California Here We Come

Our close friend Larry Helmandollar died June 6, 2020, which was right in the middle of the pandemic.  At that time it was impossible to have a funeral or service of any kind in Lake Oswego, Oregon, where he lived or in Auburn, California, where he was to be buried.  After a delay of more than a year, we were finally able to travel to California for a memorial service and burial.  Perfect opportunity for a mini-vacation!

I was able to show George the area where I had worked for 3 weeks as a part of the Idaho team sent to California to finish the 2020 Census .  We started in South Lake Tahoe and drove all around the west side of the lake where I had spent days and days tracking down addresses. It is such a beautiful part of the world. 

On many of those days, I drove past Emerald Bay.  It's easy to see why this is one of the most photographed spots in all of California.  

I may or may not be addicted to McDonald's frozen coke.  It hits the spot after a hot day of touring!

After our Tahoe adventure we drove over Donner Pass to Auburn for the Memorial service.  Then on to Lassen Volcanic National Park.  We discovered that it is a bit like Yellowstone - smells and all.

On our drive home we discovered Lake Abert which is a large, shallow, alkali lake in Oregon.  It is approximately 15 miles long and 7 miles wide at its widest point and is slowly drying up, losing about 90%of its volume over the last decade.  No one really knows why.

Our last night was in Burns, Oregon population 2870.  It is about the same size as Lonoke, Arkansas was when I was growing up.  It reminded me of home in some ways.  We had a delicious dinner at Boomer's Place, best French fries I've ever had.  And then our hotel location gave us a front row seat to the town fireworks show.  

Such a fun trip!  Great to show George Lake Tahoe, to honor Larry's life and to see some new places.  

Bryce Canyon

This was my first trip to Bryce Canyon and I loved it.  Here you are on top of the canyon looking down into quite a magical landscape.

The unique rock formations are called hoodoos or, the name I prefer, fairy chimneys.   From wikipedia, "a hoodoo is a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin.  Hoodoos typically consist of relatively soft rock topped by harder, less easily eroded stone that protects each column from the elements.  They generally form within sedimentary rock and volcanic rock formations". 

The difference between hoodoos and pinnacles (or spires) is that hoodoos have a variable thickness. 

Some say that the hoodoos look like totem poles. 

The sun kept the temperature high enough that we were comfortable.  George was comfortable as long as we weren't too close to the edges!

Another perfect day!

The day was made even more perfect when we discovered ice cream cones at the general store! 

Victorian Eureka

We stayed in the town of Eureka which boosts of an 'old town with colorful Victorian architecture, good shopping, and a revitalized waterfront.'  We were a bit early for the real tourist season but George commented that in the old town the ratio of tourist to homeless was about 1-1!  Made for some interesting sights and smells! However the Victorian architecture lived up to its hype. 

 I loved this sweet house with its ornate trim. 

The Carson Mansion dominates the area.   Built in the 1850's for the lumber baron, William Carson, it took 100 men a full year to complete.  I think it looks a bit 'Adam's Family-ish'  or maybe even 'Disney Haunted Mansion-ish' but it is definitely impressive. 

Across the street from the mansion is this pink house which was built in 1884 and is called a 'Queen Anne Victorian'.  It was a wedding gift for Carson's son!  I think it was my favorite.  

 Just look at that trim!  It is now a bed and breakfast.  If we ever come again I want to stay here!  Forget the Best Western! 

Fern Canyon

Our last hike of the trip was through the strikingly beautiful Fern Canyon.  It is totally different from the majestic redwood forest of our other hikes.

As you can see it was a wet hike, at times I'd call it a 'wade' but oh the greenery!  It is impossible to truly capture the beauty.  Thousands of ferns of many varieties cover the 50 foot high canyon walls. Water trickles down the rocky sides!  

The guide books say it has a primeval habitat quality and in fact it was used a a filming location for 'The Lost World - Jurassic Park' as well as for several other dinosaur movies.  

   Definitely worth the wet shoes and socks! 

Check one off!

I distinctly remember seeing a photo like this in my 5th grade geography book and wanting to be in that car.  My love of travel started early! 

On our weekend trip to the Redwoods, George helped me check one off the bucket list, although he grumbled a bit at the $8 fee.  I reminded him that it is probably the cheapest and easiest thing on my rather lengthy list! 

Redwoods

Three years ago we had a trip planned to go to California to see the giant redwoods but instead we made a trip to Buenos Aires to be there for John and Monica's wedding.  Wouldn't have missed that for anything!  George had a 4 day weekend again so this year we did go south.  The redwoods did not disappoint!

We have some tall trees in Oregon but nothing quite as tall as these giants. 

This area is called the "Avenue of the Giants' and it is easy to see why.  This tree once stood 362 feet tall...walking the whole length of the fallen giant gives you a real feel for its size.  362 feet is more than the length of a football field. Truly awesome!

Seeing the root system of this tree, called the Dyerville Giant, gives a great sense of the actual massiveness of the redwoods. 

It crashed to the ground in 1992 moving the earth so much that it registered on a nearby seismograph and one local, who heard the impact from a half mile away, thought a train had crashed. 

 We spent a lot of time looking up! 

The trunks seem to often be hollow.  

Looks like there have been campfires in these trees. 

Easier to cut a tunnel than move a tree! 

Not all the trees are redwoods.  This one made me think of the Spanish Moss on the trees in the South. 

Although there were  bear and mountain lion warnings, the only wildlife we saw was this cute slimy banana slug. 

And a herd of elk in the appropriately named, Elk Meadow!