Operation Get About – Day 6 – The Redwood Forest

23 Apr Operation Get About – Day 6 – The Redwood Forest

April 21, 2017 – Tony and I woke up early (or slept late depending on the time zone) and had the best breakfast ever! The Good Harvest Cafe in Crescent City on Hwy 101 boasts of the extra measures they go to for nutritious fresh farm to table meals and they live up to the hype. We had an avocado, bacon, and cheese (ABC) omelet with spinach, fresh squeezed orange juice, and smooth, rich coffee. Delicious!

Cruising on down the 101 we immediately come into the Redwood National and State Parks and mammoth trees start appearing on either side of the road. Now normally, we are not big fans of road construction, but we welcomed the road construction on the 101 because it gave us time to awe at our new encounter.

Our first stop of the day was the Trees of Mystery where we hiked through old Redwoods. Tony was like a little kid among these massive trees, and I can see why. The intricate twist and turns of the roots and base of these trees were like something out the Tolkien novel. There was something “grandma-ish” about the old regal trees. They comforted you, and you wanted to hug them.  A photo can not do these regal trees justice. The moss hanging on the smaller trees was stringy rather than spongy but just as bright and a beautiful yellow-green as their northern cousins.

The path lead us to a tram that ascended to an observation point where you could see the ocean over the tops of the Redwoods. I’m afraid that if Tony had known just how high off the ground we were going to be, he would have never agreed. Half way up the mountain his breathing becomes sporadic and I swear he started growling. But he made it up the mountain without incident and said he was glad he did so he could experience the breath-taking views from the tops of the Redwoods. The tram ride down the mountain was a little bit better, but that is probably my last time of getting him on a tram – anywhere – ever. We take the Trial of Tall Tails back down to the gift shop and hit the road.

Five miles or so down the highway Tony sees an elk viewing area to the right. So being adventurers, we took the bait. There in the meadow was an entire herd of female elks. According to the info board, the female Elks had their babies and are waiting for their young to get stronger. It was a sight!

We cruise on down Highway 101 toward our destinations of the Historic Benbow Inn and a sign on the side of the road states “Caution: HWY 101 South is closed due to Rock Slide” What? We make it to our Inn but promptly find out the only way to get south is to go north for 45 minutes and then east for 3 1/2 hours then south on I5. Oy Vey!