REDWOODS!!

I’ve been off the grid for a short time now, but I’m back!! My last post was about my long Labor Day weekend camping trip to the Lost Coast up in Humboldt County.  It turned out to be a night at the Mattole Beach along the Lost Coast, a night in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park, and finally two nights along the Trinity River in the Shasta Trinity National Forest.  The last post inspired me to do my current post: my first ever up to the giant Redwoods up north in Humboldt County.  I went in the fall of 2013 with my friend, Don.  We did a day of hiking and sightseeing within the Humboldt Redwoods State Park, staying a few nights in the small town of Rio Dell, which is right next to the company logging town of Scotia.  At the time, it had been my first time that far north along U.S. Highway 101, but as my last blog post shows, it definitely wasn’t my last!! We stayed at the Humboldt Gables Motel, right in the heart of Rio Dell.  The only real restaurants we went to in town were in Pizza Factory downtown, and a small burger joint.  Both were good places.  For fast food places and a few more restaurants, you have to drive a few miles north to the small city of Fortuna, where there’s a good coffee shop there called Pepper’s Restaurant.  Here is a sampling of that trip.  Enjoy!!

Avenue of the Giants!! You know you’re getting into the redwoods when you start seeing these signs!!

“Welcome to Humboldt Redwoods State Park!” This sign is just outside the main Visitor’s Center.

Save the Redwoods!!

The trailhead to our hike through the Redwoods! Light rain was falling that morning.

The Redwoods!!

The Mattole River!

Another shot of the Mattole River

Looking into a grove of Redwoods!

A deer along the trail!!

Now onto the Founders Grove of the park!

Here I am at The Founders Grove sign!

Looking up to the tall grove of redwoods!

Don and I at The Founders Grove

The sign to the Founders Grove Nature Loop trail.  Very nice loop trail through the redwoods! So peaceful and quiet!

Looking down the trail!

The Founders Tree! Dedicated to the Save-the-Redwoods League, that was founded in 1917.

The Founders Tree!

Me in front of the Founders Tree!

A close-up of me and the Founders Tree!

Loop Trail straight ahead!

Don and I at the base of a hollowed out giant!

Looking up at a hollowed out giant!

A felled redwood!

For the Park Visitor!

Me standing next to the Dyersville Redwood, which crashed to the ground back in 1991.

My close-up with the Dyersville Redwood!

“It looks like it’s going to swallow me up!”

Taking a look inside!

Here’s my close-up!

Now onto another trail: Gould Grove Nature Loop Trail!

Redwoods surviving the test of time!! The redwoods have been around for CENTURIES!!!

Left and/or right for the nature trail!

This way to the river trail.  I see Don is on the right path!

Felled redwoods along the trail.

back along the Mattole River!

along the rainy Mattole!

Don taking pictures along the trail.

Redwoods along the trail!

The loop trail dedicated to Frederic Saltonstall Gould.

The trunk of a redwood.

“The Magic of the Redwoods!”

“Leaving a Living Legacy”.  Let us all leave a legacy for generations and generations to come! Save the Redwoods!

“We hope you enjoyed experiencing the redwoods”

And I hope you enjoy my tour of Humboldt Redwoods State Park! It is certainly a beautiful and magical place to visit! Imagine walking among trees hundreds of thousands years old!! It is definitely spectacular!! I hope everyone gets an opportunity to visit the redwoods at least once in their lifetime!