Our first night here was my birthday and Deane had picked out a place he remembered from when he had been here before. Eating outside by the water is something I truly enjoy, so we went to Woodley Island to have dinner at the Marina Cafe.Had a good dinner, on a beautiful warm evening, overlooking all of the fishing boats. We got to watch the harbor seals play around the boats waiting hopefully for some fisherman to toss him a treat.
THE REDWOODS
Did you know that there are only three types of Redwood trees and they grow naturally in only three areas of the world now. Northern California coast area, Sierra Nevada mountain range and China, where the oldest tree can be found. The saddest fact we learned about these beautiful giants is that only 4% of the Old Growth trees exists today. 96% of what is considered old growth, trees older than 250, years are gone, having been harvested by man. So Sad!
But, one of the exciting facts we did learned was that Redwood trees live long lives because they have very few enemies. Because of their thick fire resistant bark, and their lack of resin, they are almost impervious to fire. Plus, they have a large amount of tannin, which most insects find distasteful.
TREES OF MYSTERY
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| Lightening Tree |
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| Cathedral Tree |
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| Family Tree |
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| Candelabra Tree |
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| Goosepen Tree |
A Family Tree consists of one tree, one major trunk and there are other trees growing straight up from some of its branches. This picture does not do it justice, but there were 12 other trees living off its limbs.
A Cathedral tree is where a group of trees have grown up around the living remains of a stump, and because they grew out around the the perimeter of the original tree, it organized in a circle, giving the effect of a Cathedral. At this particular one, the park has made it available for weddings.
The Lightening Tree is one where the trunk of the tree makes a couple of sharp bends, straightens up and then bends again, taking on the look of a bolt of lightning.
There is also a Candelabra Tree where a fallen Redwood will commonly send shoots up as new trees.
Another tree is the Goospen Tree, which is an opening or hollow area in the trunks of the tree. The opening is typically caused by damage, decay or forest fire. Years ago, some early settlers to the Redwood coast area would keep geese or other fowl in these openings and the wooden caves could be large enough for bigger animals to be kept in too. Today, they make a good shelter for black bears.
Trees of Mystery also has a gondola ride which takes you to the to the top of the forest....would have been an amazing view if the fog had not been so thick.
Besides seeing the trees, you learn the story of Paul Bunyon and his Blue Ox Babe. The legend says that they carved out the Mississippi River, the Grand Canyon and was responsible for the redwood trees being planted in California.
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| Do you see Deane? |
The 'life size' statues of Paul and Babe were a sight to see with Paul speaking to those who were taking pictures of he and Babe. Babe got the most attention from the men! It was amazing to see how many men all had their picture taken from the same spot with Babe.PRAIRIE CREEK STATE PARK
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| Big Tree |
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| Trail through State Park |
ROOSEVELT ELK
Roosevelt elk also live in this area and there are a couple of viewing areas where they like to graze. We discovered one such area and found a herd of about 40 female and young elk, being watched over by one very large bull. Amazing how unafraid of humans they are. The elk continued to graze while a large number of people drove in, stopped their cars, got out and started taking pictures. This reminded us of when we were in Georgia, and we took a drive over a mountain on a gravel road to find a herd of elk. |
| Big Buck and his herd |
TRINIDAD, CA.
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| Foggy bay |
On our way back from the trees, discovered a little town called Trinidad. Small, cute town with an incredible bay, lots of vacation rentals and a local winery. The car did what it always does, sniffs out a winery and drives right to it. Tasted 12 different wines.......Deane became the designated driver. Some good wine...ended up buying a bottle. :-)
FERNDALE AND LOLETA
Sunday we headed out to tour a little town called Ferndale. It just happens to be the town Guy Ferreri, of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives is from. A quaint little town known for it beautiful Victorian houses and Victorian style main street. 
Among all the Victorian buildings we saw, we also found a most unusual tree in town. Called an Contorted Elm. It actually grows this way and is not trimmed or forced. |
| Contorted Elm |
Taking the back roads can be quite rewarding. We turned off highway 101 towards a town called Loleta, when we saw a sign for Loleta Cheeses. A very small, old town that is only about 2.5 miles square. Loleta Cheese Company makes 34+ natural and organic cheeses. You can watch cheese being made and taste all of their products. Besides the cheese factory, they have a small gift store and a beautiful garden. What a delight to see, when all we have been seeing is brown, unwatered grasses.
We love cheese and these little cheese places can be gems of a find. They generally have an odd flavor that makes your tongue sit up and say YUM! Found it with their Garlic Cheddar. Can't wait to try in in some scallop potatoes.AVENUE OF THE GIANTS
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| Old Highway 101 Avenue of The Giants |
We saw many of the same kinds of trees we had seen in the last couple of days, but this part of old Highway 101 is a 37 mile drive that takes you through an ancient forest and makes you wonder at the size of these big and old trees.
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| Over 300 feet long- length of a football field |
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| Burls on trees |
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| Deane looking through hollow tree |
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| Root of fallen giant |
Another factoid we learned is that the much prized burls on the trees can weigh up to 600 lbs.
One more tourist thing we did.... who can come to the Redwoods and not drive through a tree..... Not us!
To end our tour of the Avenue of the Giants, we never thought we would find a winery. But we did, Riverbend Cellars. Stopped and did sample, did not find one I could not live with out. No matter the quality of the wine, always fun to try them and talk to the owners and hear how they ended up where they did. She was from So. Africa and her husband from Southern Calif. Both had winery backgrounds and wanted their own land for the hobby of making wine. Started that way....ended up being a business.
RICHARDSON'S GROVE
As you drive through any of the Redwood Forests, you will see groves named after famous people. One such grove, Richardson's Grove, named after an early Governor of California was a fond childhood memory of Deane's. As a child, his family camp here, and as a young father he brought his children.
Highway 101 runs right through this park, going from 4 lanes to 2 lanes for a short distance. Because the redwood trees are protected, the state cannot remove any of the trees lining the road to widen it. This apparently has created a controversy in the area, for those who want the short distance to be widened to 4 lanes, and those who want to retain the natural beauty.
We spent about an hour in the park, and we're sorry to see it was in disrepair. The visitors center had signs of rotting wood and plastic covering the roof. It also appeared the interpretive trail around the grounds have not had any work done for many years. Upon leaving the park, we talked with a park aide who told us the park has received a grant and work is being done to restore it.
Today is our last day here in the Redwoods. The temperatures have been most pleasant and we will most likely miss them as we head to Redding to see Deane's cousin Ty and his wife Jeannie.