Day 17

With only half a days driving to do today we dawdled a bit setting of this morning. Clare managed to cook up a scrumptious breakfast just using the in room microwave (even boiling water for the required cup of tea in the microwave!) Back in the car we lost more time getting the camera set up for some more time lapse footage. The pathfinder had a handy roof bar to attach the camera to, the Yaris did not, but eventually I was able to attach it to the wing mirror and we were able to set off. We drive along enjoying the occasional glimpses of ocean, and the riveting scenic roads. As we approached a town, we were able to safely summer there was a good viewpoint just ahead... The locals had painted onto the road a large arrow, and OCEAN VIEWS in large letters, on a rise so that out could be clearly seen for some distance away. We pulled of and followed the arrow. The effort was not wasted, the view was awesome and we took done time to sit and appreciate it. Spotting an opportunity, I ford up my laptop to see how the camera position was... Success! It seemed to have captured some good shots, but was on the wrong side for the best views. With the camera switched we carried on before Clare got too frustrated with my technological tinkerings.

The road more wound among the coastal edge again, with more and more small rocks sticking out of the water. Visibility was much better today, and the coast line was fantastic.  Barely fairway thought the days driving, a warning light came on on the dashboard. Hoping it was nothing serious, Clare dug out the manual while we pulled into a supermarket to buy lunch. The light was a warning the tire pressure was low somewhere do with for shopping done we pulled over to a garage where the law about pumping your own petrol seemed to extend to everything and an attendant checked the tire pursue and inflated 1 tire. The light went off and we moved off to carry on driving. Less than 10 minutes later, the light was back on. We cane of the road into a car park and checked it out... The same tire was sightly flat again, and closer inspection showed we had a nail in it. A had no idea what we'd need to do with a rental car, and started emptying the boot to get to the spare tire. A lot of work late and we discovered out was a temporary tire! Not wanting to have to replace 2 tires, we packed everything back up and drove back to the last town. Is speed a sign for a public library with free wifi where we'd be able to call Hertz and get instructions. Unable to remember where I'd seen the sign we drove around town for a while before spotting the sign and parking up outside the library.

20 minutes of bouncing around calls centres and we then get told we just need to swap the car out... The nearest location is 100 miles away... In Eureka! We're told to keep driving with the tire still on, if it goes flat to swap to the temporary. Its going to take us longer a little longer to get there with the temporary tire but we can do the swap over tomorrow so not to rush. Having lost 2 hours we get back on the road, and finally criss the border into California. We've made it!

First of our planned tourist stops is a tree top gondola ride, looking at the redwood trees the area is known for. We strive at the carpark at 4.30... And discover they closed at 4. What rubbish luck. We start looking for a place to stay for the night, really wanting to do the tree walk. Hoping from motel to motel is the last straw for the nail plugged tire and it flattens completely. Pulled over on the side of the road, we start unloading the boot again to get the temporary tire out. As I start jacking the car up, a friendly Californian turns around and pulls up to assist. Assisting very quickly turns into insisting and he takes over the heavy labour... We're not going to complain or get in his way! Soon we curbed over and he hurries off, back to finding someone else to interfere with. After throughly checking he did it correctly, we pack up and continue our accommodation hungry. Now we're on the temporary tire, we don't really want to go too far of we dint need to and return to one off the closest options. It has no kitchen or internet, but its a lovely little cabin and we'll be comfortable for the night. With the new gas stove set up on the counter, we're able to cook a delicious dinner - only slightly worried about carbon monoxide poisoning ourselves! We stay safe by ventilating the area, and that ends or day.

Tomorrow, we'll have to start early. With a tree top adventure, a drive to the tallest tree in the world, and then getting the car changed over...its going to be a busy day!