The massive and eerily silent volcanic lands of
northern California
have more in common with Oregon and Washington than with the rest of the state. Its small settlements live by logging, fishing and farming, though locals have been joined in recent years by New Agers, ex-hippies, and an ever-growing contingent of tourists. Once you're past the atypically lush valleys of the
Wine Country
, the
coast
stretches for four hundred miles of rugged bluffs and forests. Aside from the beautiful deserted beaches that stripe the coast, trees are the big attraction, thousands of years old and hundreds of feet high, dominating a landscape swathed in swirling mists. The
Redwood National Park
teems with campers and hikers in summer, but out of season it can be idyllic. The remote wildernesses of the
interior
can be enchanting, especially around the
Shasta Cascade
and
Lassen Volcanic National Park
.
Public transportation
is, not surprisingly, scarce, though Greyhound buses run from San Francisco and Sacramento up and down I-5 and US-101.
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