Redwoods and the Northern Coast
Trip Start
Nov 22, 2007
1
35
55
Trip End
Dec 01, 2008
Trinidad,
California,
United States
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
We headed toward the coast from Redding along the 299 a road of twists and turns, scaling mountains and pushing through valleys before dropping you on the 101 (the Redwood Highway) that winds along the coast. (Interesting side note: they say "the" and then the number of the highway here in the west-i.e., "the 299", instead of, for example, "the turnpike" or "I95" or "Route 299." In the southwest-Texas in particular-every road has two or three different names. Your GPS system will give you one or two, none of which actually appears on the street signs, and the locals often have yet another name for the road you are on!) After the white-knuckle ride on the 299, turning right onto the 101, the road becomes a straight two-lane with tree flanking both sides without much else to see. But as you near Trinidad you come around a bend on a hilltop and the Pacific Ocean breathtakingly appears before you and you can't help but feel your spirits rise and the blood returning to your knuckles. The ocean is a deep blue and huge rock formations lie offshore, a savage beauty providing depth to an east coasters' perspective of earth's majesty.
We arrived in Trinidad and set up camp at the aptly named Emerald Forest Campground, tucking the Winnie into the shade between a couple stands of redwoods. The heat wave of Redding (they hit the "trips" (triple digit temperatures) breaking records while we were there) had dissipated along the drive giving way to pleasant high seventies. (Little did we know that this, too, was a record-breaking high for Trinidad! Most days were in the low sixties)
The Trinidad area is very convenient for visitors to the coastal redwoods, with Patrick's Point State Park, Prairie Creek Redwood State Park, Redwood National Park and the Lady Bird Johnson Grove, and a number of state beaches close by.
001 Lighthouse at Trinidad
And the small town of Trinidad sits atop the Trinidad Bay, making for some great views of the ocean. We took a couple of trips to Prairie Creek. The first was to take a long hike through a section of the redwood forest. The Sequoias that we had seen earlier in our trip were impressive; the coastal redwoods also are humbling. The coastal redwoods differ from the Sequoias-the Sequoia bark actually is redder in color than that of the redwoods, but the redwoods tower higher, reaching for the sun that evades the ever-present coastal fog. What the Sequoias boast in girth is compensated with redwood height. Another difference is that Sequoia reproduce only by seed (believe it or not the seeds are only the size of small flakes contained in cones the size of chicken eggs) whereas the redwood can reproduce by seed (the size of tomato seeds in cones the size of large olives) or by sprout. One of our pictures shows a redwood with virtually no branches on the lower section and hundreds of sprouts growing from all sides at the top. You also often see multiple trunks where new trees have sprouted as offshoots of the old. If you are an ambitious gardener, the area shops sell redwood sprouts for planting! But be advised that these trees are unique to the climate of the northern California coast. On the other side of Prairie Creek Park there is a long curvy dirt road leading to an entrance on the shore. Once inside the park, a short hike leads to a place called Fern Canyon. An open meadow between the trail and the ocean is a great place for viewing Roosevelt Elk, or Wapiti.
002 View from lighthouse
A large herd was there when we went by, and we got some great photos! Elk were grazing not 20 feet away from us and the sand and the ocean were within view.Fern is a neat place-a small canyon cut by a calm stream. The locals told us that Fern Canyon was the site for shooting part of the original Star Wars movie-the part where Princess Leah gets kidnapped. The walls are only about 50 feet high, but lush green ferns and moss cover them! A unique experience for the senses, this oasis in the forest feels like a spring blanket smelling like fresh rain with a dash of just-cut grass and a measure of pine. It is well worth the short hike.
We spent a couple days relaxing on Moonstone Beach, a short ride from the Emerald Forest. Although we both love the beach and the ocean, the Northern California coast is not ideal for fun-in-the sun. It can get quite hot in the direct sunlight, but the breezes are very cool and the ocean water is downright cold-even for a water rat like Bob who will swim just about anywhere.
Another day we took a ride about 50 miles south to take a 30-mile ride through the redwoods on the Avenue of the Giants from Phillipsville to Pepperwood. The Avenue of the giants is a portion of the old 101, a scenic drive in the heart of the trees. A magnificent motorcycle ride! We stopped for lunch at the Avenue Café in Miranda, before riding north along the route. We stopped at the Shrine drive-through tree-a must do in redwood county-and gift shop. Bob had our compact Nikon with him and took some pictures as we rode along the Avenue.
003 Another view of Pacific from lighthouse
We also stopped at the visitor center for Humboldt Redwoods State Park, the state park that surrounds the Avenue, and learned a bit about the area and its history. In the old days, felling the trees was an incredible feat. They used huge two-man saws spanning 20 feet or more, chains and mules. It's hard to believe the amount of effort this must have taken-and how long and backbreaking the work. It's amazing to see what people do with redwoods-they makes homes in the trunks, or use the hollowed-out trunks as covered wagon bodies, or carve all kinds of interesting creatures and tree houses. We also saw the Immortal Tree, a redwood that survived not only an attempt at felling, but also a flood in 1964 that covered over 20 feet of trunk. With the shallow root system of the redwood, this was really a feat. We enjoyed our stay in Redwood country, but the weather was typically cold and foggy and we yearned for a warmer climate. We had planned to head north from here, through Oregon and Washington, still toying with the idea of heading out to Alaska. But upon checking out the various national parks to the north in Oregon and Washington State, we found that late snows and cold weather had delayed their opening. With only our motorcycles for local transport, this did not look like a promising situation for us. So we turned and headed south toward milder climes. Unfortunately. Alaska is off the table at this point. But we decided with so much we want to see in Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas, the time we save avoiding the some 3000 miles of travel to and from Alaska will still be well spent. Next stop-Las Vegas and then Canyon country!
