California

We are in CA.  I can’t explain why that excite me so much.  When we drove down this morning, it was pretty foggy.  A strange experience here.  The foggy is …heavy.  Not thick, exactly.  But it appears like smoke more than fog.  And the clouds hang in the air and waft places.  It was thick enough that down the mountainside where there was the nice drop with no guard rail to the beach and ocean - I couldn’t see it.  This was a good thing.  (On the way back we could see more and nit was beautiful, especially from the other side of the road.

We were on our way to the giant redwoods.  Initially we had some concern about the fog, but it came and went within miles.  Eventually we stopped at a Park center and the nice young man (from Michigan) explained that with fog an the pictures are great - no fog and you see everything - it’s all good.  He was right.

Our first stop was actually a touristy place - The Mystery of the Trees (hear the echo?)  Aside from it having a Paul Bunyan theme (I really didn’t think Paul was from around here) it was pretty cool.  The building size statue of Paul outside had a broadcasting system in which someone could see and hear what was happening, so it was like the giant Paul was present.  I know it’s silly, but I love those things.  But it was very cool, not simply because it was our first glimpses of the giant trees, but what makes the place is the “sky trial”.  The sky trail is a gondola that works it’s way up the side of a mountain, to the tree tops.  The tree tops fo 300 feet tall trees.

I admit, I clutched and whimpered and a little tearfully made it on the ride with minimal amount of eyes closed, but a lot of deep breathing.  It was worth it though.  They say it’s a bird’s eye view - and it was.  The way down was better, but we think that was because I’m short enough to as not actually have had the same kind of view.  Still, it along with the walk in the woods by giant trees was well worth it.

We then entered took a scenic route through the park and the old growth.  Giant is a word that just doesn’t do things justice.  Like the badlands, its something I think one has to see to grasp.  The trees are… how to describe their size?  Our pine trees compared to here are like cats compared to elephants.  The trunks of some of these trees are bigger than my car.  And the height, there were trees I couldn’t see the top of.  And when I could it was dizzying.  You take a picture and it’s like, taking a picture of a wall of bark.

It’s amazing.  We drove around them.  Stopped and walked on some trails. (I’ve iced my ankle already and my hips are screaming, but it was worth it.)  We also visited Elk Meadow - and though I didn’t believe there would be any, elk were there!  About 4 or 5 of them.    Sea lions yesterday, elk to day.  I’m not sure when I started to become a nature girl, but I was pretty excited about it.

We also stopped for lunch/ snack at a road side smoke house.  We ate smoked salmon in the car by the trees, but my fav was salmon candy.  Nope, not kidding.  Salmon marinaded in brown sugar, then rubbed with brown sugar and then smoked to be jerky.  It would be worth the diabetic coma.

Now we are back at the motel, not quite as bad as the Rainbow Inn in Nebraska, but… pretty close.  It does not come recommended.  In fact, nothing here in Crescent City - out side of the Park info center comes recommended.  It’s a pretty sad place.  Though I did see the Library.  It too is pretty small and side.  But the bed is clean - that’s all I care about at the moment as our walks have tired me out.

I’m sure I’m forgetting something.  Every afternoon I remember what I forgot to write the night before and as I sit to write at night, I’ve forgotten again.

Tomorrow is a driving day and we’ll be heading back north, though reluctantly.  We’re not sure about the cities.  But we, or at least I, would like to at least see them.  Still, they might be quick passages.  We’ll see.  We expect to be in Eugene tomorrow.

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Oh and it's COLD here.  I had to buy a sweatshirt this morning and I actually wore it for a long while.  M.'s been wearing a jacket all day.  We're told that it's this temperature all year round -not ever really varying.  That would be nice, but so far that's the strongest temptation.