Strong Survivors

We feel like moles living in the dark under these magnificent redwoods. We have been sleeping late because it's so dark until 9AM. We rolled out and went to the visitor center for coffee. We met Steff (our camphost) on the way back and sat in the sun and talked. It's cold and we could see our breath!

Our first stop today is Founders Grove where the half mile interpretive trail led us through an ancient forest. This trail provided a glimpse into the past and a look into one of the greatest forests on earth. The trail opens at Founders Tree which a massive old growth, however not the largest in the grove. I laid down on the bench at the base and tried to get a picture of the whole tree, but I still missed some of it! Founders Tree is 346.1 ft high, 19.7 ft in diameter, 40 ft circumference, and 190.4 ft to the lowest limb! Walking the trail we loved how the grove grows out of an unusually dense layer of three leaf clover that looks a lot like a plush carpet, and in turn is covered with a sparse layer of ferns. We passed an old relic that had been through many fires, which is a natural occurance, and was heavily damaged. We learned that due to climatic changes Coast Redwoods now only grow naturally in a narrow 40 mile wide and 450 mile long coastal strip from southern Oregon to Monterey county in California. The floor is strewn with fallen giants that could no longer withstand the winds and rains. They give up their spot to younger trees that have stayed almost dormant for many years waiting for their day. (or years) in the sun. At the end of the trail is the Dyerville Giant which stood in the grove for perhaps as long as 1600 years! It was taller, larger, and older than any tree around it. When it fell on March 24, 1991 it was measured at 370 feet (equal to a 30 story building), 52 ft in circumference, and probably weighed over 1,000,000 pounds. Today it provides nutrients for the forest and food for other plants.

Back in the car we turned onto Mattole Rd on our way to Rockefeller Forest. This forest is the largest single stand of old growth redwoods in the world! John D Rockefeller was so impressed by this grove he donated $1 million in 1927 to preserve it. We walked the Rockerfeller Loop trail and discovered that what we thought was 3 leaf clover was really Redwood Sorrel. Although this walk was short we were it with the peaceful serenity of these groves as the sun beams filter through the tree tops. Along the trail were beautiful white Trillium scattered through the sorrel and we found Turkey Tail mushrooms.

In the car again we drove to the Bull Creek Trail that winds through the old growth next to the creek. We followed the path down to the creek and walked along the rocky beach next to the rushing water. We sat on a mound of rocks and had a snack and then hiked back to the car.

Back at camp we had dinner. Later we enjoyed a Tinta Port as we watched the campfire. We really liked this area and the trees still amaze us.

Driving The Wildcat..

It was so dark this morning we got up really late! We couldn't see sunlight until 9:30 am. It was so dark last night we couldn't even see the trees next to the coach when we looked out the window. The sunlight stays out so the ground which is a mix of moss, redwood needles and dirt is very soft and the air is very damp.

Today we'll explore a place called The Lost Coast. The fabled coast is the longest stretchof wilderness beaches in the continental U.S. Following the Avenue of the Giants to the end we turned back onto Rte 101 N to the town of Rio Dell 20 miles from camp. This was the closest place to get gas! Nicknamed "The Warm-Hearted City" Rio Dell is a small rural community of about 3200. It sits in a beautiful small valley surrounded by the Eel River and wooded mountains. It grew from the lumber industry, but today it thrives as part of the visitor industry. From Rio Dell we used the GPS to find Bellvue Rd that would take us through a lush valley along the Eel River. We passed ranches of sheep and cattle. At one point the road made an L turn. It looked like we were going to drive right through the cows lining the side of the road!

The road led us to the Victorian Village of Ferndale. This wonderful farming town has barely changed for 150 years. We parked in front of the spectacular turn-of-the-century Victorian Inn. For over a century the building housing the Victorian Inn of Ferndale has been a keystone of this famous village. The area around Ferndale is rich and has sustained a thriving dairy industry since the late 1800's. The ornate homes built by successful dairy farmers became known as "butterfat palaces." Meandering down the sidewalks we felt like we were strolling through the past. The town has a great array of curio shops, ice cream parlor, galleries, blacksmith, and dry goods stores. Many of them are housed in colorful green, pink, and white victorian buildings. We stopped at the Creamery Cafe and had really good clam chowder. After lunch we walked through some of the side streets admiring the victorian houses. Soon we came upon Ferndale's pride and joy.. The Gingerbread Mansion Inn. The mansion is exquisitely turreted, carved and gabled, and is landscaped with lush English gardens. It's like nothing you have ever seen before. It really is a visual masterpiece!

We drove out of Ferndale and followed the signs out to the Lost Coast Headlands. This is a lookout point high on a cliff looking down on the coast through a valley. A ranch sat below us and we could hear the cattle lowing. This was our 1st view of the Lost Coast and we had no idea what was in store for us. We headed back up Grizzly Bluff Rd toward town until we found the sign for Petrolia. Turning onto Petrolia Road we started our trek to the coast. The Lost Coast is California's only coastal wilderness, where no development or major roads come near the ocean. The road led us over the Rainbow Ridge of mountains. Constantly making challenging twisty turns and then sets of switchbacks that would start to climb in the middle of the turn! The road was narrow and we travelled through forests, redwood groves, and then it would open into pastures that ran along the ridges of the mountains. Quickly back into the forest and more twisty roads and crazy switchbacks. We didn't know until we saw a sign going over one of the ridges that we were driving what is locally known as "the Wildcat". It's a thrill ride! Finally we came to the top. We could see the huge rock formations in the water and could also see the road winding it's way around the mountain and steeply down the side to the ocean below. Wow was it a ride!

Driving along the coast was gorgeous. We stopped and walked the black sand beach and looked for agates. There was a rock on the beach so we perched on it and watched the surf. One large rock formation had a flag pole and was shaped like a ship. We wondered what it was.... we found out later it was a Vietnam Veterans War Memorial -- very neat!

Back in the car... what comes down must go up.. so we headed for the town of Petrolia climbing through a new set of switchbacks and mountains. One part had 4 switchbacks in a row and the compass in the car didn't know which way it was going. The road turned in Petrolia and took us over the Mattole River on a bridge that gave me the creeps. It had boards for the tires to drive on across the planks of the bridge - eh- once across the road we arrived in the hamlet of Honeydew. A woman and little girl sitting on a bench in front of the general store stood up and waved as we drove through. Passing mostly farms we continue up and down the mountains with fantastic valley views of the Mattole River below. The road led us back through a section of the park called Rockefeller Forest and past some of the parks campgrounds nestled in the groves. As we drive through the sun finds openings in the tree canopy and shoots beams of sunlight into the dark woods and onto the road - it's magnificent.

We got back to camp after our 5 hour excursion. Hamburgers made an easy dinner and we sat outside for while and talked about our trip. It was great and we were glad we did it - but some of the roads were scary!

Pictures: Ferndale Victorian Inn, Ferndale Main St, Gingerbread Mansion, Lost Coast Headlands, Wildcat Mountain View, Down the Wildcat, Looking back up the Wildcat road, Lost Coast Highway, Lost Coast Beach Rest Stop, Mattole River Valley

Avenue of the Giants

Rolling out of Russian River and up 101N we pass through Ukiah and lots of small vineyards. On our right is the Coastal Mountain Range and one peak is covered with snow. It's sunny and in the 50's this morning and the air is really clear. We see a lot of Red Tail Hawks soaring over the fields just catching the air currents. The road led us right through Hopland which is the home of California's 1st Brewpub and is also the birthplace of Red Tail Beer. Rte 101 becomes the Redwood Highway and changes from vineyards to pastures filled with cattle and sheep. I had to look twice, but we saw a little deer just sauntering through the pasture filled with cattle. Not a care in the world!

We are now in a more wooded area now and as we passed through the little town of Laytonville we saw a sign saying "Elk next 8 miles"..going around the next curve there they were! A huge herd of Roosevelt Elk in a field just at the tree line.They are very large animals. Next is the town of Piercy where the road follows the South Fork of the Eel River, which is a gorgeous emerald green in the sunlight (wonder if they colored it for today... St Patricks Day...).

Soon we come to the exit for Avenue of the Giants. The avenue runs parrallel to Rte 101 and provides a memorable alternative as you enter Humbolt County. This is the best place to view redwoods from your car. It winds for 32 miles through a series of impressive old growth groves. We are just amazed at the size of the trees as we follow gentle curves through little hamlets such as Myers Flat and past plenty of redwood and Eel River trails. Many of these hamlets were once the center of logging operations. Myers Flat hung on to its mill well into the 1970's. It was once the location of the Morrison and Jackson Lumber Co sawmill. The mill employed 85 people at it's peak, but finally shut down in 1978 after being sold to Georgia-Pacific Company. On the other hand the little town of Weott met a different fate. Today Weott is not located at its original site. The town used to straddle the Avenue of the Giants until 1964, when a devastating flood washed it and several other local towns away.

Finally we reached the Burlington Campground in Humbolt Redwoods State Park and found our site. Our coach is nestled in huge redwoods and there are no other campers near us. The area has a fire pit and lots of room between sites. It is really dark, as very little sun gets through the tops of the redwoods. I can't wait for tonight it will be really 'pitch black'.

We decided to drive back to Garberville about 20 miles back up Rte 101 to get some groceries. While in Garberville we found a chinese restaurant called the Cadillac Wok and had dinner. We had a dish called Black Pepper beef and it was yummy!

Back at camp we got firewood and met the camphosts Otis & Stephanie Anderson. They are a sweet couple and they are here for 6 months (Dec - Jun). Gosh winter in the damp and dark, but they love it. We had a fire and really enjoyed it. We haven't had a campfire since last summer before going to Yellowstone. We are excited about being in the redwoods so we put together our plan of attack and can't wait to start exploring tommorrow.

Pictures: Start down Avenue of the Giants, Avenue of Giants, Ken at Camp, Campsite