Today after leaving Fort Bragg we would veer inland away from the coast on Highway 101 to see the Giant Redwoods.  Our drive to see the Redwoods this morning was absolutely beautiful.  I just love the forests and streams.

But before actually entering the Humboldt Redwoods State Park we had to stop at the Chandelier Tree to drive through one of these Giants.

We were also very delighted to run into this fellow.

Our real destination today was the Avenue of the Giants, a 31 mile portion of Highway 101.  It is by far the most outstanding display of these giant trees in the entire 500-mile redwood belt.  If you drive this section make sure to stop at the by-way to pick up the brochure and map.  You won’t make it to the welcome center before driving almost halfway into the park.

After so many miles of coastline it was quite refreshing to be driving through the Redwoods.  It was a very peaceful feeling to get lost among the Giants.

 

We stopped at Founder’s Park for a picnic lunch and took the Founder’s Walk into the Redwoods.  Here is a picture of the Founder’s tree – a bit difficult to actually show it’s height of 325 feet.

As we strolled along the trail, we could see the even taller tree at 345 feet that had fallen in the Park.  Again though it is impossible for me to photograph the tree from end to end.

The fallen trees open up the canopy so that ferns can grow.  One of my favorite memory of living in the state of Washington when I was in elementary school was the giant ferns so I just had to get up close with them.

Here are some pictures of the stumps from when the Trees fall.  Notice how dwarfed we look beside them.

After leaving the Avenue of the Giants we stopped for a quick cup of Joe and then continued up the coast to Patrick’s Point State Park.

The park had lots of meadow trails and sandy beaches and sheer cliffs on the ocean.  I particularly loved climbing out onto the rocks.

This is a lovely park, a place where you can really relax and enjoy the ocean scenery.

After a short visit we decided to head on to Crescent City, our final destination for the day.   I loved the the little harbor town and it’s historical landmark,  Battery Point Light.

We had a very long day and were quite tired so after dinner we decided to call it a day.  Tomorrow we would make it to our second appointment during this west coast trip.  I have wanted to visit Pacific Yurts in Cottage Grove, Oregon for over a dozen years and tomorrow would be the day that this dream would come true.