Humboldt Bay Kayaking

Gray skies and cool temps didn't keep us from having a great afternoon kayaking on Humboldt Bay.  As much as I don't like boats on the ocean, I do love a marina!  They are just so picturesque!  Most of these boats are commercial fishing boats.  I never knew that a good fisherman can make $300,000 in a year!  I still don't think that is the job for me.

My favorite part of the kayaking was in the marshy canals where we enjoyed seeing a large egret rookery. 

 Lots of beautiful snow white egrets flew above us with sticks clearly visible in their mouths as they made their way to the big trees where nests were being built.  Here you can see two egrets and a blue heron.  A birders paradise for sure!

I love using a double kayak.  I know I spend a lot of time taking pictures while letting George use his muscles to keep us going.  He doesn't seem to mind. 

Life is such a fun adventure! 

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!