Redwoods & OR Coast, Part 1

We took a short trip to Northern California and the southern Oregon Coast. We flew into Medford, OR, stayed the night and drove down to Redding, CA and across to Garberville, CA. The weather was beautiful and traffic sparse. We ended the day with a bit of anxiety as we pulled into Garberville with the low fuel light on for the last 15 miles of the drive. The next morning we headed out to Shelter Cove. As on most roads we were to encounter, the drive was on narrow, twisty, hilly, and very fun roads. What traffic we did come upon seemed more than willing to pull aside when we caught up to them.
A short walk from the parking area and we were in the cove amongst rugged, jagged rock formations. Even before we got down to the cove we could hear sea lions nearby. Most were 100 yards or so from us and at first seemed to blend in with the rocks. But once we caught sight of them we could see quite a few lounging in the distance. We never got very close but they definitely knew we were there. We witnessed an interesting behavior as we watched and photographed the sea lions. They seemed to sense when the next wave would come upon them. Then they would raise their heads and tails as if they were doing their morning stomach crunches. I used to think a seagull was a seagull. They all looked pretty much the same to me. But as I dug a bit deeper I found that ornithologists have identified quite a few separate and distinct species. I became a bit obsessed with determining the exact type of gull I was looking at. This one is a Heerman's Gull. Along with various gulls, Cormorants are plentiful on the California, Oregon, and Washington coasts. I think the Turkey Vulture has got to be one of the ugliest yet magnificent birds in nature. They have an impressive wingspan and distinct silver-gray flight feathers. But that featherless, wrinkled head makes it hard to mistake the Turkey Vulture for any other bird. It seemed that everywhere we looked Turkey Vultures were present. On the road between Shelter Cove and Redway we came across columns of stacked rocks. How could anyone stack and balance these huge boulders? Actually this stack of rocks was only 18 inches tall. But it's still a cool thing to see.

From Shelter Cove we made our way up along the Avenue of the Giants On one level I think that the Redwoods are just a bunch of big trees. But as you stand amongst these giants you can't help but be impressed by their sheer size and majesty. I't almost impossible to convey the scale of these trees. Seeing Wendy beside one of the "smaller" specimens helps you gauge their relative size. Of course some people can't appreciate such natural beauty. A geeky dad came up with a way to keep his daughter interested: Anthony Herrera

We didn't see ewoks either but I think there was someone lurking in the background. After numerous stops and a quick tour at the Visitor's Center it was back onto Highway 101 and heading north. Even though it was getting late in the day, we did stop at number of outlooks for photo opportunities. I had read that there was a large herd of Roosevelt Elk near Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. It would be prime viewing as the elk were in the midst of the rutting season. As we got near the state park, there was a road sign that said something like "Next left for Elk Viewing." We thought it couldn't be that easy. Sure enough as soon as we turned off 101 and onto Davison Road there was a herd of 30-40 elk in an open meadow.

As we were getting our cameras out we could already hear bugling coming from less than 50 feet away. We saw a younger male approach one of the females. Almost immediately we heard more bugling and the harem bull stepped out and made his presence known. Although it's not quite so intimidating when you have a clump of grass in your antlers. The younger males quickly gave way to the harem bull. By this time there 15-20 cars pulled over. Everyone seemed respectful and stayed on the roadway. While the elk were aware of our presence they were comfortable enough to come with 30-40 feet of us. One of the younger bulls approaching a female. As the bulk of the harem passed by we noticed one of them had a passenger. The harem bull soon followed. The sun was quickly setting and we still had to make it to Klamath to find a place to stay for the night. We started packing up our gear when suddenly the younger bulls started play fighting. We couldn't pass up this opportunity. We were in for a surprise when we got to Klamath. None of the hotels, motels, or inns in the area had vacancies. With darkness coming quickly and a very twisty stretch of Highway 101 up ahead, we set off for Crescent City with hopes of some place to stay for the night. After the previous nights anxiety about gas now we had the possibility of not having a room for the night.
As the last light dipped below the horizon, the first motel we came upon already had a No Vacancy sign lit. Things were not looking good. As we turned into the next place, another vehicle pulled in right before us. I imagined that there was one room left and they beat us to it. Luckily they had a number of rooms available and we were set for the night.