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Crescent City, California

Today we said goodbye to Crescent City, a place we thought to pass through and ended up staying for a while. If you only you drive through Crescent City on 101, you see a depressed town who’s main industries have moved on. But, if you venture down the side roads off 101 you find history, redwoods, beaches, bluffs, rocky overlooks, 2 amazing lighthouses, and seals and sea lions, oh my. We thoroughly enjoyed our time and recommend this gem to everyone.

The top of rocky Whaler Island in the middle of the outer harbor was our go to place to enjoy our afternoon coffee and tea.
Battery Point Lighthouse
All hail! These noisy, smelly utterly adorable creatures have stolen my heart.
The disaster of the Brother Jonathan.
Redwoods in the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park.
Lunch breaks with ocean views on St. George Point.
St. George Reef Lighthouse
And we made new friends!

Tidbit: Visit the previous posts for more on our adventures around Crescent city.

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Grove of the Titans

The Grove of the Titans is the soul of the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park. A circle of immense trees that embrace you with their energy and give you the feeling you have shifted to another plane or reality. After an hour in their presence, it was hard to break their trance. We returned somehow altered, changed, energized. A fitting end to our time in the redwoods.

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Eternity II

We stumbled onto another touching memorial. This one in the redwoods right on the Smith River. We wish you well Dee, who ever and where ever you are.

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Stout Grove

I know…more trees. We just can’t get enough of them. They are magnificent! Stout Grove in the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park, said to be the most scenic stand of redwoods, is on the northeast end of Howland Hill Road, just 1.5 miles in once you enter the redwoods. The trail through the grove sits on the bank of the Smith River, is only .7 miles around and is easily accessible to all levels of hikers.

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Howland Hill Road

Howland Hill Road in the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park is 6 miles of pure redwood bliss. The gravel, sometimes muddy and sometimes dusty, road is not for RVs or trailers. The sharp turns and narrow passages around potholes and trees is not for the faint of heart, but a must for anyone who wants to really experience redwoods. It takes you into the heart of the Jedediah Smith Park linking you with hiking trails like the Boy Scout Trail and the Mill River Trail that take you upclose and personal with redwoods that have witnessed hundreds of years of history. We highly recommend adding it to your “Bucket List”

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A place to spend eternity

The other day, while exploring the Jedediah Smith Redwoods, we stopped at tiny pullout and began, again, oohhing & aahhing over the grandeur of the trees. At the back of the pull out, we found a tiny trail heading down into the trees towards the Mill Creek below. There we found the most awesome little rocky beach tucked down in the grove. It was so nice we went back today armed with snacks, books, and something to sit on. I even gave a shot at the first swim of the season, but got turned back at knee level! While there, we noticed what we thought was a forest service boundary marker. Upon closer inspection, this is what we found. What a spot to spend eternity.

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A trip to a Fairy Ring!

We stopped to pick up a new daypack for M and one of the sales guys sketched out a rough map to the Titanic Cathedral Trees in the Prairie Creek Redwood State Park. The woods are always calling, so off we went.

“Fairy Rings” or “Cathedral Trees” are sometimes seen in Redwood forests. The death of an old tree often nourishes the growth of new trees. Sometimes the burls at the base and seeds from the dying tree create new trees that form a circle around the old. The rotting old tree in the middle eventually decays allowing for a “hole” in the canopy that gives the new trees sufficient light to grow creating a fairy ring.

Tip: The weather in the Pacific northwest can change quickly, so along with water and snacks, always pack a raincoat and an extra warm layer when hiking, even if you are out for a short jaunt.

Tidbit: The Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway is a short easy paved drive thru the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. At the southern end is a visitor center and a resident herd of elk.

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California’s Lost Coast

California’s Lost Coast travels through dramatic landscapes. Within a 25 mile stretch, we went from the windswept Highlands of Scotland, to the shores of Newfoundland, to the farms of Vermont, and to the twistee steep turns of Nova Scotia’s Cabot Trail. It was a magical drive that transported us to some of our favorite places. Thank you Richard for recommending the drive! The pictures, as usual, do not do justice to the scenery.

Tip: The 25 miles of road we travelled from Ferndale south along the Lost Coast was mostly paved, but it is not recommended for large vehicles or vehicles towing. There were several tight switchbacks, a few very steep inclines, and well, what goes up must come down so steep descends, and some quite narrow sections with recent mudslides.

Tidbit: The only thing that could have improved our drive was to have done it on our motorcycles!!

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Avenue of the Giants

Today we took a nice day trip through the Avenue of the Giants. The rain has been relentless here in northern California (7 inches in 24 hours), but the weather broke this morning and we were off. The Avenue of the Giants is a nice paved drive that paralles Rt. 101. Along the way, there are many places to pull over that have well graded paths that make the redwood groves accessible for those less steady on their feet or for those with limited time. We found a fallen giant at one of the pull outs and spent a while clambering about. A very nice relaxing day, and it wasn’t raining!

The paved road is accessible to all types of vehicles, but I am guessing it is quite crowded during the summer.
The paths at some of the pull outs are quite accessible. The road is right behind Darrin.
A huge fallen tree. Normally hiking in the forest we would never walk on an old tree. This one by the side of the road had seen some heavy use.
And its roots.
A beautiful drive we highly recommend.

Tip: Top off your gas tank before heading to the Avenue of the Giants. We found gas only to be available near the southern and northern ends of the drive.

Tidbit: We still highly recommend hiking one of the trails that take you deeper into the redwoods for the full effect, if you can.