Whirlwind Trip to California

We drove to California this morning to see the Redwood Forest. It was a spectacular drive, through winding mountain roads alongside beautiful rivers. There wasn't much traffic so we could meander at our own speed most of the time. Unfortunately the biggest Redwoods are further down the coast--too far to do in a day--so we just went to the northern-most tip of the National Park to see the "baby" trees.  Because the trees are so close to the coast, there was lots of fog at the treetops.  Also, they are soooo tall, they are literally in the clouds.

This is one of those baby trees. Mom and Alan standing at the base.  If you scroll quickly, you'll get the whole picture, though I wasn't exactly dead-on with stitching the six photos together.  Whatever.  You'll get the drift.

Some random photos

It's nearly impossible to describe how big these "babies" are. In the photo below, can you spot the man..?? That should give you an idea.  (If you can't find him, he's on the right, wearing blue jeans and a black shirt.  Click on the photo to get the larger view).

Alan, between three mammoth trees.  It was very dark beneath them, so this photo isn't great.  Still.  Look at the girth of the tree Alan is standing in front of.

After leaving the forest, we drove along the coast for 20 miles or so. It was chilly and damp, just like a Summer in Scotland. I had to wear my sweatshirt and jeans. Ahhhh, heaven, after so many weeks of scorching heat in Grants Pass, though the coastal fog didn't add much to my photos.

We left the refreshing coolness behind and retraced our steps into the mountains and back to Oregon. We stopped along the Smith River where I hung over the ravine to get these shots. The water was absolutely breathtaking: clear and clean, in various shades of green.

It was a wonderful day, though we will have to go back at some point and continue the journey south into the heart of the Redwood National Forest...so we can see the "grown up" trees.