Coastal Excursion 1

My family gets together every time my uncle, who lives in Oregon, has a significant birthday (although at 90, maybe every birthday is significant). I usually head straight up I-5 to get to Grants Pass as soon as possible, but this time I decided to leave a few days early and take the coastal route so I could photograph the Mendocino coast and the redwoods. I left early on a Sunday morning under an overcast sky, but as I neared the Golden Gate Bridge, the sky cleared. I couldn't let such an opportunity pass. I pulled into a parking lot that is the staging area for walkers and bicyclists getting ready to cross the bridge.

I had an opportunity to see how closely my new wide angle lens (Sigma 12-24) would focus.

I didn't stay long, A few photos later and I was on the road again heading to Petaluma for lunch and then west to Highway 1, Mendocino and Fort Bragg. In Fort Bragg, I made a picnic dinner walked down to Glass Beach, and relaxed among the diriftwood. This had been a long, but very satisfying first day.

Wildflowers are still prominent along the coast
and I stopped many times
to look at the scenery, and take a few photographs.

Coastal Excursion 2

Twenty or so miles north of Fort Bragg is an area known as The Lost Coast. It is too rugged for normal travel, so Highway 1 turns east and reconnects with 101. The beach was no longer visible, but now I was among the redwoods. Driving through one redwood park after another, I stayed focused and kept driving until I reached the start of The Avenue of the Giants, a scenic byway that parallels 101.

This was the view through my moon roof.

The redwood trees were magnificent.
I was very glad to have that new wide angle lens.

After a few wrong turns and missed exits, it had taken me much longer to drive to the park than I had anticipated. By the time I found the area I wanted to photograph, the sky had cleared and the sun was shinning brightly. With shadows and sun, the range of light was just too great. I gave up on photography for the day, sat down on an ancient log, and ate my lunch. I listened to the silence, felt the warmth of the sun, and just savored my surroundings. I knew I would be visiting other redwood parks, so I wasn't too concerned about the lack of photos. I sent out an intent for future fog and/or overcast skies.

Next stop was Eureka and the
Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge.

After spending the morning along the shores of the slough, I explored Eureka. It has a 52 acre redwood grove right in the middle of town. This is not an "Old Growth" forest. The trees here are only a century old. The sky was overcast all day which gave me a chance to wander around the grove and photograph at my leisure. These were insurance shots. I was after much bigger, older trees.

I stayed two nights in Eureka, so I had time to
visit the marina on Woodly Island

Coastal Excursion 3

My Wednesday destinations were Redwood National Park and Prarie Creek State Park. I love visitor centers and park HQs. They have all the information a traveler could want: maps, pictures, books, and most of all, friendly, helpful people. The beach behind the national park HQs was a great place to photograph; lots of driftwood and flowers that grew right out of the sand.

I read that rhododendrons grew wild in parts of the forests.
I didn't expect to find any, but as you can see, I did.

It was really quite amazing to see these pink flowers among the old growth trees. Fortunately, I spied these on a scenic byway that had many places to park. Later I saw miles of them, but they were along the main highway with no place to pull off.

I was heading for Crescent City, only 80 miles north of Eureka, but there were so many beautiful beaches and overlooks along the way, that it took me all day to get there. The overcast skies that I appreciated so much in the redwoods, cleared as I approached Klamath. This is a photo of the beach where the Klamath River spills into the ocean.

I normally stayed away from the tourist attractions (drive thru trees, gift shops inside trees, and tree houses), but I eagerly anticipated a return to "Trees of Mystery" just north of Klamath. Paul Bunyon and his blue ox, Babe, have been greeting visitors since I was a child on a road trip with my family.

Coastal Excursion 4

The most northerly of California's redwood parks is Jedediah Smith. It contains nearly 9,000 acres of old growth forest, and it was the most beautiful. These were the photographs I had been looking for since the start. These forests were awe-inspiring. I was surrounded by beauty and serenity, and it felt just wonderful to be there.

Old growth forests have many fallen trees due to wind, old age and lightening strikes. The downed trees allow new growth to take hold and supply a fertile base of nutrients.

My sojourn is almost over.
I drove down to the Smith River before heading to Grants Pass
and my family reunion.
That's my car.

Highway 199 is a beautiful drive that
winds west along the Smith River.
This is what I saw along the way.
(I stopped to take this photo.)

My trip was a great success.
I saw beautiful scenery,
walked among some ancient life forms,
met friendly people,
and took plenty of photos.

Wedding in Minneapolis

Wow! It's been 4 weeks since I added anything to this blog. Time just seemd to slip by. Two weeks after Ashley's graduation in Virginia, my niece, Adriana, got married in Minneapolis. I was barely home from one event before it was time to leave for the next one. But the travel was worth it. I don't usually get to see my nieces and brother this often in the same year.

Adriana, as you can see, was a most beautiful bride. She planned the wedding and reception herself, and it was a stylish and elegant affair. Her new husband, Drew, is in the Marines, and Adriana is a 1st lieutenant in the army. They don't have much time together before she has to report for duty in Oklahoma. My two other nieces are at the top left and bottom right of this photo.

My brother is oh so proud of Adriana and she adores him.
The reception was at The Depot, now a hotel, but once a
main train stop on the "Milwaukee Road"
This shot is of its reflection in a building across the street

Since our flight didn't leave until 5pm, my sister and I took a taxi to a sculpture garden that I had read about before leaving. This is the most well known of the sculptures, "Cherry on a Spoon"