2013-18 Jedediah Smith & Redwoods National Parks, California
Hello All,
Continuing down the Oregon coast into California we stopped at many waysides to check out the photo opportunities. The rugged coastline offers many varied vistas. At one stop we came across a bold western gull. This guy had no fear and posed for us just three feet away. You just never know what you will come across by not being in a rush and enjoying Mother Nature.
Continuing down the Oregon coast into California we stopped at many waysides to check out the photo opportunities. The rugged coastline offers many varied vistas. At one stop we came across a bold western gull. This guy had no fear and posed for us just three feet away. You just never know what you will come across by not being in a rush and enjoying Mother Nature.
It had been years since we
last visited Jedediah Smith Redwoods Park. The park is located along U.S.
highway 199 approximately 9 miles east of Crescent City, California. This state
park preserves amazing old-growth redwood trees. You can turn off the highway
and drive small one-lane dirt roads amongst the giants within the park. The
forest floor is covered with ferns in many areas. It is an area where you can
lose yourself in the majesty of it all.
Here Miss Barb is standing between a couple of the giants.
Here Miss Barb is standing between a couple of the giants.
Check out the size of the burl on this tree.
Some of the trees have vines
growing up them.
It is truly awesome exploring
the backroads within the park--something you don’t want to miss if you are ever
in this neck of the woods.
Leaving the park we headed
towards Crescent City to find some lunch. We came upon a place that had huge
hydrangea bushes growing. We had to stop and snap a few screen saver photos--we
love things with bright colors.
After lunch we continued
southbound following U.S. Highway 101 along the California coast. There was a
pretty good breeze kicking up the surf.
We pulled into the Trees of
Mystery parking lot. It had been years since we last visited this tourist
attraction. Located within the heart of the redwoods this privately owned
portion of land has some amazing old growth trees. And, they have done a
wonderful job in managing, protecting and caring for their trees. Entrance fees
are reasonable and it is well worth the experience if you find yourself in the
area. Trails are well groomed and suitable for most everyone.
Within the attraction is what is known as the Cathedral Tree. It is an area where a group of nine trees are growing together as one, making it the world’s largest “cathedral” tree. Approximately 800 to 1,000 years ago a very large tree stood in the middle of this formation. When it fell it didn’t die. The roots and burls of the stump sprouted and these nine trees happened to grow together in a half circle around the original mother tree’s stump, which has long since rotted away. Many weddings and Easter services are held at this natural cathedral.
Sorry, there appeared to be too many people there for our liking, so we decided to pass it by this time. We did snap a few photos of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox at the entrance however.
Within the attraction is what is known as the Cathedral Tree. It is an area where a group of nine trees are growing together as one, making it the world’s largest “cathedral” tree. Approximately 800 to 1,000 years ago a very large tree stood in the middle of this formation. When it fell it didn’t die. The roots and burls of the stump sprouted and these nine trees happened to grow together in a half circle around the original mother tree’s stump, which has long since rotted away. Many weddings and Easter services are held at this natural cathedral.
Sorry, there appeared to be too many people there for our liking, so we decided to pass it by this time. We did snap a few photos of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox at the entrance however.
Our next stop was at Stoney
Lagoon where we stretched our legs walking the beach. It was a beautiful day
with temperatures in the 70’s. The lagoon itself is quite scenic.
There were Morning Glories in
bloom growing in the sand and rocks along the upper edges of the beach.
Back on U.S. Highway 101 we
came across a large herd of about seventy-five Roosevelt Elk. Many of them were
feeding on blackberry bushes. That was a new first for us as we have never
before seen any animal feeding on thorny blackberry bushes.
There were some beautiful healthy bulls within
the herd.
And, even though they were
still in velvet and the rutting season had not begun they seemed to be showing
a real interest in the cows.
Some of the bulls were even
bugling. For those that have never heard the sound, it is sort of like an eerie
scream—very distinctive.
Our next adventure was into Redwood
National & State Park. Redwoods have outlived dinosaurs, survived sweeping geological
changes, and successfully competed to claim a spot in modern day forests. Today,
botanists recognize three surviving redwood species—the dawn redwood is native
to China; the giant sequoia clings to life in California’s Sierra Nevada
Mountains; and the coast redwood reigns over the coastal forests of Northern
California.
The coast redwood is found growing naturally in a zone 450 miles long by 25 miles wide, and below 3,000 feet in elevation, along the Pacific Ocean from central California to the southwestern corner of Oregon. Coast redwoods tower over all other trees in the world. Trees average 300 feet in height with some giants reaching nearly 370 feet. Giant sequoias, their cousins, grow larger in diameter and bulk, but not in height.
Miss Barb is standing in front of a nice specimen. It is 304 feet in height, 21 feet 6 inches in diameter, 68 feet in circumference, and estimated to be 1500 years old.
The coast redwood is found growing naturally in a zone 450 miles long by 25 miles wide, and below 3,000 feet in elevation, along the Pacific Ocean from central California to the southwestern corner of Oregon. Coast redwoods tower over all other trees in the world. Trees average 300 feet in height with some giants reaching nearly 370 feet. Giant sequoias, their cousins, grow larger in diameter and bulk, but not in height.
Miss Barb is standing in front of a nice specimen. It is 304 feet in height, 21 feet 6 inches in diameter, 68 feet in circumference, and estimated to be 1500 years old.
It is impossible to capture
the enormity of these trees in a photo from the ground looking up. The top half
of the tree is hidden by foliage.
It seemed like an honor to be
able to drive the road within the park. Without a doubt these trees are so
special. We pulled off at waysides and walked the trails through the colossal
giants. To think they are thousands of years old makes you feel pretty
insignificant in the big scheme of things.
Sadly, old growth redwood
forests have been reduced by logging from 2 million acres in the 19th
century to 100,000 acres today. Redwood National & State Parks include
almost 40,000 acres, nearly half of all that remain.
We will continue down the California coast to about Eureka-Arcata in our next write-up. Then we plan to turn inland with our next destination being Lassen Volcanic National Park. Hope you have the time and inclination to join us on the ride.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
We will continue down the California coast to about Eureka-Arcata in our next write-up. Then we plan to turn inland with our next destination being Lassen Volcanic National Park. Hope you have the time and inclination to join us on the ride.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns