Tuesday, November 15, 2016, Move to Corning, CA

Yesterday we drove 97.6 miles (80,247.9 total) and stayed overnight at the Robinson Rancheria Resort and Casino on California highway 20. We went into the casino for dinner and a bit of gambling. The gambling was limited to slot machines and we limited ourselves to the "free play" money they gave us for signing up for a player's card and no, we did not hit the jackpot.

The next morning we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the casino before heading out again. Today's drive was 115.3 miles (80,363.2 total) and we settled into sites 28 and 29 right on the banks of the Sacramento River at Woodson Bridge RV Park near Corning, CA.

 Kate and Mike were able to park facing the river so that...

...this was their view at the end of each day!

The kids will be heading back north to Oregon and we will be heading south after our stay here.  I miss them already!!!

Saturday, November 12, 2016, More Avenue of the Giants

We ventured a little further north on the Avenue of the Giants today and explored the area where Mr. Lucas filmed scenes for one of his little movies.  He used these trees as the backdrop to create the forest moon of Endor.  I kept a watch for any low flying speeders, but it was all quiet during our hike.

I loved the shaft of sunlight highlighting this one branch 20 feet in the air.  When I zoomed in closer I discovered there was an eight-legged creature that liked the place enough to call it home.

Another cute family of mushrooms - the "daddy shroom" is less than 2 inches tall.

There is little so majestic as the sun beaming through these giants. We stopped along the roadside to explore for a few minutes. That was when we noticed the sun was warming the trees enough to make them look like they were smoking as the dew was quickly turned to vapor.

The sun's rays had just hit the very wet tree causing it to steam.

The "Immortal Tree" was not really a beautiful tree but given its history, you had to feel a sense of respect.  Lightning, axes, fire and flood, oh my!  I now appreciate how little rain we have had compared to what this place has seen in the past.

 Please note the fish on the tree at the top center of the picture marking the flood level of 1964.

Friday, November 4, 2016, Avenue of the Giants

We took a little drive north along the Avenue of the Giants.  The Avenue is about 31 miles of highway winding through some of the most amazing stands of giant Coast Redwoods.

The short loop hike around the Founder's Grove took us by some interesting sights.  The Founder's Tree below was not the biggest or tallest but it was still quite impressive.  We passed several huge trees lying on the ground that helped us get a different perspective on the 300-foot tall trees.  One tree fell with such a violent impact it splintered into a thousand pieces - it looked like a lumber train derailed and scattered the boards all over.

It amazed me that so much of a giant redwood can be so damaged by fire and yet survive.  This tree has very little remaining at the base and yet it is thriving.

This is the same tree.  I used a flash to see what lurks in the dark inner belly of the burned giant.

Thursday, November 3, 2016, Black Sand Beach

Our camp hosts strongly recommended a trip to the coast.  It meant a slow drive along a winding, pot-holed road crossing the mountains of the King Range National Conservation area (35 miles, 1 hour).  The mountains isolated the area to the point that development has been limited and the coast was mostly forgotten.  Highlights of the Lost Coast included the Black Sands Beach and Shelter Cove.  Although the road was bordering on miserable the views were beautiful.

When we reached the beach, the fog that threatened to close in and keep us from seeing much just made our picture that much more dramatic.  The beach overlook was getting a make-over by volunteers, so we headed straight for the beach. 

The incoming waves were so fascinating.  There was a steep drop-off just offshore so the incoming waves would pile up reaching between 20 and 30 feet before finally collapsing under their own weight.  Signs cautioned visitors of the danger of severe rip tides and let us know we should stay clear of the waves.

The "sand" was buried beneath pebbles making it really uncomfortable for walking in flip-flops.  I was happy to sit and watch the mesmerizing waves.

As the waves crashed on shore they would drive the small pebbles before them making a rattling sound as the rocks bounced and danced. We were sitting maybe 20 feet above the waterline when I realized the waves must have been huge to have thrown the pebbles up to our height.

In Shelter Bay, we were lucky enough to visit the lighthouse when the caretaker was doing a little clean-up.  He was more than happy to give us some history of the lighthouse and the town and the coast in general.  I cannot imagine living along this coast in such isolation, but I was very happy we got to visit.

Monday, October 31, 2016

We moved south 139.5 miles (80,150.3 total) to Richardson Grove RV Park.  It was adjacent to Richardson Grove State Park, California's southernmost stand of virgin Redwoods.  The picture below is of highway 101 passing through the state park.  It was less than a mile from our home for the next two weeks.

Timing was on our side since the campground has more than 2,000 campers during summer month concerts in the area.  In late October the campground was nearly empty - some nights it was just us and our next door neighbors (our daughter Kate and her husband Mike).

The closest "large" town (population just under 1,000) was Garberville about 8 miles away.  Their claim to fame was that they are the "Pot Capital of the World".  At least they had a grocery store.

Our camp hosts introduced us to a new term "trimmigrants".  Trimmigrants flock to the area from all over the world to harvest the marijuana grown in the hills around Garberville.  Our timing put us right in the middle of their busy season so trips to the grocery store included a good amount of people watching.

Some of the best of the northern California area was close by including the beautiful Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The area was remote enough that we had no cell phone coverage, no television reception and the park had no cable.  Of course, that meant no internet except what we could get through the park's wi-fi.  It had such a limited range we had to sit on the recreation hall porch to get anything.  In retrospect, it was really a good time to be disconnected so we could ignore the political rancor consuming the country.

Friday, October 28, 2016

Today's plan was to drive the Cal Barrel Scenic Drive in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.  A high clearance, four-wheel drive vehicle was recommended, but we were told our car should not have any trouble. Unfortunately, the road was closed for the season the day before we arrived, so our only option was to walk.  

The grandeur of these magnificent trees cannot be adequately captured in pictures, but that did not stop us from trying.

Maybe it was good we were walking instead of driving.  It was one narrow road with steep drop-offs and I did not see any pull outs to help with passing vehicles.

The gnarled and twisted bark on the trees was very fascinating.  I have no idea what caused the huge nodules and growths we found on some of the trees.  It was also wild to think about how many centuries these trees have been growing - what if our lifespan was 2,000 years?

I had thought the moss was only on the Big Leaf Maples, but once we started really looking we saw the moss attached itself to many of the Redwoods as well.  The texture of the Redwood bark just made it less noticeable.  I think if we stayed here long enough the moss might grow on us too.  Lately, I have been fantasizing about spending some time in a nice dry desert climate again.

Saturday, October 27, 2016

It looked like there was another beautiful sunset possibility, so we made a quick run up to the Requa overlook.  It was actually pretty mild - no howling winds or spitting rain.  We met some folks from Iowa who were exploring northern California's coast by car after flying into San Francisco.  Even though they were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset it sounded like their trip was a bit hectic and rushed.  I think I prefer the much slower pace of seeing the country a bit at a time through the windshield of our home!