More big trees and leaving California

September 30, 2023

Our next stop was all the way up to Harris Beach in Oregon. Rocky beaches and giant redwood groves in amongst the quiet mossy forests. Meadows with elk, shrubs, fog and mist. And in other places, sandy beaches with shells. The adventure continues.

This stop was where we visited the Redwoods National and State Park; the Grove of the Titans, Stout Grove and the Prairie Creek visitor's center in northern California. More trees of gigantic proportion! I have to confess that before this I sort of lumped sequoias and redwoods together. I mean, they were both really big trees and they grew out on the west coast. Same tree. Case closed. Right? Ok,ok! Not the same tree! Similar, but not the same. Sequoias are the largest trees by volume (if you remember, I said they grow to 300+' tall and then each year after that they grow in circumference). Redwoods are the tallest trees. They are tall slender trees. Sequoias are endangered and only grow in groves along the western slopes of the Sierra Nevadas. Redwoods, also endangered, grow along the coast of mid to northern California and southern Oregon, no farther than 50 miles from the coast. But, here's the tricky part, they both have sequoia in their Latin names, sequoia sempervitems (coastal redwood) and sequoiadendron gigantea (giant sequoia). So, similar … like cousins, but not identical, like twins. 🤔

We also had a great surprise at the Prairie Creek visitor's center. Wildlife! Big wildlife!!!

And for something totally different, (and unexpected for us) we went to "The Trees of Mystery", an attraction all about coastal redwoods. 🕵️

But of course, we also included some hiking and coastal exploration.

On to pics…

You can tell the climate is wetter. Huge ferns and moss growing on the trees.

Reflections in the river.

There is a quiet reverence amongst these massive trees. It helps to put life in perspective and makes any one individual and their individual problems seem very small.

At Prairie Creek visitor's center

What's that growing in the field?

Antlers???

Elk! Beautiful, velvet encased antlered elk. ❤️

This cowbird appears to be along for a ride.

Such gigantic racks. I wonder how they hold their heads up.

Look how beautiful these fushia are (and let me add that they are at least 10' tall)!

And in pink (!!!)

and because daisies are lovely always, everywhere, anytime.

"The mysterious trees" attraction

It included a ropes course (of a sort), up in the canopy

Looking down on some of the trails and the teeny tiny little people.

Martin in the treetops

(Well, we were still only about halfway up these tall,tall trees)

Some views of the coast

Clearly, this is the hang out spot for the birds

And the sea lions.

Pelicans…

And if you look closely, or enlarge this pic, you can see that I caught one while diving! Look at the angle of the wings. I always thought they were completely verticle when they dove into the water. Maybe the wings act as a sort of brake that keep them from diving too far into the water? I know, at a quick glance it looks like a whale, but I promise, it's really a pelican.