Happy Earth Day! In honor of this holiday, I'm sharing one of my favorite west coast adventures with you today. On our road trip last January we thought we were going to have time to stop at Redwood State Park, but it ended up being a little out of the way from our route. I've had an odd obsession with trees since I was a little girl, so I was NOT leaving Cali without driving through some redwoods. We did a quick search while heading up the coast and discovered that Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park would be a doable stop while sticking to our itinerary.
The first thing we wanted to see was this beautiful teal river that we noticed on our drive in.
After a few peaceful moments rest by the water, Allison and I were itching to hit the trails. But, since Jason was exhausted from driving through most of the night before, he wanted to rest by the water in the RV while we explored. And into the forest we went, just the two of us.
Because I have the worst sense of direction, I worried there for a minute that we were going to be one of those missing persons cases you hear about on the news where you find the people many days after they've gone missing. But thankfully the trails are pretty well marked, so we didn't wander off to our doom never to be heard from again. The trees were everything that I hoped they would be and more. You truly feel microscopic standing amongst them!
This beast fell over at some point and we couldn't get over how huge the base of it was up close!
On our hike, we noticed they do have spots for tent camping. There were also plenty of clean bathrooms nearby. However, we were here before Covid, so if you're wanting to plan a camping getaway here, make sure you check to make sure they have opened the grounds back up for overnight stays.
Even when we weren't admiring the big trees, the foliage was quite beautiful to gaze upon. Especially since our landscapes here in Indiana don't compare to the beauty you find in California.
Allison tried to channel Wonder Woman and thought she'd be able to kick over a redwood LOL
And she succeeded! Just kidding. But she did have fun testing her upper body strength by doing pull ups on this downed tree.
Since we needed to get on the road if we were going to make it to Oregon that night, we didn't spend more than 2 hours in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, but given the chance, I'd love to camp here for a few days on our next visit.
Even if you don't live near the redwoods, get out there and hug a tree today. Nature is beautiful! Happy Earth Day!
Have you ever seen a redwood in person?
Those trees look older than eternity! Good thing you haven't met any bears there... We had a 500 year old tree somewhere down in Serbia which they cut in order to build a road there, we had riots about it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I would have peed myself if we would have seen a bear. But, they might have still been hibernating since we did go in the middle of January.
DeleteI would have rioted over that tree too. 500 years old and they cut it down for a road? They couldn't build around it? They just cut a tree down here on a residential property to expand the road by the college and I was all kinds of pissed about it. I'd admire the tree every time we got stopped at the stop light in front of the house. The road was necessary and there really wasn't any way to expand without removing the tree, but still. It was such a pretty tree and it broke my heart to see it go.
Un lugar increíblemente bonito. Las fotos son una pasada ¡Besos mil!
ReplyDeleteThank you ♥
DeleteAbsolutely and just another reason I love California! We visited Armstrong Woods Nature Preserve in Sonoma on our first trip out there. It was gorgeous and amazing. They had signs with tree ages, the oldest being 1400 years old. Truly a magical place and it’s literally across the street from Korbel Champagne which is a fun place to tour and sample!
ReplyDeleteI’ve never forgotten the smell of the redwoods. On another trip to CA, we were driving up some mountains and I suddenly started smelling redwoods and got all excited. Was not expecting to see any there, but glad we did.
Well, it doesn't get any better than champagne and redwoods. I'll have to go do some research on Armstrong Woods Nature Preserve and add it to our list of stops next time we head out to California.
DeleteThere's definitely a distinct scent when your near the redwoods. I wonder if they make a candle that captures that scent. I always love to buy candles that remind me of scents from our travels. I ended up buying a bunch of peat after we got back from Ireland because smelling it always takes me back to the Emerald Isle.
Beautiful
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThose pictures are great! Those tree's are huge.
ReplyDeleteIt's incredible how big they are!
DeleteOh How I Truly Miss Those Redwoods - When The Air Is Still And Those Trees Are Awake - How Everything Feels Wet And Healthy - I Totally Feel Insignificant When I Stand Between Those Majestic Beauties - Thank You For This Wonderful Earth Day Post - My Heart Smiles
ReplyDeleteBig Hugs
There's nothing quite like being surrounded in the stillness of a redwood forest. It's truly humbling. Have a great day!
DeleteHermosa entrada, Feliz dia de la tierra. Me gusto el paseo por los bosques. Te mando un beso
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Have a great day!
DeleteLandscape pictures are BEAUTIFUL! That huge old (looks older than 500) trees look great. Have a wonderful day
ReplyDeleteI am sure these tress have quite a few years on them. The landscapes are truly memorable on the west coast.
DeleteI've never seen nor heard of redwood trees before! They're absolutely gorgeous. This forest looks like something out of a fairy tale. Even more beautiful than the trees, is the teal blue water. Another thing straight out of a fairy tale. With the exception of the ocean in Greece and St. Lucia, I've never seen such blue water. LOL @ your daughter channeling her inner Wonder Women. That's definitely a good thing!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pics
ReplyDeleteI have never seen one, but I would love to make my way out west to see one. I think they are gorgeous, and yes, really, really huge.
ReplyDeleteThat place looks amazing! I want to go.
ReplyDeleteMy sister was born in Oregon. I wanted to go there sometime in my life.
You sure get great shots. Don't think i've seen a redwood before. That is a place right out of a fairytale book by the looks of it. Great you got to explore and have the beach area mostly to yourself.
ReplyDelete