Redwoods - Just Wow!
On Friday, June 28th we took the US-101 route from Oceanside, Oregon to our next stop, the Redwoods of Northern California. This was our most anticipated stop on the trip, as Cindy and I have both dreamed of seeing the Redwoods for many years.
The drive along "the 101" was breathtaking - the changing landscape and seascape are hard to describe. It took about 8 hours to get towards our destination, so we decided to head straight to our AirBnB in Trinidad, CA.
 |
| Entrance to our AirBnB |
Let's talk AirBnBs for a minute. AirBnBs are an experience. Most of our AirBnB experiences have been wonderful. This AirBnB was the most eclectic AirBnB we've stayed at. There were many positives: the incredible views of the ocean (which we could see from the hot tub, the lounge chairs, the outdoor dining table), and a path to a private section of the beach. All of those elements were wonderful. The backyard was like a rainforest - there were plants everywhere and it was quite overgrown - so to get from our room to the hot tub you had to bushwhack through the plants. The path to the beach was rugged and steep - you definitely needed poles and agility to hike down, and must be in good shape to able to climb back up. Some more pictures below:
 |
| Hot tub viewing the Pacific |
 |
| The interior of our AirBnB |
The living space, however, was not so nice. Very small and cramped, and every space was filled with books, small pieces of artwork, typed up quotations, and lots and lots of tchotchkes. Every counter space was filled, which was especially problematic because the space was so small. Cindy hates clutter, and when we went into the AirBnB she had a panic attack. We tried to clear as much space as possible and spend as much time as possible outside during our 3 days at this AirBnB.
 |
| Even the window sills were packed! |
 |
| Books and stuff everywhere |
 |
| Notice the artful copper conduit on the wall, impressive! |
 |
| Where do I prep meals? |
 |
| The dining room table - no room to eat! |
 |
| No kitchen counter space! |
Enough about the AirBnB! After getting settled into the AirBnB and exploring some of the outside area, we ate dinner and went to bed early in anticipation of seeing the Redwoods.
The Redwoods are organized differently than any other national park we've been at - there is a collection of California State Parks and the National Park, each run separately but as a loose cooperative. This is a result of the funding model - in an effort to save the Redwoods as quickly as possible, different organizations started creating parks and Redwood sanctuaries independently. The downside is that there is no central visitor center or point of organization, so quite a bit of research is required to know how to navigate these parks.
 |
| Our naturalist guide, Justin Legge |
On Saturday, Cindy had arranged for a guided hike through the most ancient section of Redwoods with a local naturalist, Justin Legge. Justin met us at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.
 |
| This picture doesn't do justice to how massive these trees actually are... |
This park contains the most ancient redwoods, some of which are over 3,000 years old. Justin explained to us the unique ecosystem of the Redwoods - a cluster of Redwoods are actually one organism that has cloned itself. Every time a Redwood experiences trauma it clones itself. One of the biggest redwoods we saw is called Iluvatar - National Geographic made a composite picture of this, one of the only such pictures to exist of a redwood. The Illuvatar weighs almost a million pounds. The largest redwood in Prairie Creek, Sir Isaac Newton, has 114 clones in its community! The last time a large redwood fell in the forest it registered as a 2.6 richter scale earthquake - they are that big!
 |
| Iluvatar |
 |
| The Redwood canopy holds a diverse ecosystem of its own! |
Another amazing fact about the Redwoods is that there are gardens and ecosystems all the way up the canopies. The huge branches create decks that, over time, have soil and are now living gardens hundreds of feet above the earth. Some of the plants and animals that live in these towering gardens are only found in these environments. This was all mind blowing information to Cindy and I.
 |
| Justin told us early loggers would live in these recesses in the Redwoods! |
 |
| Deep breaths and amazing views |
Justin also introduced us to the practice of Forest Bathing, the symbiotic relationship between humans and the forest. We took frequent breaks to take deep breaths of the clean air generated by the Redwoods. The redwoods capture more carbon than any other tree species on earth, storing it not only in their trunk and limbs but also in their extensive root system. One Redwood tree can capture all the carbon from cars driving 8 million miles! We had to hug the trees again after learning this.
Our time with Justin was over. We had fallen in love with the Redwoods. This is our third time hiring a naturalist for a hike, and we have never been disappointed - we highly recommend the experience.
 |
| Hard to capture the experience - all of these Redwoods are one organism. |
 |
| Trail to the Beach |
After we returned to our AirBnB, we hiked the rugged trail down to the beach. It was a relaxing end to a great day. After hiking back up to our room, we were tired. We showered and took a long nap (if you know me, I never take naps, so we were really fatigued!).
 |
| Solitary private beach! |
We woke up in time to make dinner, we made a new veggie burger we've wanted to try called Actual Veggie Burgers and they were delicious! They are made of only vegetables, no binders, preservatives, or "natural flavors". We much prefer these to the highly processed Beyond or Ultimate meatless burgers. Paired with cheesy potatoes and corn on the cob it was a real treat. We stayed up much later than intended since we had napped earlier.
Sunday, June 30th:
We overslept on Sunday morning! We had planned to go to a local church but we missed the service. We got ready as quickly as we could and headed to the Avenue of the Giants. This famed road, easily the most scenic drive among the redwoods, has been called the finest forest drive in the world. We marveled at the huge trees as we drove along. While the speed limit is 55 miles per hour, we were thankful everyone was driving at 20 miles per hour to take in the incredible views. We made frequent stops to take pictures and just take in the majesty of the Redwoods.
After our drive, we stopped to tour one of the premier hikes in the Redwoods, the Rockefeller Loop. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. had taken a tour of the area in at an early age and later made two 1 million dollar contributions to save the Redwoods. This loop, named in his honor, had some incredible and inspiring examples of these magnificent trees. 
 |
| Notice Cindy - this fallen Redwoods roots are massive! |
We grilled our dinner (Spicy grilled tofu, cheesy potatoes and grilled broccoli) and enjoyed our last night by the Pacific. Cindy enjoyed some Dulce Vida in the lounge chair, and then we headed to bed to get ready for our next adventure, Crater Lake National Park. Until then....
Comments
Post a Comment