My birthday in the Redwoods

We spent the next couple days exploring the woods and beaches of Northern California.

We passed through the seaside town of Fort Bragg and continued North, on winding back roads, to Shelter Cove.

We didn't do much that day except drive around and take short walks on the beach or in the woods. We set up camp early and sat around a fire and cooked. We were way out in the woods on a dirt road that winded along the mountainside, lost somewhere out on the Lost Coast. They have big steep mountain in this part of the California coast that come right up to the ocean and all the roads are incredibly steep, winding, switchbacking things.

 The next day we drove to Eureka. A small metropolis with a couple suburbs way out in the woods. Our friend Matt recently moved to Arcata, just north of Eureka. He was my roommate in Glacier. Him and his girlfriend Audrey decided to try to spend the summer in this area. They found a cheap place and have been out here looking for jobs for 3 weeks. So we decided to visit!

Audrey was out of town but Matt was very excited to see us. He's living in a beautiful little house with 6 roommates, and only one of the seven has a job! They are all really nice people though and he only has to pay 150 a month for rent. We went to Oyster fest in Arcata, it was a big party in the town center. We tried some oysters and we all did NOT like them! We've listened to music and drink beer as we caught up.

Later Matt showed us around the redwood grove by his house. He made us some fantastic sushi and we planned a backpacking trip. That night we got to sleep in a nice bed in the loft of his house. Northern California is so nice, they have plums growing plentifully in the backyard, some of the most delicious I've ever had, and blueberries, blackberries and lots of wild berries as well. The weather is perfect, 65 degrees every day and usually sunny, sometimes a light mist will blow in from the ocean.

The following day the three of us hiked into Redwoods National Park. We went to the end of an 8 mile trail that followed a stream. It was an easy hike for us, it didn't challenge any one of us but it was very beautiful and relaxing. Moss clung to the trees, all towering high above us. Ferns blanketed the ground, sometimes they were taller than us too. It was the land of the giants and we found we were constantly craning our necks upward to look towards the canopy.

The Redwoods were massive, when we got to the tall trees grow we were in all. We felt privileged to be in the presence of such giants, and slowly we wandered through them.

We camped on a gravel sandbar on the river banks, with an awesome view towards the tall trees.

The stream was warm enough to swim in and I did. Ferns and Foxglove bloomed out of the hill side where we built our fire and sat on comfortable mossy logs. We cooked a huge delicious meal over the fire and eventually turn in for bed.

The next day was June 16th, my birthday! I slept marvelously and woke up still looking at the tall trees.

Had a great morning floating down the stream and then hiking. We saw a black bear on the trail and ate blackberries. Then we said goodbye to Matt and the Eureka area and drove onward north again. after many days exploring the California coast, we finally arrived in Oregon!

We took a walk on a nice beach, with big rocks thrusting dramatically upwards from the ocean, the style of Oregon. Maggie bought me an incredible pizza in the town of Gold Beach and then we drove up some dirt road.

Up and up we went, past wild flowers and some nice sweeping ocean views. The coastal mountain roads incredibly steep and winding, also totally deserted, we found the perfect spot to camp. A large and hidden pull out on the side of a cliff with a very nice view. The sun is setting later and later, and we spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the truck as always!