The indigenous people of this area believed that this is the Center of the Universe and that it was created when the first Redwood tree was planted. The aboriginal peoples of Australia believed rivers were created by giant versions of the Kangaroo dragging their tails across the land. Perhaps when that first pot of spaghetti came to a boil?
Hard to know but what a wondrous area this is! Where huge Redwood groves and mountains meet the sea. We started the first day with a drive to Crescent City. The city gets its name from the crescent-shaped harbor. There are two lighthouses, one near-shore and another further out on a rock.
Bonus round for the Jakester! He found a long-dead seal carcass to roll in! He smelled less like something dead and more like a horse!
We also spotted Bigfoot nearby! I can totally see him living in the giant Redwood forests and coming down to the beach every once and a while!
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
Later that morning we took the advice of the campground and wound our way into the rear entrance to the state park. We marveled at the rear door!
I marveled at the size of these beautiful trees. I had come through this area 45 years ago and remember how impressed I was then.
I imagined I was in the Entwood of Middle Earth and they slowly started to move! High in the Redwoods talking to the Trees 😎.
We spent the rest of the morning driving through the park. I put on some Kate Bush at one point – listening to her amazing, expressive voice while gazing at these wonders of nature brought me to tears. It was like I was in a dream.
The trees were alive and talking to all of us. Their speech is so slow and long for creatures such as us with such short life spans.
We crawled inside a hollow tree for an interesting view!
We did a hike at Stout Grove which lead down to the nearby Smith River. We were both exhausted by the end!
On the way out we drove through a beautiful wooden bridge. I wondered why it was here. The design was stunning – some architect’s dream I suppose.
Tolowa Dunes State Park
The last excursion for the day was a hike near the ocean close to the campground. We found this state park with a walk in the dune forest.
It was interesting and thick with mosquitos. As long as you kept moving you were ok!
We arrived home late and were both exhausted. The good news is that most of Jake’s stink had worn off from the day’s activities! We slept well!
Day 2 in the Redwoods started out with a synchronization error between the forecasted and actual weather. The former showed a sunny day ahead. The reality turned out differently as the fog never quite lifted closer to the ocean. We tried again to find some access to the cost that didn’t require a strenuous hike. So we looked at more trees. Even bigger ones!
Our first stop was along a stretch of 101 that popped out at the coast. Beautiful black sand beach with large driftwood logs.
We then drove part of the Coastal Scenic drive around the Klamath area. The land here is maintained by the local indigenous people the Yurok. Part of the area was designed as Ceremonial Grounds. Off in the distance, a Harem of Seals (seriously, I looked it up!) was resting on the long sand spit. It is a beautiful spot!
Driving further south, we drove the road through Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. The road ran roughly parallel to 101 but through some very old-growth redwoods that dwarfed (almost) the trees we saw yesterday. The highlight was the aptly named Big Tree about 3/4 way through the tour. Despite the weather on the coast, the area was clear and bright,
We stopped at the Big Tree for a look and a short hike through the groves. The trees, some of which were over 1500 years old, made a lot of the ones we saw yesterday look like youngsters! Stunning!
We stopped in the local Visitor’s Center there and scored some great merch! We abandoned any hope of seeing a sunny coast and headed north back to Crescent City.
We had a great couple of days where the Giant Trees meet the rugged Pacific Coast. Back at the campgrounds I found a suitable tree to hug and told it that I loved it. They were here long before me and will be after I return to star-stuff. I guess that makes me a tree hugger. I like it!
The next stop is another revisit – this time to Crater Lake – a relatively short drive from here.
