May 31 – June 1, 2011 – Humboldt Redwoods State Park

We left Yuba City Tuesday morning, and yes it is raining again. Our original plans were to head north to Mt. Shasta but there is still a lot of snow in the Sierras and they are predicting more snow this week so we decided to head west to the coast.  We drove north to Redding and then over the Trinity Alps and followed the Trinity River.  This area is beautiful but it was raining hard and was pretty foggy so we didn’t get to see much of the scenery.  We were going to stop at the Bigfoot Museum but the parking lot was not big enough for our rig so we had to skip it. 
We are staying in Eureka at the Redwood Acres Fairgrounds Campground and it is raining here also.  The woman in the office who checked us in told us the weather forecast for the north coast is for rain for the next 10 days.  I guess our rain gear will get used a lot.

It rained all night and was still raining Wednesday morning.  We drove to Humboldt Redwoods State Park, which is southeast of Eureka.  The 31 mile scenic drive through the park is called “Avenue of the Giants”.   




It rained off and on all day but we were able to get out and do a little hiking among the trees.  These Coastal Redwoods really are giants – they can grow to over 320 ft tall with trunks more than 24 feet in diameter and live more than 2,000 years.  These trees are not as big around as the Giant Sequoias but they are much taller, Once again, we are reminded of how tiny and insignificant we are!


This log was cut down between 1850 and 1900 during the initial log harvest.  It measures 33 feet in circumference and is a good place for a rest.






Rex wanted to take this unusual chair home but we don’t think it will fit in the 5th wheel.







We came upon this downed tree with beautiful dark red wood.




This tree is aptly called “Giant Tree” and was recognized by the American Forestry Association as the National Champion Coast Redwood in 1991.  It is 363 feet high and its circumference at chest height is 53.2 feet.  Now that’s one big tree.



Rex pointed the camera straight up the trunk of the Giant Tree to try to show how tall it really is.







This is a truly beautiful park and has got us excited about visiting Redwood National Park.  We took a different route back to Eureka that wound through the coastal mountains and along the Lost Coast.  We stopped at this beach and watched the waves for a while.

This was a beautiful drive but was very tiring as the road was rough, narrow and very crooked with lots of hairpin curves and steep climbs.

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