Down on the beach we found a waterfall, then started playing jump rope with the seaweed.
After hiking back to the cars, the group headed home to the city and I turned my little Civic north on Highway 1. On the road again! It was only two hours before dark, so I didn't make it very far before it was time to camp, in a state forest near Gualala (I just love the name Gualala). The next day I continued up the coast for most of the day. Highway 1 is deceiving - the speed limit is faster than any reasonable driver can actually go, given the winding turns and shear cliffs. It was a little foggy, but I still had amazing views and stopped for several short hikes and side-trips. I apologize for the flood of pictures, but there were just so many to choose from... First, a sand-dune beach:
The beach was covered with giant kelp tangles that had washed ashore.
Here's a field above cliffs further north:
And turning around, I saw a bunch of large birds riding thermals up into the sky:
My next stop was at a lighthouse with nice flowers and deadly rocks:
Finally the road left the coast and entered giant redwood forests. Besides stopping at Humboldt Redwood Forest and camping at Jedediah Smith Redwood Forest, I also hopped off the "major highway" of 101 and took a detour to see some really big trees. First, some normal sized redwoods:
Next, a giant downed tree:
And its living friend:
And finally, what trip to the redwoods would be compete without a living tree that you can drive through?
Leaving the giants behind I headed further inland towards the Oregon border and Crater Lake!
No comments:
Post a Comment