We six to the Northern California Coast and Redwoods

Northern California and the old growth redwood forest. 

Packing up the trailer and loading the truck to move to the next place has now become routine. We can be on the road in 30 minutes or so. We got an early start when we left Gerstle Cove and the morning was beautiful. North of Sea Ranch the road becomes a little less twisty and the straight sections are a little bit longer so you can make better time with less strain.  

The animals are pretty much settled into the routine also. Truck time means new sights and smells. For the most part they travel well but like kids they have their moments. Ziggy and Peanut perch themselves on the center console between us and look out the windows until Ziggy gets bored, he will then climb down on the floor at Denise’s feet where he will invariably get wrapped up in the tangle of wires that go to cell phones and tablets and the GPS unit. Then Peanut will start mewing and Kazumba will mumble and whistle so that she is part of the action. The only quiet one is Pata. She’s usually good until we need to talk to a person at the fee station and then she will pipe in with a bark or two.  

As you progress up the coast eventually highway one turns inland to meet up with highway 101. When it does that you climb over the coast range on a narrow winding road that takes you up to around 4000 feet before you wind down the pass to the town of Legget where the two highways join for the rest of the way to Oregon. 

As we cruised through the forest I caught a glimpse of a large brown 🐦 flying through the trees. When we cleared the group of trees I glanced over again in time to see a hawk land on a fence post with a snake dangling from his beak. There was no pull off of course so one for the memory bank but no photo. 

 We settled on a campground in the Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, Mill Creek campground. It's run by federal and state so with the federal involvement we pay half price. Great deal in a nice campground. It's down more than six hundred feet in elevation from the highway to the campground. There are no old growth trees here but it's still nice. The stumps of the Ancients are all around still giving life to new growth by providing a foothold for many different plants. Mother stumps we called them in Washington.

An old growth log alive with ferns and other plants

 We got into the campground late in the afternoon but with plenty of time to get set up and cook up dinner before sunset. There was not phone or internet in the campground but we did have power and water so all was good. 

 The damp and cold was getting to us though. I awoke in the middle of the night with a sore throat and Denise had been feeling it also for a couple of days. Summer colds are the worst, I hate feeling sick any time but when the weather is nice and people are out having fun it's no time to be hacking and coughing.
 Even deep in the valley sunlight came early. Before dawn I could hear the birds starting their morning songs. I was awake at 4:00am and out of bed by 4:30 making coffee and listening to the sounds of the redwood forest coming to life. Denise went into Crescent City to make some phone calls and do shopping. I wanted to just be around the camp for the day and not drive anywhere so I got to stay behind. I walked around the camp checking out the sights there.   I could hear warblers singing in the treetops but none came down to feed. I would catch occasional glimpses for birds flying but way up high except for the usual camp scavengers like blue jays there were no birds to be seen.
 I did find some monkey flowers blooming in a small creek so I got out Denise's extension tubes and took a couple of photos. They are lovely little blooms.

Tooth-leaved Monkeyflower Mimulus dentatus

 

  California Manroot Marah fabacea

 I got bored with the campgound sights and decided to walk up the road to the entrance station a mile up the mountain. There were some  rhododendrons blooming along the road so I thought to photograph them and maybe meet up with Denise somewhere along the road. There were more monkey flowers along the road as well as cinquefoil and other wildflowers. I stopped at a place to shoot some flowers and I caught a flash of yellow on a bird as it flew into some salmon berry bushes. It then flew up into a tree above me but where I could see that it was a Wilson's warbler. Now I knew at least one of the warblers that was singing in the treetops in the morning. It was calling and I could hear others answering but never did see any more of them.

 A Columbian black-tailed deer cutting through the campground

 Salmon berries are beginning to get ripe

 Wilson's warbler hiding in the salmon berries

 

 Rhododendrons in the forest

  Western Wild Ginger Asarum caudatum. It's hard to see but this plant is blooming. The flower is brown

  Thimbleberry Rubus parviflorus

When I got to the fee station the ranger saw the camera and told me that there was a Clintonia blooming along the nature loop. She said it was rare to see them bloom and described them to me. I told her that it sounded like the flowers we had seen blooming down the coast at the Kruse Rhododendron reserve but went to have a look see. It was the same as what we had seen. 

 After walking the half mile nature loop I found that it connected with a trail I had seen down the road near the campground. I thought it said .3 mile so I went on it thinking it would take me out to the park road. After some time walking and not seeing the road I realized it was going to be a longer walk. I just kept going as it was heading in the general direction of the campground there was a closed trail and I was hoping that I hadn't inadvertently gotten onto it. The trail went up and down through the forest and was really beautiful. Mossy trees and the understory filled with ferns and berries of different kinds. Little creeks and brooks running through it. At one point a large tree had fallen across the path taking its roots with it as it fell. The root mass was across the path. I climbed up and around it and continued on my way. Finally I came upon a sign the indicated the campground was .2 miles ahead and that the trail behind me went 1.8 miles. So it was considerably longer than walking the road but much more pleasant for scenery. 
 When I got back to the camp Denise had already returned. 
 We went to Crescent city docks to look at the seals and sea lions. Plus to take Pata for a walk on the beach where we found sand dollars whole, something that is rare in Texas.

 Miss Pata enjoying her walk

 Denise and Pata on the beach at Crescent City

 Battery Point lighthouse. In service since 1855. The lighthouse is only accessible for visits at low tide.

 A sea lion

 
 

Harbor seals on the floats in the cove.

 

 

 

 

The reason we chose Crescent City was Denise's niece Larissa and her family live there. We visited with them at their house and went there for dinner one night. So nice to finally meet all of them. We had never met before and they were fun friendly and great people to be around. Scott, Risa's husband, the kids Miranda, Layla and Jordan were all enjoyable.

 Scott and Layla

 Risa and Denise

 The group - Layla, Scott, Risa, Denise and Jordan. Unfortunately Miranda had to work so we didn't get her in the pictures.

 Scott grew some hair with a little help from Layla

 Scott and Risa are trying to sell their house and move to a warmer climate inland. We wish them the best and hope their desires are met. We'll see ya later Mackey's it was great to finally meet you!

That was the end of this chapter and we were chugging up the coast to Oregon the next morning.