamine, but Keith got bad car sickness. Henry seemed car sick too. It was a beautiful drive, but by the time we reached our starting point, the skies had clouded over and the wind was blowing hard. It was a hard 8 mile hike to Randall Creek, out first camping spot. We were walking into the wind and were on and off the black sands beaches. At one point, we were stuck on the wrong side of an outcropping at high tide and had to climb over slippery wet boulders to reach the other side. That night, snug in our tent, it rained hard.



The next morning, the temperature had dipped into the 40s and the rain was relentless. Nevertheless, we packed up and set off. We had only scheduled 8 miles for a whole day of hiking, leaving plenty of time to take pictures and enjoy the surroundings. Unfortunately, we had to keep moving at all times to avoid hypothermia so we hiked hard and fast. Despite the rain, the scenes were great. We passed a sea lion rookery, encountered numerous banana slugs, and saw many beautiful sweeping vistas. The hiking was easy, along well maintained cliff trails. We reached camp at lunchtime and were dangerously cold and wet and feeling pretty miserable. We set up the tent and shivered for almost four hours before warming up. By that time the rain had stopped and the skies were clearing. A gentle wind began to blow our clothes dry and our moods cleared with the weather.

We slept hard that night and woke up to bright sun for our final day. The last day was 8 miles of strenuous beach hiking. Sea lions followed us in the waves as we walked. They seemed fascinated with Henry. They taunted him by popping out of the water and then splashing away as he curiously approached them. Henry thought they were the funniest dogs he had ever met! We reached the car mid-afternoon and drove home leisurely, stopping often to check out little shops and cafes.



We are home now, resting for a day before returning to work tomorrow. We highly recommend this trip as a May-October trip (dry season).