Those are Really Big Trees!

Days 4 & 5 – Humbug State Park, OR – Fortuna, CA – Avenue of the Giants

After our traditional camping breakfast of oatmeal, stewed apricots, & coffee, we broke camp and headed down Hwy 101 toward the southwestern OR coastal towns of Gold Beach, Rogue River, & Brookings. 

Le Anna @ Brookings

All three looked like nice places but we didn’t stop in any of them for more than a drive thru.  It was nice to see the town of Rogue River, as we are familiar with the Rogue in central OR, known for its white water rafting.

We entered CA and had to stop for a produce inspection point.  If you are not familiar with traveling to CA, the state does not allow fruits and vegetables from other areas to come into CA.  This protects their agricultural crops from pests and disease.  However, it is a bit of a nuisance for anyone traveling with a cooler that may have produce in it.  We were aware of the regulation and had consciously gotten ourselves down to only two apples (WA apples, of course) that we were happy to learn are OK to enter CA. www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/PE/ExteriorExclusion/borders

The first CA town on 101 is Crescent City, site of the Redwood National & State Parks Visitor Center.  www.nps.gov/redw/index .  I always enjoy these centers and find the staff and volunteers to be enthusiastic and helpful. 

Crescent City coastline

One volunteer’s enthusiasm was so infectious that we left pumped up for the big trees!  Redwood is an interesting park because it is a compilation of CA State Parks and NPS lands that stretch over 50 miles along Hwy 101 with private lands scattered amongst it, many scenic drives in and out of it, and also Redwood encompasses over 40 miles of pristine CA coastline and other woodlands.  Together, the combined redwood parks are designated as a World Heritage Site, quite a treasure!

We learned over 90% of California’s Redwood forest had been logged off by the late 1950s.  In the early 1900s the Save the Redwoods League was formed but the national park wasn’t established until 1968.  We should all be grateful to these dedicated people who convinced the politicians to start setting aside some of the remaining old growth areas of coast redwoods.  The visitor center at Crescent City suggested we start our visit by going to the Prairie Creek area, and especially hike the easy Revelation Trail.  Although the Drury Scenic Parkway was unfortunately closed due to maintenance, we were able to reach the Prairie Creek area from 101. 

 

Looking across Prairie Creek

Groovy Bark

Red Bark

What a pleasure!  The Revelation trail was magical as our first exposure to the big trees.  Each tree has it’s own unique character with fascinating bark patterns, scars, fire damage, burls, etc.  They truly look their age, which is hundreds of years old.  Several of the giants had serious fire damage, leaving gaping holes at the base of the trees large enough to stand in.  We realized the old trees must have been through dozens of fires in their lifetime, and still survived.  The tanin in their bark is a natural fire supressant.  There is a profound peace that permeates the air in these old growth forests.  The Revelation Trail was a great introduction to these magnificent trees.  www.redwoodhikes.com/PrairieCreek/PrairieCreek.

Looking up!  Revelation Trail

Traveling south, winding down Redwood lined Hwy 101, we turned off on Requa Rd. and climbed up the Patrick J Murphy Memorial Dr. to the Klamath River Overlook.  What an expansive view! 

Klamath River Overlook

It is a great site for whale watching and also to appreciate being on a high bluff (650’) above the Pacific.  Our eyes did a few tricks on us when we mistook an exposed rock for a whale!  The estuary formed at the mouth of the Klamath River is teeming with birdlife and the coast also hosts sea lions so bring your binoculars. www.nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/things2do.

Continuing south, we came to the Bald Hills Road and followed it up a steep hill to the Lady Bird Johnson Grove, site of the park’s dedication ceremony.  Lady Bird picked a very special area as her namesake.  The trail is about 1.5 miles long and relatively easy with little elevation gain or loss.  The big trees are everywhere you look, and the grove tends to create it's own little micro-climate of foggy weather.  The fog supplies a significant amount of the water needed by the giants.  And the silence here is deafening!  Walking this trail is humbling and awe inspiring.  www.redwoodhikes.com/RNP/LBJ.

Fire Cave

Lady Bird Johnson Grove

Massive Roots

Returning to Hwy 101 S, we followed the road and every twist and turn amazed us with the magnificent Redwoods.  We passed through the communities of Orick and McKinleyville, and also through Eureka, the largest city between Portland, OR and San Francisco, CA. 

 Our home base for the next two nights would be Fortuna, CA where we would camp at the Riverwalk RV Resort.  The town of Fortuna is a convenient mid-way stopping point for exploring Redwood State and National Parks, however, in retrospect, as long as we were choosing to camp we should have chosen a park campground for maintaining the “we are camping” mindset.

Riverwalk is a commercial RV resort but also has a few camping cabins and tent sites.  riverwalkrvpark.com .  Ironically, Riverwalk is next door to a Best Western motel and our tent site was only about 15’ from the motel property.  The RV resort offers a small store (firewood for sale), coin operated laundry, playground, pool, and restroom/shower facilities.  We set up camp and enjoyed our evening, mostly reflecting on how in awe we are of the Redwoods.  More to see the next day!

Our fifth day of traveling began with a much-needed “catch-up” morning at Riverwalk, doing laundry, cleaning out the car, and reorganizing ourselves.  Yes, we still have that roof top carrier and getting better at packing it each time we break camp.  By late morning we were ready to head out and explore the town of Fortuna (promptly getting ourselves a bit lost!) and then drive down the Avenue of the Giants.  The name is an understatement!  www.aveofthegiants.com

Bob & Giant

Big Burl

Avenue of the Giants is a 31-mile long stretch of the old highway 101, now labeled CA254, and meanders through Humboldt Redwoods State Park.  It is home to the world’s largest old-growth redwood forest.  humboldtredwoods.org.  John D. Rockefeller gave a big start to the parkway with a $1 million donation to buy old growth redwood lands in 1926. The route meanders through several small towns and follows the course of the Eel River, which has a history of devastating floods, most recently Christmas 1964.

There are many opportunities for pulling-out and taking photos of the Redwoods but we particularly enjoyed the Founder’s Grove.  This is an easy trail and there are several “giants” among the forest.  Most notably are the Founder’s Tree (346’ tall) and the Dyerville Giant (the “Champion” tree at 371'), which was blown down by a big storm in 1991.  When the Champion fell, several other trees were also toppled making an interesting maze of giant fallen redwood. www.redwoodhikes.com/Humboldt/Founders.

Avenue of the Giants

We spent the entire afternoon exploring the Avenue of the Giants.  You get to experience awe at every turn of the road.  We never tired of seeing these impressive trees.  There are several on/off points along Hwy 101 and I promise that even one small part of this route will take your breath away.  After two full days of appreciating the redwood forests, our insight into retirement is that Mother Nature has a much bigger plan than we do.  We are humbled, amazed, and so appreciative by experiencing Redwoods State and National Park.