MAGIC IN REDWOOD LAND - part two

 

Several redwoods growing in close proximity to one another are called cathedrals.

BIG TREE HIKE...

Roger here....  Back to the trees ---Our second long hike in the forest (7 miles) took place in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.  A park ranger concocted a series of interconnected trails for us that would lead us back to our SUV: Revelation Trail, Nature Trail, Prairie Creek Trail, Cathedral Trail.  My navigation skills must still be ok because we did not get lost.

Look at the size of that root ball!

Dianne stood inside a living tree.

I walked into a tunnel that was cut into a fallen tree.

(BTW, Roger's behind is not that big; that's a sweatshirt hanging from his waist! -- D.)

That little pink dot in the upper left of this photo is Dianne.  I took this photo from the other end of this fallen tree.

The "Big Tree" was a major feature of this trek.  Below are several pictures of this gargantuan 1500-year-old tree.

CAL - BARREL ROAD....

Most national parks do not allow dogs on the hiking trails.  The Redwoods National and State Parks are no exception --- except for the exception.  When I asked at one of the visitor centers, the ranger told us that there truly is an exception at Cal - Barrel Road.

Dogs share this narrow gravel road with occasional car traffic.

The bad news at the start of the hike was that it was all uphill.  The great news during the second half of the hike was that it was all downhill.

Dianne here - I think videos give a better perception of these awesome trees, so here's a short clip:

 

The awesome trees were the same as on the narrower trails and we were able to enjoy them with our dogs.

Poquita wanted to check out any critters that might be inside.

(I thought this looked like a little dog house, but Poquita opted not to go in!) -- D.

BOONDOCKING AT JEDEDIAH SMITH STATE PARK...

It was time to leave Klamath, so we waited another 

one-and-one-half hours to cross the last chance grade going north.  Our destination was Jedediah Smith State Park near Crescent City, where we camped for two nights.  We had no hook-ups --- no electricity, no water --- just quiet.   (Not even a Verizon signal.  We alerted our daughters not to worry if they could not reach us by phone. -- D.)

All of the photos below were taken at our specific campsite.  Surrounded by the giant redwood trees, we relished the solitude and felt no need to leave camp.  

I was so relaxed that I set up a "contemplative niche" on the edge of our site.  

Notice the green chair in the midst of "all the green".  So restful.

Sunsets here were a non-event; however, watching the sun's rays through the forest canopy was breath-taking.

The reason wine-thirty was invented

Chip and Dale were there.  Bandido (on a 25-foot tether) conducted an investigation of Chip's hiding spot behind a redwood log.

Nap time for Dianne and the doggies.

(Quite a change from the 100+ temperatures we dealt with the first weeks of our trip.  Even Bandido wanted under a blanket.  The dense shade of these huge trees made it chilly.  -- D.)

We had not had a campfire for months, maybe years, but the friendly campground host told me that they were permitted and safe in the tall fire pits.  Dianne loves campfires.  So during nap time I bought firewood to surprise Dianne.  She was a happy camper.

BTW.  We watched the fire VERY carefully.  What a setting!

Our next stops are along the magnificent beaches of Oregon.  More on that in the next post.

PET PICTURES OF THE DAY....

Bandido napping after the Cal-Barrel hike

Poquita helping Dianne with a cryptogram