We decided to take a little trip over Spring Break this past week. It's only about 5 hours to the Redwood forest in Northern California. As we drove south, we kept wondering how we would know the difference between a Redwood and other evergreens we see all the time in Oregon. We shouldn't have wondered. About 10 miles north of Crescent City (our destination), we came to them. When you see a Redwood - you'll know it! They are gigantic. Thankfully Tim was driving because Ethan and I kept saying, "Whoa! Look at that one. Oh my goodness, look how big that one is!" They are truly amazing!
Ethan is standing in the hollowed out portion of a giant!
We were able to stop at several turnouts along a scenic stretch of road. We walked on semi-groomed trails through the forest. Ethan had a blast! I think he could have walked for miles. It was amazing that the primary plants we saw were the redwoods, ferns, clover and a small white flower.
Outside Klamath, California, we drove through this tree. It's believed to be over 750 years old. They cut it out in the late 70s.
As you can see from the other pictures, it was characteristically rainy for 3 of the 4 days we were there. (The forest gets over 100 inches of rain each year.) So, on one day, we decided to stay inside for a while and visited Ocean World. They had tanks of many different types of fish, bat rays, sharks and marine mammals such as the sea lion below.
Photo-op...
We were even able to pet a tiger shark at the end of the tour. Ethan said he didn't want to until we got there. Then he was the first to roll up his sleeve!
We bundled up against the cold and mist to search for agates on Pebble Beach. Ethan's love of rocks led him to declare this the "Best Beach in the World!" He brought home 2 large ziploc bags full of rocks.
The amazing power of the Pacific Ocean. These rocks were sticking out of the water all up and down the coast.
One day we visited Trees of Mystery. Out front they have HUGE statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe. Here, Ethan's trying to climb up on Paul's boot. Gives you an idea of how big they were!
Ethan hugging a tree. (Certainly not the biggest one we saw!)
The Candelabra Tree at Trees of Mystery. It's really a nurse log. Because the forest gets so much rain, all the water washes the nutrients out of the soil. New saplings have to grow on fallen, dying trees for nutrients in order to survive. Some of the "new" trees here were huge themselves!
One of the best parts of Trees of Mystery was riding the Sky Trail up into the canopy of the forest. We were in an enclosed gondola that took us on a steep ride up. As we neared the top, we could even see the ocean. As you can see, Ethan thought it was pretty cool, too.
The view from the observation deck at the top.
Overlooking the Pacific where the Klamath River flows into it.
Battery Point Lighthouse. It's still operational. (We saw the light and heard the horn.) It can be toured, but only at low tide when we can walk across the rocks to it and up the hill. It was actually sunny our last day in town!
We made one more stop at Pebble Beach for Ethan to look for agates in the sun. He managed to collect another bag full to bring home. Amazing the difference a couple of days can make. This day we were out there in T-shirts!
We discovered that in Selma, Oregon, there is a place called Mooney Mountain. Tim needed a picture!
It was a great trip. We hope to go back some day because all the pictures and video in the world can't capture the majesty of the Redwoods or the beauty of the Pacific. Both reminded us of the mighty Creator who is even greater!
such as barnacles...
