{travelwell } by N O R A M O U N C E
THE REDWOODS ROUTE Trains on trails and bikes on rails offer a fresh perspective of Mendocino’s redwoods. Everyone has heard of California’s famous drive-through
Route. In 1925, CWR added motorcars to carry passen-
trees. If you’ve paid $5 for the experience, you know it’s a
gers, each outfitted with a gasoline-powered engine and
quick novelty thrill best enjoyed with a backseat full of kid-
pot-bellied stoves to keep travelers warm. Folks living on
dos to impress. Do it once, and you’re probably good. Yet,
the rail line nicknamed the motorcars “skunks” for the
the allure of penetrating the Emerald Triangle’s redwood
stinky blend of fumes that “you smell before you saw.” De-
forest persists. Who doesn’t want to experience the in-
spite the pungent reputation, the Skunk Train was a fash-
toxicating redwoods from a perspective typically reserved
ionable party on rails at its peak of popularity in 1930s.
for raccoons, owls, and bears? Other creative portals into
By the late 1980s, the region’s timber industry was in
the ancient giants include cozy treehouses like the One-
freefall and most American families owned a car or two.
Log House, a carved-out 7-foot by 32-foot “home” built
Like most historic railroads in the US, the CWR was in
inside a 2,100-year-old redwood. (The One Log Lounge, a
danger of being ripped up until a group of investors res-
permitted dispensary, opened next to the tourist attrac-
cued the adorable little Skunk. Today, the Skunk Train is
tion last year). Further north at the Trees of Mystery in Del
a world-famous tourist attraction that appeals to all
Norte, visitors can hop in a gondola for a bird’s eye view of
ages as it chugs along the rails with old-timey charm,
the famous forests. Ziplines through the redwoods have
an open-platform viewing car, and a bar car serving local
come and gone. Overall, the majority of the estimated 31
beer, wine, and snacks. A very family-friendly experience,
million people who visit the redwoods each year absorb
even Fido is welcome (with a ticket!) onboard.
the towering beauties from hiking trails and car windows.
After the train lumbers back into the Fort Bragg sta-
It seemed as though every angle had been considered. But
tion, it’s time to clear the tracks for the Emerald Triangle’s
in late 2017, a brand-new mode of exploration material-
newest immersive redwoods experience—rail bikes! The
ized right where we’d been looking.
new-fangled bikes debuted last August, making 2019 the
Stationed in the coastal city of Fort Bragg, the historic
first full season for the Mendocino County attraction. Just
Skunk Train dates back to 1885, when the railroad played
as the name suggests, each two-person motor-assisted
a pivotal role for the region’s robust lumber industry. Lat-
bicycle sits directly on the railroad tracks. Comfortable
er known as the California Western Railroad (CWR), the
leather seats allow two cyclists to sit side-by-side in a
train transported lumber and cargo through 40 miles of
slightly reclined position while pedaling (imagine paddle-
thick redwoods from Fort Bragg to Ukiah on The Redwood
boats without water!). But unlike a rowboat scenario, rail
26 MAY 2019 Emerald Triangle
