The Redwoods

Home base for the next few days is just north of Eureka, CA. When we pulled into Mad River RV Park, we actually got excited because there was green grass between the campsites! Which meant space between the campsites. Two things we haven’t always had.
 You have to be thankful for the little things. . .

 Saturday morning found us driving 20 miles north to Redwood National Forest. The morning started out really overcast and foggy and we wondered if we would be able to see any trees. By noon the fog had dissipated and much of the drive to and within the park was along the coast with great views. This was the first time we can recall that a park was both a National Park and a State Park. We stopped at the visitor’s center to get expert advice on what to do and see within the park. At every National Park we have been to on this journey, we have found the park rangers to be kind, helpful and extremely knowledgeable.

 This girl was no exception. When I asked where do we pay (or in our case, show our annual pass) to enter the park, the ranger said Redwood NP is a fee-free drive-through park, like the Smokey Mountains. We didn’t know that. (there are several hiking trails, not nearly the amount at other parks we have been to on this trip.) She circled several places on the map and the last one was Klamath River Overlook for whale watching. Whoa. . . did you say whale watching? We came to see the Redwoods and you are throwing whale watching into the bargain. . . for free?  Our cup runneth over!

 Our first stop was Lady Bird Johnson Grove. This was an easy, beautiful, 1-mile trail through the towering trees. The grove was dedicated to the former First Lady in 1969 by then president Richard Nixon in recognition of her efforts to preserve the natural beauty in America. Even when you know that redwoods are the tallest trees on the planet, you still stand at their base, looking up in awe. The sunlight filtering through the leaves only enhanced the effect. And the circumference of the trees is as impressive as their height! There was a small trail guide with numbered stops, each explaining a different segment of the eco-system the redwoods live in. At one time, the redwood forest covered the Pacific coast from southern Oregon to Big Sur, California. Today, less than four percent of the growth remains. The giant Sequoias are a redwood species. 
So many of the trees we saw were scarred by fire. Wildfires clear out the dense ground cover in the forests and give new seedlings the chance to grow. The composition of the bark enables the redwood to survive, even when scorched up to 100 feet high. The scarring leaves behind natural hollows that looked like tepees or forts – a kid’s adventure land.

 There were very few people on the trail. It was quiet and peaceful, with no wind or bugs. We did pass one family of 4 and I asked if they would like me to take their picture. They were very grateful as they were mainly just taking pictures of the 2 kids. It was a great picture – I told them it should be their Christmas card this year. We had walked on, about 20 yards and the little girl came running up to me and handed me a bouquet consisting of a leaf, a white flower and what looked like a shamrock leaf and said “Thank you”. Those, along with the pictures of my daffodils and tulips blooming in my yard back home that Matt texted to me this morning might just be the best Mother’s Day flowers I have ever received.

 After the walk through the grove, we drove to Elk Meadow. Here there was a small herd of Roosevelt Elk in an open meadow, paying no attention to the people stopping to take pictures. A side road through the park was a scenic byway. I read that certain roads are given the designation “scenic byway” because they are in and of themselves, a destination for people. This would be true of the 17-Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula and is true of the Drury Byway in the Redwoods. If you were not able to walk to the Lady Bird Johnson Grove, no problem. This road was lined with redwoods, all visible from your car. We did make a stop to walk a short distance to see the 3rd tallest redwood, appropriately named Big Tree. It is 304 ft. tall, has a circumference of 68 feet and is estimated to be 1500 years old. Most of the redwoods in the park are between 600 and 800 years old.

 At the northernmost edge of the National Park lies the Klamath River Overlook. The Pacific Ocean was in front of us and the Klamath River behind us. Our binoculars were back in the motorhome because we didn’t think we would be whale watching when we left. We never saw one completely breach out of the water, but we saw their spouts and saw one swimming just below the surface of the water. Klamath boasts quite a salmon fishing population. On our way back to Eureka, we stopped at the small village of Trinidad to see their lighthouse. According to a plaque on a rock, it is the oldest city in northern California. (I have not lost my knack for stumbling across "the oldest this or that") I have mentioned before that there are several places I could honestly say, “ I would never get tired of waking up to this view.” Well, I just added Trinidad to that list. This Northern California coastline has a beauty all its own, which has taken me by surprise.

 We ended the day grilling out at the motorhome. Red meat instead of red beans!

 Due to the holiday, there will be no post on Sunday. I’m taking the day off. Hey, it is hard work trying to relay to you on a blog page the incredible sights and sounds of this beautiful country we live in. So, Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mother’s reading this and to those no longer with us. A special greeting to our mom Patsy. Everyone says they have the best Mom in the world, but Mike says how can that be when he and his siblings have the best Mom?! And I’ve been blessed with the best Mother-in-law ever. I agree with my brother-in-law Greg that Patsy is our favorite Mother-in-law!

 Pictures today are: the Redwoods, which surely aren’t as impressive in these photos, believe me; the burned trunk of a redwood; the warning sign at Elk Meadow; the Roosevelt elk; the base of Big Tree; whale watching at Klamath River Overlook; the Redwoods sign; us at the Trinidad lighthouse; and other shot of the redwoods.