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.