Humboldt Redwoods
On July 29th we left Napa Valley and drove up to the redwoods of Humboldt County. Once you get near Humboldt Redwoods State Park you can take the scenic route dubbed Avenue of the Giants. It is a two-lane road which winds through the edge of the forest, dodging giant redwoods all along the way. Our destination was the Ancient Redwoods RV Park.
While we were there for a few nights we drove around the area, touring the sights and the trees. The first day we hiked through a couple of trails, one leading to the three main trees which were deemed the tallest back in the late 1950's. They were given simple names like Giant Tree and Tall Tree. One of them, the Dyerville Giant, fell in 1991, a victim of another tree which was knocked down by yet another tree.
We also visited the park visitor center and saw what is probably the first ever RV, the shell of which was made from a redwood trunk back in 1917. The shell was attached to a Nash Quad chassis. You can read about Charles Kellogg and his Travel Log here.
The next day we took a leisurely drive on a route recommended to us by JD, an Escapee we met at Park Sierra. It starts off on the same road that leads to the Tall Tree trail, then continues on out to the coast, then north to Ferndale. But I am guessing that it's been a few years since JD has driven this road, because it is a mess! The dips and potholes and washed out sections were constant for miles and miles. The first time I could really stop and enjoy the view was when we got to the Pacific Ocean. The views from there to Ferndale were gorgeous!
Ferndale is a quirky little town. There are dozens of quaint little Victorian homes, cemeteries on a hillside and a strange race that began there in 1969. The Kinetic Sculpture World Championship race, to be precise. Unfortunately the race is held in May so we won't be able to check it out in person, but we did visit the museum!
On the way home we did one last hike on the Drury-Chaney Loop trail. The next morning we headed to Klamath.
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