Well, here's the story. On our way to Scotia, a wheel sheared off the fiver so we spent a night right along CA 101 about a mile south of where CA 1 meets 101. Didn't really sleep too well since the guy that came out to see what we needed to fix the situation asked us, right before he left, if we had a gun. Oh, that made me feel so safe! Anyway, after a rather uncomfortable night sleeping in the truck with 2 birds, a dog and a cat, we decided to skip the Avenue of the Giants and come on in to camp (Strafford RV Park) to get a good night's rest. I realize the Avenue drive must be spectacular but we saw some absolutely beautiful sights right along 101.
BTW, 101 was a pretty nice drive...until we lost our wheel, lol. I think the twisty, turny sections stressed an over-torqued wheel.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Very helpful and did a lot to put my mind at ease.