Tuesday was spent exploring the Redwoods. We spent the bulk of the time in Orick, Klamath, and the surrounding areas. There was even more hiking this day, which made me feel much better about all that clam chowder I had been eating! I'm sure the hiking burned off most of it.
The first trail area we explored was Lady Bird Johnson Grove. There were quite a few people exploring this area.
I really wanted to get to the trees earlier in the morning, when the fog was still around, but I made due with the sun and managed to get some decent shots.
You could definitely see evidence of the past fires here.
There is often confusion between the Redwoods and the Sequoias. The Redwoods are taller, the Sequoias are bigger around. The average age of the Redwoods is 500-700 years, though some can live to be 2,000 years old.
Scenic overlook:
After this trail, we hiked a few more and then drove over to Fern Canyon, which is at another state park. Spot the deer?
This canyon was left here long ago when the ocean (nearby) receded. The canyon walls are covered with five-finger ferns. It was a very unique hike as there really was no established trail on the lower loop, and there were small, make-shift bridges to cross the creek.
Other places along the creek had no bridge at all and you had to walk across downed trees.
After Fern Canyon, we headed to Klamath for a late lunch and to hit the drive-thru tree! Total waste of money, but fun.
We took the scenic byway (instead of the 101 - seriously, I hate that highway) back down towards our lodge. We stopped several times to explore.
We even found the BIG TREE. It's the second largest (the largest being down near Yosemite).
There was another state park/camping area that is normally known for the largest herd of Roosevelt Elk. The pictures show hundreds of them. We were lucky to see about six. Clearly not a busy day for the elk.
We were told that the recent tides near the area were producing some of the largest swells in recent history, so we stopped at this beach. It was being pounded with rolling waves!
Wednesday's drive home was much quicker since we didn't stop for more than gas and food. I was so happy to see my babies, but what a great trip it was!
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