Redwood Forest- Part 2

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be an ant, so small in a world that is so big? This adventure makes you feel like a little ant, in a big huge world (probably more so when you're only 2 feet tall as it is). We started the day in Kalamath and came across the biggest ox there is. It was Blue & Paul Bunyan at the Trees of Mystery. You can check out the giant Paul Bunyan (can you see me on his foot)and his Ox Blue, along with a wilderness trail and sky trail. The trails have a fee, so we just got an ice cream at the museum and got some pictures with Paul and Blue. I feel so small. Check it out at: http://www.treesofmystery.net/. Even Paul's hand cart is huge.

The drive up (or down) the coast, is amazing. You never know what you're going to find. Though not as big as Blue, these Moose were still amazing to check out, especially because they were calmly grazing right off of the Hwy in someone's yard. Cool!!!

As we were driving we wonder how those large cliff rocks (that once again made me feel like an ant) came to sit out in the ocean. Well a quick pit stop at a rest stop provided the answer. If you can't read the small writing, it says in essence: as the tectonic plates collide, 150 million years of sediment on the sea floor are shaved off and faulted upward to become rocks and cliffs. Pretty cool if you ask me.

And finally the view of Crescent City!We didn't spend much time there, but did drive out to St. Georges point, mostly to stay near the ocean. The point is a great place to take a walk by the ocean. It seems the locals agree as many seemed to take their morning walks along those trails.

Next off to the Jedidiah Smith Redwoods. As usual we decided to take some back road of off Hwy 199. After passing many hiking trail heads we found the perfect spot for a picnic right next to this beautiful river. (Perfect shot of our car for a commercial, don't you think, anyone from Land Rover reading this?)

After a quick, but peaceful hike through the gigantic trees (which once again made me feel as small as an ant) we headed back down the coast. Maybe next time we'll keep heading North, but for now back down to Eureka. The perfect end to the day came with a stop at the beach to watch the sunset, not to mention the jacuzzi at the hotel in Eureka.

Redwood Forest- Part 1

Our next adventure took us to the coast of Northern California. For three days we explored the coast and the beautiful Redwood Forests that surround it.
View Larger MapInstead of starting our tour from the top or the bottom (which would have made sense) we started from the middle. Early one morning, not so long ago, we left the warm beds in the Trinity Area and headed west. But as you've probably noticed, we can't just take the easy route (you miss way to much), so we found some back roads. If your interested and have the time this is the road I recommend:

• Coming from Redding take the Hwy 299 along the Trinity River to Willow Creek.
• Continue following the river up Hwy 96 to Weitchpec.
• Start up Hwy 169, but turn left shortly and cross Martins Ferry Bridge to Bald Hills Road.
• Bald Hills Road goes straight into the backside of the Redwoods.
  View Larger Map

What a beautiful drive: from the small towns and rivers off of the Highways, to the bridges and gorges, to the beautiful foliage and views up into the mountain, and the erie fog as you approach the coast. It does take sometime, but the journey is half the adventure!
Right off Bald Hills road we made our first stop to view the majesty of the gigantic redwoods at Lady Bird Johnson Grove. Here there is a one mile loop trail, with great informational plaques and brochures, we just took a quick look, but still loved the peaceful calm that surrounds the area.

Bald Hills Road ends into Hwy 101. We stopped just south for a quick lunch in Orick, and then headed into the Redwoods. There are hiking trails and side roads throughout. For those drivers out there, I recommend taking Newton B Drury Scenic Parkway through Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. There is a great little visitors center with informative displays and free maps! (Check it out at: http://www.nps.gov/redw/. Throughout Prairie Creek there are plenty of hiking trails, many that head to the coast. But this time we took the drive. Now if you want a bit more adventure, your car can handle it, and you've still got some daylight left, then take the Coastal Drive off of the scenic parkway. It loops up and meets with Hwy 101 after some good, narrow dirt roads. We started our drive a bit late and lost all light about half way through. When the fog rolls in and the visibility goes down to a few feet, it becomes the perfect setting for a horror story. (We could hear the ocean, but only saw blackness.) But no horror here, just some adventurous driving. (We did do the drive again the next morning to check out the beautiful coastal view)!We made it to Kalamath that night and settled down at the Ravenwood A Motel, http://www.ravenwoodmotel.com/. With charmingly decorated rooms, friendly, informative owners, a comforting environment, and good prices we highly recommend this great motel.

That's all we could fit into one day, so stop by later this week to read about Part 2 of our Redwood Adventure!

Lassen National Park

If you're ready for a back road exploration of some beautiful countryside, come on an adventure of Lassen National Forest in Northern California.
View Larger Map Coming from Redding, take Old Hwy 44 east straight to the entrance of Lassen Volcanic National Park. Due to our poor planning (we made this trip in early November) the main road through Lassen had already been closed for the winter thanks to some early snow the week before. But have no fear, there is still an adventure to be had. Even though we couldn't take the whole road, we did go as far as Manzita Lake. We had a nice pit stop at a small river to check out the scenery. Ahhh beautiful, but a bit chilly. There was still snow patches on the side of the road. If you want to plan your trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park be sure to check out: http://www.nps.gov/lavo/ to see if the road is open.
To continue on our adventure we continued East on Hwy 44. Had a quick lunch around Old Station, continued following Hwy 44, until we cut south on Mooney Rd. Heading east on Hwy 36,we came to Lake Almanor. The water level seamed low, but it was still beautiful. After exploring the area around the north side of the Lake, we headed into Chester. We found a colorful, yummy diner and a hotel to spend the night. If you want to plan your trip to Chester, check out: http://www.chester-lakealmanor.com/

Some of our favorite adventures take place to and from our destination. We wanted to end up back in Redding, but where's the adventure in taking the main road, or worse going back the way we came, so we took out our trusty map and found some back roads heading generally our direction. [If your up for the ride, and preferably have 4 wheel drive, (especially this time of the year), then follow our back road find.] As you leave Chester heading east on Hwy 44, take Hwy 89 South. A few miles down turn off the main road onto Humbug Rd. (the names weren't on our old map, but the roads were there) and shortly thereafter head right on Humbolt Rd. A quick conversation with a hunter leaving the forest, who assured us that this would eventually meet up with a main road (and recommending that we had a spare tire), we felt good about our choice of back roads. This turned out to be some beautiful driving through Lassen National Forest. This road takes you through a peaceful meadow, by old ranch barns, and up to the top of the snowy summit. Just before we hit the main road we stopped at a rural campground just outside of Butte Meadows, to play along the river. Mom & Dad even braved the slippery logs.

What an adventure. It's amazing all of the different terrain and foliage you can see in one day. If you want to check out more about Lassen National Forest, check out: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/lassen/. Have you had any good back road adventures?