We were driving from Oakland, CA (city of nothing) to Eureka, CA (city of wilderness) on the 101 when we saw our first Redwood. The first tree we stopped at was called the Grandfather Tree. The Grandfather Tree is 245 feet tall, 55 feet around, and 1800 years old. It was incredible! Next to it was a One-Log Home. The section of the tree that is now a house once weighed 42 tons! Along the way we also saw a Tree House and signs for the Drive-Thru Tree. The drive was beautiful- lots of mountains, rivers, and trees- Redwoods and other Evergreens.
The day that we stopped and looked at the Grandfather Tree, I said some complaint about not wearing my “tree outfit” because I had planned it for the next day. Of course, everyone was making fun of me and my concept of needing a tree outfit, but I explained that I expected to get dirty while taking pictures and hiking, etc. Well, the next day we did a lot of walking and all the girls wearing their girly shoes and outfits were complaining about being ill-prepared. Who wasn’t complaining? That’s right…me…in my tree outfit.
Back to the story….The next morning we ran into some locals at Wendy’s and I asked them where we should go to see Redwoods (Count on me to talk to strangers. If they look like they’ll listen, I’ll talk). They told us we needed to go see the Avenue of the Giants on old Route 101. It was about half an hour back the way we came, but they said it was the best, so we went.
The Avenue of the Giants is a 32 mile stretch through the heart of the Giant Redwoods. Once we got there, we stopped and picked up an Auto Tour map giving us descriptions of eight stops and why they were significant. We stopped at the first site and wandered into the woods for the first time. There were several downed trees so we started climbing and taking pictures. After only a few minutes in the forest my friend fell off the tree backwards and ended in a headstand position. It was amazing that she didn’t get hurt! We continued to wander around and take lots of pictures. Later, we went to another stop and made our own path down to the Eel River. It too was beautiful as it was surrounded by hillsides full of Redwoods.
The forest is very lush and you expect to see Yoda, a leprechaun, or a gnome at any turn. I could have stayed in those woods for days- lots of trails and beautiful vistas.
The next day, we left Eureka to drive to Grants Pass, OR. That day was perhaps the most beautiful day of driving we have had this tour. It was beautiful, but dangerous. Much of the trip was spent driving on a cliff above a river. California, for some unknown reason, is not a big believer in guardrails. Anyway, the water in the river was a clear, crisp blue and you could see to the bottom. Oregon was gorgeous with many mountains and trees- very green.
Currently we are in Washington and we’re driving east. We will be driving for the next several days. We’re headed to Canada for the first international show of the trip and we hope to stop by Mt. Rushmore on the way. Other than that, there is not much else going on here.
