Redwood Day 1

We spent a fun-filled first day here in Redwood... hiking in the tall old trees, walking on the beach, seeing some elk, picking wild blackberries, finding banana slugs.

The day started nicely enough, as we piled into the car to start the day only 3 1/2 hours after the kids woke up. We visited a couple of visitor centers (Redwoods is actually 1 national and 3 state parks, and each has their own visitor center), and then went for a nice walk on the beach. Those of you who have been to this part of the world know that there are major differences between the Atlantic Ocean in Florida or the Carolinas and the North Coast Pacific. Everything is rocky, with enormous craggy boulders and small mountains rising from the ocean. It's too cold and choppy and rocky to actually swim, but that's okay.. the views are what make it so incredible. While on this walk we did just a bit of rock climbing and a lot of driftwood swordfighting, during which Gabe, who has absolutely zero idea of where his body is at any given time, never mind a long stick, whacked his dear ol' Poppy square in his right temple, denting both his eyeglasses and his head. We also got a quick peek at some grey whales and some harbor seals. It's a great place where you have to watch out for both Sneaker Waves and tsunamis!

We walked through the Ladybird Johnson Grove of redwoods in the early afternoon. Seeing the great coastal redwoods is an amazing thing. It's not just the size of the trees, despite the fact that they are well over 300 feet tall. It's the way they grow in clumps and the "cathedral trees", a cluster growing in a circle that twist into a pillared roof hundreds of feet up. It's the mammoth rhodedendrons, and the ferns that are 10 feet tall. It's the redwoods, with their entire inside burnt out to a height of 200 feet, still alive and thriving and able to be climbed through. It's the gentle mist hanging low in the valley. At any moment you expect to see a brachiosaurus crashing through the understory. It's just awesome.

At the end of the day we had spaghetti with Dad's homemade sauce, frozen lo these many moons, and it was a delicious taste of home. After dinner we went to the overlook 1,000 feet above the mouth of the Klamath River and then went down to the beach at False Klamath Cove to do a bit of rock climbing and tidepool searching. Even saw some dolphins swimmin' in the cove.

The day finished with part 1 of a Harry Potter flick, and now we're doing what we do... blogging, reading, planning tomorrow. We'll see you then!