March/April 2019 Friends…Parks….Awesome Sights!
Chino Hills State Park
Chino Hills, CA
March 21-22, 2019
After leaving
the SKP JoJoba Hills in Aguanga, CA, our next destination was Chino Hills,
CA. Our main goal in staying at the
Chino Hills State Park was to stay in an area where we would be able to easily
visit Dave’s “sister” Linda and her husband Matt in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. We arrived on Thursday, the 21st. The state park is in a residential area of
the town, but once we made the turn into the park, we found ourselves on a
steep, winding, narrow road. The park
has more than 14,000 acres of rolling, grassy hills and valleys, dotted with
stands of oaks and sycamores. The views of the rolling green hills were
lovely. There were also fields of wild
flowers. The ranger had told us the area
was experiencing a super bloom and the park was attracting several visitors
because of it. Although the scenery and
the landscapes were pretty, Dave and I had already experienced the most awesome
super bloom in Lake Elsinore!
Chino Hills
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| Campsite |
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| Rolling Hills |
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| Another Hawk |
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Lupines |
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| Beautiful Rainbow |
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| Early morning |
On Friday, we
had dinner with Linda and Matt. It was
good to catch up with them about their growing family (4 grandchildren already)
and for Dave and Linda to reminisce about their shared memories of life in
Manchester, CT. Unfortunately, neither
Dave nor I took a single photo of our time together.
Point Mugu
Sycamore Canyon State Park
March 23-25, 2019
We left Chino
Hills at 7:00 am on Saturday. We were
headed to Sycamore Canyon State Park at Point Mugu. We were looking forward to our drive today
because part of it would be along CA1which runs right along the Pacific Coast
and affords spectacular views. We had
also chosen this site because it was close enough to Ventura, CA from where we
would be taking the ferry in order get to the Channel Islands, the next
National Park on our list. After
settling into our campsite, we went to the marina to schedule our trip to the
Islands. Since it was still a bit early
in the season, the Island Packers ferry company was working on a reduced schedule,
but we were able to schedule a 9:00 am crossing on Monday to visit Santa
Cruz. According to the brochure we
received at the Visitor’s Center, “ the
eight Channel Islands span 160 miles off the coast of southern California. There are four northern islands—San Miguel,
Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Anacapa, and four southern islands—San Nicolas,
Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina, and San Clemente. All the islands offer visitors the
opportunity to swim, hike, camp, watch wildlife, kayak, sail, and explore tide pools,
beaches, and rugged canyons. Naturalists
are available to lead hikes. Santa Cruz is the largest island in the National
Park with 61,972 acres. It is 22 miles
long and from two to six miles wide. A
central valley splits the island along the Santa Cruz Island fault, with
volcanic rock on the north and older sedimentary rock on the south. Santa Cruz
has pristine beaches, rugged mountains, canyons, and grass-covered hills. Santa Cruz island is a miniature of what
southern California looked like over 100 years ago”.
After booking
our trip, we visited the Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center and
then returned to our campsite.
Unfortunately for us, eight very loud and noisy college students who
were enjoying a few days in the park during their spring break now occupied the
site next to us. Dave and I are usually
very tolerant and respectful of our “camping neighbors”, but these kids were
clueless. They were up all night,
playing loud music, slamming car doors and talking as if there were the only
ones in the park. Needless to say, sleep
was out of the question. Oh well, I
guess I’m getting old. They were just
kids out having a good time!
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| Visitor Center Flowers |
The next day, we
stayed around the campground until early afternoon and then we drove to Burbank
to visit our former neighbor and dear friend Jan Furhman Day. About nine months ago, she sold her house in
Okeechobee and moved to California to be closer to her daughter, Alicia. We had a great visit. She has a very nice apartment in a safe
neighborhood. She is involved in many of
the activities offered in the residence.
The day we arrived a play she had written was being cast. It is going to be performed in a few
months. She is very excited about
it. Although she misses Okeechobee, Jan
is settling in nicely and she looks well and happy. We are so glad we were able to spend a few
hours with her.
We were up early
on Monday to get ready for our trip to Santa Cruz. The weather was beautiful. The ferryboat ride was about and hour and a
half and it was a perfect ride. After
arriving on the island, we stowed our things in a locker and then set out on
our hike to Potato Cove. We hiked past
the historic Scorpion Ranch where there are exhibit areas including an
orientation kiosk, blacksmith shop, farm implements, and a ranch house. As we made our way to our trailhead, we
passed through the campground. We were
surprised to see how crowded the grounds were.
Camping on this island is certainly a popular activity. Dave also photographed a red fox (said to be
an endangered species, although we saw several) in the campgrounds. After a moderate climb, we reached the crest
where we were rewarded with magnificent coastal views.
After our hike,
we returned to the beach area. We
enjoyed our picnic lunch, relaxing in comfortable bag chairs that Dave had been
so wise to bring. As we waited for our
departing ferry, we enjoyed watching kayakers, swimmers (brave souls to be in
the icy waters) and the kids, who were having a blast playing in the sand and
water. The ferry ride back was again
smooth and enjoyable.
A Day in Santa Cruz
The Channel Islands
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| Ventura Harbor |
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| Ferry Company |
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| Santa Cruz Dock |
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| Docking |
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| The Harbor |
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| Sailboat in Harbor Too bad it wasn't "At Last" |
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| The Arch |
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| Old Farm Equipment Scorpion Ranch |
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| Hills on Santa Cruz |
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| Island Fox |
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| Hiking to Potato Cove |
The Crest and Potato Cove
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| Potato Cove Selfie |
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| Pelican Taking Flight |
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| Ferry Back to the Mainland |
Morro Bay State Park
Morro Bay, CA
March 26-27, 2019
On Tuesday, the
26th, we left Sycamore Canyon and followed Rt. 101 (or as the
Californians say “the 101”) to Morro Bay, CA.
Morro Bay State Park features lagoon and natural bay habitats. The bay’s most prominent landmark is Morro
Rock, a huge rock that can be seen from miles around. The rock is a turban-shaped, extinct volcanic
cone about 50 million years old. It is
576 feet high and is linked to the mainland by a sandbar that is
2000 feet long. The area has opportunities for sailing, fishing, hiking, and
bird watching. On the bay’s northeast
edge is a pristine saltwater marsh that supports a thriving bird population.
There is a park museum that has exhibits that cover natural features and
cultural history, Native Californian life, geology, and oceanography. There is also a marina at the park as well as
an 18-hole golf course.
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| Morro Rock |
After finding a
suitable site, we drove into town. We
stopped at the beach area for photos of the “Rock”, the surf, the birds, and
the beach. We explored the small town
and then returned to our site. We awoke
on Wednesday morning to rain. Dave spent
some time organizing and arranging his photos into our monthly slide show. I headed to the grocery store for supplies
and Dave went in search of LPG for the RV.
San Simeon State Park
Hearst Castle
March 28-31, 2019
We had a short
drive to our next campground. We left
Morro Bay at 8:45 am and by 10:00; we arrived at Hearst San Simeon State
Park. The site to which we had been
assigned was small and a bit odiferous, so we chose another site that we were
able to have for the next four days. In
the afternoon, we took a scenic ride to Paso Robles where you can find hundreds
of vineyards and wineries, Harmony, a small one street town, known for its arts
and crafts; it does have a post office even though its population is 18; and
Cambria, a town that our friend Linda had recommended.
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| Wine Signs inside a shop in Cambria |
Elephant Seal Rookery
We continued the
drive through the southern stretch of Big Sur.
This section followed the ragged coastline with only four towns in a
35-mile stretch. The road passes by
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park known for its redwoods. We stopped for a coffee and muffin at
Nepenthe, an indoor-outdoor restaurant perched 800 feet above the sea with
spectacular views and we visited its gift shop.
As we continued on our way, we passed through Big Sur with its huge
redwoods and stopped to take pictures of Pfeiffer Beach where the surf was
roaring through arched rocks. We saw
Pico Blanco and the 1889 Point Sur Light Station. After passing through Carmel Highlands, we
decided to take the 17-mile drive around the Monterey Peninsula. The drive included sights of natural beauty such
as ragged rocks and beautiful shorelines swarming with seals and seabirds at
various times of the year; as well as man-made sights such as elegant houses
and world-famous golf courses such as Pebble Beach. We stopped at Spanish Bay and enjoyed our lunch
on the beach. We stopped at Point Joe,
where the sea surges perpetually due to submerged rocks. This area is known to be a graveyard of ships
that mistook Point Joe for the entrance to Monterey Bay. After thoroughly
enjoying our long day of awesome views we returned to San Simeon.
Scenic Drive to Monterey Bay
On Sunday, March 31st, we visited the famous Hearst Castle. The castle belonged to newspaperman William Randolph Hearst. It is perched in the Santa Lucia Range. In 1919 Hearst hired San Francisco architect Julia Morgan to build a hilltop house on what he called “his ranch at San Simeon”. Their collaboration on the project lasted from 1919 to 1947 and resulted in a 127-acre estate that features a 115-room main house with three guesthouses, which mix classical and Mediterranean Revival styles, using European architectural elements, antiques, and artwork collected by Hearst. The estate was formally named “La Cuesta Encantada” (The Enchanted Hill). Today Hearst Castle is a California State Park.
We took the main
floor guided-tour. Our knowledgeable
guide walked us through the esplanade to the guest cottages and then to the
beautiful Neptune Pool. Lady Gaga was
the last person to swim in the pool before it was closed for renovations. There is a video on You Tube, but we were
warned it was “R” rated. We then entered
Casa Grande and were taken through the parlor and the dining room. The tour ended at the Tennis Courts and the
Indoor Roman Pool. The courts are
directly above the pool and you can see the glass panels on the tennis courts that
allowed light to shine into the pool area.
After the tour
we took the bus (5 miles) back down to the visitors’ center and viewed the
movie “Hearst Castle-Building the Dream”, an interesting documentary about the
background and building of the Castle.
Hearst Castle
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| Neptune Pool |
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| Swim Ladder |
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| Sitting Room |
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| Dining Room |
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| Bell Tower |
Indoor Roman Pool
Pinnacles National Park
Paicines, CA
April 1-2, 2019
We left San
Simeon at 7:00 am on Monday and arrived at Pinnacles National Park at around
10:30 am. We were able to secure a
walk-up site, but could only reserve it for one night and then try to renew it
at 9:00 am the next day; a very different policy from the other National
Parks. “Pinnacles National Park is located in west-central California in the
Gabalian Range that is part of the Coast Range. Its rumpled volcanic landscape
consists of protruding spires, massive rocky bastions, and cliffs interlaced
with dense, woody chaparral and woodlands of oak and pine”. Dave and I
found the park to be much smaller and, for us, not as impressive as some of the
others we have visited. It does afford
avid hikers the opportunity to explore over 30 miles of trails as well as rock
climbing. Exploring the two caves in the Park is also a popular activity. Unfortunately,
a reality of visiting Pinnacles is that there is an entrance on the east side
of the park and one on the west, but the roads do not connect. The ride from one side to the other requires
a 90-minute trip outside the park. After securing our site for a second day,
Dave and I took the drive to the west entrance of the park. This section was practically deserted. The newer Visitor Center was closed and we
saw very few cars parked in the lots of the trailheads. Although we did not hike any of the trails in
this Park, we heard from others that the wildflowers were exceptional this
year, especially along the Bench Trail.
The condor, a species of vulture with a nine-and-a-half-foot wingspan is
endangered and was all but extinct in the 1980s. Today over 60 condors are tracked and
monitored throughout the Park. Dave was
lucky enough to catch one in flight.
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Pinnacles National ParkWildlife |
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| Condor |
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| West Entrance Visitor Center |
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| Vineyards |
Sequoia National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
April 3-6, 2019
We left
Pinnacles on Wednesday, April 3rd.
By 10:00 am, we had found a site in Horse Creek Campground near the
Kaweah River in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This campground is run by the Army Corps of
Engineers and was only 10 miles from the Park.
We settled into our site and then took a ride into Sequoia National
Park, stopped at the Visitor Center to gather some information, took a short
ride along the beginning of Generals Highway and then returned to our campsite
to make plans for the next day. Before
returning to the Park, we checked into the Sequoia Campground and Lodge, a
private RV park we had previously reserved. For the next three days, we had
full services; electricity, water, sewer, and cable, but the sites at this
campground were small and very closely situated. We then headed back into the Park. This past winter, this area had received 150%
of its “normal” snowfall and although it was April, we still encountered winter
conditions. As we climbed in elevation,
the air temperature fell and snow along the way became the norm. Due to snow
conditions, several of the roads were closed and some of the Visitor Centers
were also closed—with a couple of them still buried in snow. We followed
Generals Highway until we reached the Giant Forest Museum where exhibits
provided us with an overview of the sequoia ecosystem. “Sequoias
grow only in one region in the world—on the west flank of the Sierra Nevada in
California between 5,000 and 7,000 feet of elevation. Giant sequoias are not the tallest trees,
(that claim belongs to the coastal redwoods) but they are the largest by volume
and are definitely very visually impressive.
After visiting the museum, we continued to the parking area from which
we hiked to view the “star” of Sequoia National Park, the General Sherman
Tree. This is the largest tree on Earth. It is 279.5 feet tall with a circumference of
102.6 feet at its base. It is estimated
to weigh 1,385 tons and is believed to be between 2,000 and 3,000 years old.”
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| Tunnel Rock |
General Sherman Tree
So Much Snow!
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| Visitor Center |
After viewing the General Sherman Tree, we
continued along Highway 180 in Kings Canyon National Park--the two parks are
connected and encompass over 1300 square miles--to Grant Grove Village.
We followed the Grant Tree Trail; which was
covered with ice and packed snow until we reached the General Grant, one of the
world’s tallest trees. “Designated the Nation’s Christmas tree, this
giant sequoia is the only living national shrine honoring those who died for
our country”. After a day of
viewing mountains of snow, giant sequoias and buried Visitor Centers, we made
our way back down the mountain via Rt. 245.
This was a scenic, winding road; which took us through miles of
agricultural landscapes, which included fruit and nut trees. On Saturday, we spent the morning doing our
weekly chores, including laundry, and then took a ride into Three Rivers for
lunch. We ate at the Gateway Restaurant
located on the Kaweah River. It was a
beautiful day and we sat outside where we were able to watch the river flowing
rapidly over the rocks and tree branches.
The meal was good, if not somewhat expensive—California prices--$3.75
for a diet coke—but the ambiance certainly made up for the cost.
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| Kaweah River at the Gateway Restaurant |
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite, CA
April 7-10, 2019
We left Sequoia
early Sunday morning. We were very
excited to be finally heading to Yosemite.
Both Dave and I had visited the Park before and were looking forward to
seeing it again. We were hoping to get a walk-up at the Wawona Campground in
the Park. The Merced River runs right
through this campground and we thought that would be a great setting for a
campsite. However, like Sequoia, due to
continued wintery conditions, some roads and some campgrounds at Yosemite were
still closed. We arrived at the campground
by noon and were happy to see that sites were still available. Unfortunately, we could only register for one
night since the Park was switching to reservation only sites on Monday. We quickly called Recreation.gov and secured
a site for another three nights. Our
campground was close to the south entrance of the Park. Most of the “popular
attractions” are found in Yosemite Valley, a little over an hour’s ride from
our site. As we made our way to the
Valley, we saw the results of the devastating fires from last July. The road was lined with uprooted, burned and
charred trees. It was difficult to see
such destruction, but fire is often a natural phenomenon that helps to keep the
ecosystem in balance. A few miles
further down the road, after passing through “the tunnel” we were rewarded with
our first views of El Capitan and Half Dome.
As we continued, Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls came into sight as well
as Bridalveil Falls. All the falls were
flowing forcefully due to the heavy snowpack.
We stopped to take a few photos, but decided to come back tomorrow to
spend more time at these natural beauties.
On our way to the Visitor Center, we stopped at the Anselm Adams
Gallery. Adams was a renowned Yosemite
photographer. His photos and prints are
famous worldwide. Dave registered for a
photography class on Monday. After a bit
more exploring we returned to our campsite.
Wawona Campground
Wawona Campground
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| Merced River |
Monday morning, after locating the sanitation station, we dumped and filled our tanks with potable water, returned to Wawona, and settled into our new site. Dave left in the early afternoon for his class in the Village and I started our next blog entry. The afternoon slipped by quickly. Dave returned from the Village at about 6:30 pm. His class was interesting and informative and he will now practice some of the techniques and ideas he garnered from his instructor.
Destructive Fires in July 2018
The Natural Beauty of Yosemite
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| Half Dome Tunnel View |
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| El Capitan |
Upper/Lower Yosemite Falls
We spent our morning enjoying the beauty of the park. We stopped to admire and photograph Yosemite Falls; which is formed by the Lower and Upper Falls. At 2,425 feet, it is the highest waterfall in the North America and the fifth largest in the world. We parked the car and hiked to Bridalveil Fall. This fall is 620 feet high. The volume of water going over Bridalveil was tremendous. The misty, wet spray got heavier as we continued to the base of the fall. As we approached, it felt as if a rainstorm was hitting us in our faces. We quickly took our pictures and although we felt as if we had just taken showers, it was an awesome experience.
Bridalveil Fall
Tuesday morning
dawned cool, but clear. By 9:00 am, we
were back on our way to Yosemite Village.
Although, the beautiful sights had awed us yesterday, we had not taken
the time to really enjoy the grandeur and majesty of Yosemite. The jaw-dropping beauty of this Park is
awesome. As stated in the National
Geographic Guide to National Parks, “Spectacular
natural wonders abound. Granite
monoliths and domes, towering sequoia groves, sweeping grassy meadows, plunging
waterfalls, and rampaging creeks and rivers merge in one of America’s most
treasured parks.”
We continued to
drive through the loop in the Valley. We
stopped at Cooke’s Meadow, where Dave took photos of El Capitan. This is one of the largest granite monoliths
in the world. Its vertical wall rises
3,593 feet above the valley floor. It is
a destination revered by rock climbers.
Ascents of “El Cap” may take several days and at night, climbers sleep
in slings. We also admired Half Dome
again as we drove through the loop. Half
Dome rises nearly 5,000 feet above Yosemite Valley and is 8,800 feet above sea
level. Reaching the summit of Half Dome
is often a challenge for even the most seasoned hikers. Climbers reach the last 400 feet to the
summit using cables that are put in place each year on Memorial Day. The cables
are removed on Columbus Day. Needless to
say, we were early in the season, and did not see anyone scaling Half Dome or El Capitan.
We stopped at the Majestic Yosemite Hotel, formerly known as the Ahwanhee. This hotel was built in 1927 and is an historic landmark. It is known for its façade and architecture. Several years ago, I had enjoyed a drink outside on the patio, as it was July. During this visit, Dave and I had a glass of wine in the bar.
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| Wine at the Majestic |
On Wednesday, we
hiked the Mariposa Grove Trail on the south side of Yosemite National Park. As stated on the Yosemite National Park
website, “The Mariposa Grove of Giant
Sequoias is the largest sequoia grove in Yosemite and is home to over 500
mature giant sequoias. The Grove is
currently in the midst of a large-scale restoration project which began in
2015.” The shuttle bus to the
Mariposa Grove Welcome Center was not in operation yet, so Dave and I hiked the
Mariposa Grove Trail from the parking lot.
This was a 1.9-mile hike with an elevation gain of about 1200 feet. The path was wet with numerous areas of
packed snow cover and fallen limbs and trees.
Dave was my expert guide who led us around the many obstacles that
blocked the trail. Sometimes we even had
to walk across logs to avoid the water flowing beneath us. It made for a challenging hike, especially
for me, but the scenery was awesome.
Once we arrived at the Welcome Center, we took the Giant Tree
trail. The sequoias were amazing, but
the conditions on the boardwalks were icy with about three feet of packed snow.
It was necessary to pay attention in order not to fall. We hiked back to the car on the roadway, a
2.3-mile hike on a steep and winding road without a single level section.
Mariposa Grove
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| Reiventing the Trail |
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| Hiking the Trail to Mariposa Grove |
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| Road back to Parking Lot 1200 ft change in elevation No level surfaces Just as hard as the trail |
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| Tenaya Lodge Not like I remembered it, but still nice! |
Sycamore Grove Campground
Red Bluff, CA
Lassen Volcanic National Park
April 11-13, 2019
We left Yosemite
National Park on Thursday, the 11th.
After a very long day on the road, we arrived in Red Bluff, CA. Our reservations were not until the 12th,
so we found a WalMart in Red Bluff where we shopped for some much needed
supplies. We took a ride to find our
campground. The site we had reserved for
the next 2 days was available, but we decided to save a few dollars and spend the night at
WalMart. We had chili for dinner and
then called it a night. Dave had driven
400 miles--a very long day. In the
morning, we checked into our campsite. I
found a laundromat nearby and did some much needed laundry. When I returned, we
made the bed, had lunch, and then headed to Corning where “At Last, too” had an
oil change. The drive along I-5 was very
impressive. Snow-covered mountains could
be seen on three sides. One of the mountains
in our view was Mt. Shasta; which has an elevation of 14,179 feet and is
located at the southern end of the Cascade Range. This mountain was over 100 miles away, but we
could clearly see it.
Mt. Shasta
Very Impressive
On Saturday, we
packed a lunch and drove to Lassen Volcanic National Park. As we entered CA-36, we immediately saw a
sign stating that the road through the Park was closed. We had read that the Park was open so we
continued. The drive was
magnificent. As we gained elevation, the
snowpack increased. The snow banks on
the sides of the roads ranged from 5-12 feet.
As we entered the park, our first view was of the entrance kiosk,
completely buried in snow. We continued
through the entrance into the parking lot.
It was plowed with high banks of snow on all sides. There was absolutely no access to any roads
in the Park. I had read on the website,
that the roads might not be open until July.
There were two open pathways. One
led to a trail, the other to the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center. Several people were preparing to snowshoe or
cross-country ski on this trail. It
looked like you had to climb about ten feet almost straight up this path to
even begin. Dave and I chose to go to
the Visitor Center where we watched a film about the Park. According to the National Geographic
National Parks book, “Lassen Volcanic
is one of the least discovered parks in the western United States. It is a real-world laboratory that shows how
landscapes evolve over time following a major volcanic eruption. Boiling springs, mudflows, lava fields, and
cinder cones reflect the park’s violent geologic legacy. The park also harbors numerous lakes and meadows,
thickly forested areas, and a rich catalog of wildlife.”
“Lassen Peak is one of the largest plug
dome volcanoes in the world. Its last
eruptions were between 1914 and 1921, with the largest explosion on May 22,
1915. Scientists continue to monitor the
landscape. No one can say when or where the next eruption will occur, only that
it will.”
Although, we
only got a very small feeling for what this awesome national park is really
like, we did get some incredible snow photos.
Hopefully some day, we might be able to return to experience Lassen
Volcanic in all its summer splendor.
Winter Still Reigns at Lassen Volcanic National Park
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| Entrance Gate to Lassen NP Kiosk Buried in Snow |
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| Cherry at Entrance |
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| Parking Lot at Lassen NP |
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| Entrance to Visitor Center |
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| Visitor Center Buried in Snow |
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| Looking through Doors in Visitor Center Windows are Floor to Ceiling |
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| Lassen Peak From the Road Volcanic Rock in Foreground |
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| Lassen Peak Close Up |
Redwood National and State Park
April 14-17, 2019
On Sunday, at 6:30 am, we left the Sycamore Grove Campground for our next park, the Redwood National and State Park. The drive toward Crescent City was awesome. The views ranged from rolling hills and jagged mountains to the beautiful Pacific shoreline along the 101. As we got closer to our destination, we encountered a truck driver who did not want to share the road with us. For whatever reason (we never did figure out why), he blocked Dave every time Dave attempted to pass him. This exchange went on for over 30 minutes. At one point, the trucker actually attempted to run us off the road into a wall of rocks as we were climbing uphill. Dave braked and slowed down while blasting his horn at the $%@#! The trucker passed us and continued on his merry way. We took down his tag number and Dave immediately dialed 911 and reported the situation to the highway patrol. Unfortunately, we were in an area where cell service was spotty and it took a bit to connect. The officer took down the info, but who knows if the trucker was ever stopped or cited as we never heard back. Oh, well, as Dave said, it made for an interesting story to add to the blog.
We arrived at Jedediah Smith Campground around 2:00 pm. The campground is a forest of redwoods with the pristine, emerald Smith River running through it. We spoke with Ranger Wayne, selected our spot, returned to the kiosk with our payment, used the dump station and then settled into our camp for the next few days. The campground was very quiet; only about fifteen or so campers were in the park during our four-day stay.
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| Campsite |
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| Smith River |
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| Fallen Redwood Alongside of Road at Campsite |
Tuesday dawned to clearer skies and no rain. After breakfast, we began our tour of this incredible Redwood Forest. As stated in the National Geographic Guide to our National Parks, "The world's tallest known trees stand in the redwood forests of the northern California coast. Redwoods National Park blends federal and state lands into a harmonious ode to grandeur. While giant trees get top billing, Redwood is much more than supersize flora. The park also protects 37 miles of pristine Pacific coast, wild rivers and streams, rich wildlife populations, and relics of pioneer days."
Last year in 2018, Redwood National Park celebrated its 50th anniversary. According to the park's Visitor Guide, "It was established on October 2, 1968. The park was created after a long, bitter and controversial fight to preserve the rapidly disappearing old-growth redwoods. Less than 5% of the original forests remain. Much of the land within the new park's boundaries included clear-cut forest and the wounds of miles of hastily cut logging roads. Over the decades, the park has initiated large-scale forest and watershed restoration. The goal is to return logged timberland to a healthier landscape capable of eventually becoming old-growth redwood forests."
California's coast redwoods follow the fog and thrive in continuous belts at elevations below 2,000 feet, where heavy winter rains and moderate year-round temperatures occur. Trees can grow to 350 feet or more, with a base diameter of about 20 feet. Their root systems are broad and shallow, from only a few inches to six feet underground. The oldest coast redwoods are about 2,000 years old and show no signs of dying out. They resist insects, fire and rot to a remarkable degree, and their vigor in sprouting back when cut or badly burned is an important factor in their longevity.
We began our tour with the Coastal Drive Loop. Before turning off the 101, we enjoyed the views of the Pacific coast. We then turned onto Requa Road, a narrow road with steep grades and sharp curves which offered panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and the Klamath River estuary. We drove to the High Bluff Overlook. Although we were able to get some excellent photos, we were not lucky enough to observe any whales or sea lions that are often seen from this bluff.
Vistas Along the 101
High Bluff Overlook
We continued to the Klamath River Overlook where we walked to see two different scenic views.
We ended our day with a hike along the Ah-Pah Trail, an interpretive hike. A logging road had been removed from this trail to restore some of the damage that had been done to the redwoods. The trail has a large number of old-growth redwoods.
On Wednesday we set off to explore the Stout Grove Trail. This trail loop meandered among colossal redwoods which thrive in the rich soils of the Smith River floodplain. Flood waters inhibit the growth of understory trees and plants seen in other groves, revealing the full stature of the 300-foot coast redwoods.
Stout Grove
As we departed Stout Grove we followed Howland Hill Road. This unpaved stretch of road afforded us a close-up and intimate look at the towering of old-growth redwoods which are so prevelent
in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.
We exited Howland Hill Road near Crescent City and took a ride to the Battery Park Lighthouse.
Timber Valley SKP
Sutherlin, OR
Crater Lake National Park
April 18-21, 2019
We left Jedediah Smith on Thursday at 7:00 am. Our plan was to go to Grants Pass in Oregon for the night before continuing to the SKP park where we were planning to stay. However, when we arrived at the Rogue Valley State Park, there was a rest area next to it. We decided to leave the RV there for a few hours while we visited Crater Lake National Park. We knew the park had experienced a large amount of snow this past winter and only the south entrance was open. We were not sure whether we would be able to get any further than the Visitor Center, but we decided to give it a try.
"Crater Lake National Park is in the Cascade Mountains of southern Oregon. It is known for its namesake Crater Lake, which was formed by the now-collapsed volcano, Mount Mazama. The Rim Drive, a road surrounding the lake, offers views of the park's volcanic formations. The lake is 1,949 feet deep at its deepest point, making it the deepest lake in the United States. The elevation of the lake surface is 6,178 feet. Crater Lake has no streams flowing into or out of it. All water that enters the lake is eventually lost from evaporation or subsurface seepage. The lake's water has a striking blue hue. The lake is refilled entirely from direct precipitation in the form of snow and rain."
The drive was about two hours and as we gained elevation, the amount of snow increased significantly. As we approached the entrance to the Steel Visitor Center, we were once again greeted with an entrance kiosk almost covered in snow. The Visitor Center/Gift Shop was open and we were glad to learn we could drive a few miles to the Rim Village to view the lake. It was a magnificent, sunny, clear day and the views we experienced did not disappoint.
Crater Lake National Park
Lake Views
After being awestruck by the beauty we experienced, we returned to the rest stop, retrieved the Fit and made our way to the Timber Valley SKP. We will stay here for a few days. We plan to do a few scenic drives, catch up on chores, and then continue on our way. So far we have visited 25 national parks. I'll post again when there's more to share and we have service! Thanks for following us!
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