Cradled By Giants

Last night we left SF at 3pm. We wanted to cut the 6-7 hour drive to Redwood National Park in half. For the first time we got up close and personal with Sf biggest and baddest landmark, the beautiful Golden Gate. We crossed it heading north, and didn’t take anytime to really take it in. We had a lot of miles to cover before night fall, and had to keep our eyes on the prize. I decided to take the scenic route, highway 1, up the coast. It would been a good idea if it wasn’t an hour and half away from sunset. Initially the ride was beautiful with the sun setting giving the coast a golden glow. This highway is just remarkably beautiful. From the coast i was taking inland through Point Reyes, rolling grassy hills with farms and cattle, beautiful. A thick aroma in the air smelled like a florist shop, made we roll my window down in a chilly 50 and keep it down. Of course while this is all happening Jillian is napping in the back. The windiness of highway 1 and my steadfast speed gives the little one a headache. I was seriously enjoying the drive till the sunset. I couldn’t see a thing on this windy road.. My anger grew as my GPS continued to remind me that i wasn’t taking the fastest route and after an hour of driving I didn’t subtract a minute from the “time left.” Frustrated I left the coast and listened to my GPS and went inland towards 101. When i got to 101 there was lots of traffic. 2 hours of driving in I some how had 3 hours left. As i headed north the notorious Northwestern fog rolled in and rolled in heavy. Visibility went to zero. Signs warning about deer and elk kept popping up. Now I’m stressed out with 2 plus hours of driving left. I had driving like this, tired, stressed out, and scared. We pulled into Humbolt Redwood State Park, where i had planned to camp for the night. We drove through the park in desperate need of a campsite but had no idea where the campground was. Finding it was a pain in the ass. The fog never lifted and the road narrowed, lining the road the redwoods started to increase in size. I don’t know if it was because i was so strung out but as we passed these giant trees, in the fog, late at night, lost, I was actually literally scared. For the first time in my life i was afraid of a tree. Pathetic. They were just so intense, intimidating and looming. We finally found the campsite and parked underneath a couple of these giants. They cradled us like babies putting us to sleep, protecting us, easing my mind.

CampSite

When we woke up these giants were less scary, but still just as impressive. The air was heavy and wet and smelled of these beasts. Moss covered everything. The sunlight was eaten up. It was a very interesting morning. We hit the road and headed North and back to the coast to Redwood National Park. With the trip nearing an end and after our timeout in SF, our apathetic laziness is at an all time high. We did a couple of small hikes through the old growth coastal redwoods, but mainly just drove through the park. These trees are intense. So big, so tall. It makes me excited to see the Sequoias of Yosemite and compare. The last section of the drive was through a dirt road exiting the park, recommended by a park ranger. This was an excellent recommendation. I was so jurassic park. Some of the biggest Redwoods yet, packed tight against the single lane dirt road, red with needles. It was jaw dropping. Probably one of my favorite drives yet.

Burned Out CenterTree Huggin HippieShe’s So TinyWe did a Coastal HikeThe Last DriveBaby Falkor

-Ricky

Next Stop: Sea Lions Caves, Oregon