The Tall Redwoods ... The Wide Ocean

What a drive ... beautiful, breathtaking, dangerous, and exhausting!  We slipped over to the 101 just north of San Francisco and headed up the coast.  North of Eureka is Redwood National and State Parks (The Federal Park Service has partnered with the State of CA Park Service for this one ... works surprisingly well!).

Our campsite is 25 yards from the Klamath River ... It is a spectacular sight.  The camp host is an old hippie living in a VW bus.  She is helpful, interesting, and serene (pause here for a bit of yoga a deep breath and Nameste).  My hair is getting a bit longer ... perhaps she recognized a kindred soul ...

We saw a black bear (it was a brown black bear) just a 100 yards up the road from our camp ... just trotting along and minding his own business ... he ducked into the woods when he saw our jeep.  The camp host has quite a few pictures of him ...  reminds me of Yogi (Boo Boo are you out there somewhere?).

We took the jeep on a dirt backwoods 4-wheel drive trek to see the best of the coast redwoods.  See some our pics from the Stout Grove below. The coast redwoods grow in large forests with thick undergrowth and they remind you of Fanghorn Forest ... mysterious, ancient, and slightly intimidating. 

On the way there we just had to stop at the "Trees of Mystery" exhibit with Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe.  Pure cheese and tourist chachki ... but we took a picture anyhow ... who can resist big Paul?

Met some really nice people in the camp here ...  other full-timers.  One couple from Maine and another from England (Stayed in camp over Father's Day and enjoyed a few bloody marys, a bit of wine and cheese, and a great bonfire by the river.  One of the characters at the bonfire was a 70 year old pothead ... kept trying to pass the goods around ... he pontificated on all subjects ... someone make this guy the king ... he had just as many ideas as our politicians  ... with the same apparent clarity.

Ok here are the promised pics.