Tuesday, August 5, 2014

A travel day filled with redwoods

We departed from Klamath, CA this morning on our way to Klamath Falls, Oregon.  I know this is confusing, but they are four hours apart.  We stopped at one more beach en route at low tide, but it wasn't a good beach for tidepooling, so we moved on.  I am adding the tidepooling to the "next time" list. Our main stop today was Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park on the California border.  Dan read that the Endor (Ewok) battle scenes from Return of the Jedi were filmed in this redwood forest, so we knew we had to make it a priority.

My guidebook recommended the Simpson-Reed hiking trail, which is a 1 mile loop of easy hiking through the redwoods.  It was amazing.





I can't adequately put into words the immense size of these trees.  Pictures don't do them justice, either, because they stretch up farther than a camera can capture. This picture may give some perspective, as it shows Sidney and Hadley standing in front of the root structure of one of these fallen giants.


The walk was very peaceful and so quiet.  The massive trees and the surrounding groundcover of ferns seem to absorb all sound.  

We also drove to the Stout Grove, which was highly recommended.  This is a grove that includes some of the oldest redwoods on the West Coast.  It was a half-mile loop that was also very beautiful and peaceful. The trees are estimated to be around 2,000 years old.  

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An early afternoon filled with tree-hugging led to a long drive through the afternoon to Klamath Falls.  We did get the kids a few movies from Redbox to help them pass the time.  Our hotel, The Running Y Ranch, has a great indoor pool, so the kids were able to swim a bit before dinner. 

We didn't find any Ewoks today, but it was a very fun day.  Tomorrow...Crater Lake.  Let's hope for clear skies.  



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