The Northern California Coast and the Redwoods



View of Agate Beach from the rim trail
Sea Lions on the rocks
On Monday we moved a little further north to a park near Trinidad CA.  There are two parks here, Sounds of the Sea and Azalea Glen. The prices are about the same. Sounds of the Sea has a couple sites where you can see the ocean and Azalea Glen is right across the street from a trail leading into Patricks Point State Park. We decided the ocean view was open and we are almost alone in the park so we are at Sounds of the Sea. If this park was busy I don’t think it would be as nice but traveling in the off season has its advantages. We also can hear the sea lions barking from here, that’s pretty cool.
Palmer's Point

Waves crashing at Patrick's Point
Since our drive was only about an hour we arrived early, got set up and decided to do some hiking. We have to hike along the road for about half of a mile to get to the trail into the park but the traffic is very light so no problem. Once into the park we found the rim trail and took it to Palmer’s Point first. Beautiful view of the ocean and a trail down to the tide pools. The only problem is the ladder at the bottom didn’t look to be in good shape so we decided against it. Back to the trail and a hike to Patrick’s Point. Here there is no beach but we were able to get down closer to the ocean. By the time we hiked back up from there we were exhausted so we headed home. All in all we hiked about 4-5 miles.
Janie at Agate Beach

The muddy area to the left was our way to the beach
Tuesday they were expecting rain for part of the day and it did start raining in the night but around 11 the rain stopped and the sun came out. Now being in the “Great NorthWet” as John’s brother Mike calls it, we knew if the sun was out we needed to make the most of it. One of the spots we didn’t have the energy for yesterday was Agate Beach so we headed back to the park and its rim trail and hiked to Agate Beach. The trail down was not as steep as yesterdays trek except when you get to the bottom again there is a ladder that isn’t very functional but here people had made a trail down. It looked a little scary but I was determined to walk on the beach. Taking it slow we both made it to the beach. It is a beautiful spot and we walked the beach looking for agates, found a few small ones and some beautiful polished pieces of driftwood.  Sometimes I’m not sure which I enjoy more, walking on a beautiful beach or through a beautiful forest. Luckily here I don’t have to decide, I get to do both all in the same hike (about 5 miles again today). Life is good.



The Big Tree
Today the sun was out again so after a slow start we wanted to check out the Redwoods National and State Park. Again we were about the only people out there. I think we made the rangers day coming in. She pointed out the scenic drives and all the hiking trails. After the last two days hikes we took it pretty easy today just doing a small hike around the Big Tree, and boy is it a big tree. This area of the Redwoods look even more like a rainforest. I’m almost as impressed with the moss covered trees as I am by the big trees. The ferns are incredible too. Today there were even some interesting looking mushrooms.

After driving north this far we really weren’t far from Crescent City and since we needed groceries we drove on up and ate lunch at the Healthy Harvest Cafe and found the local Safeway. Like I said, life is good. I love being on the road again and discovering new areas. The next two days are predicted to be very rainy so it will be some down time which we also enjoy. We are here until next Monday and the weekend is suppose to be nice so we may get some more hiking in. We’ve missed it and with such great opportunities ---- yippee!!!

The moss covered trees




Happy Trails.......................

Comments

  1. Donna KFebruary 6, 2013 at 11:57 PM

    I love that area. You have been getting in some really good hikes...that's a lot of miles. Beautiful pictures. Can you tell some more about the campground and maybe some pictures? I am still somewhat timid about staying in place I know nothing about but would like to stay on the coast more than we do. Always worried about access and roads when driving the RV.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Travels with EmmaFebruary 7, 2013 at 7:25 AM

    Very nice that you are getting to enjoy the solitude of the off season.

    ReplyDelete
  3. RV Khronicles of KevelynFebruary 7, 2013 at 7:47 AM

    There's something so special about being at the beach! Love your pictures. Your moss covered tree photo reminds me of when we were at Olympia National Park in Washington State several years ago. Enjoy your adventures!

    ReplyDelete
  4. owensontheroadFebruary 7, 2013 at 10:06 AM

    One of the nice parts of California, redwoods and ocean in one day :) Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Bright'sFebruary 7, 2013 at 10:08 AM

    Glad to hear you are having such a good time!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Chuck and Anneke's RV travelsFebruary 7, 2013 at 3:27 PM

    What a great area to spend time:)

    ReplyDelete
  7. RickFebruary 8, 2013 at 10:49 AM

    All your photos are beautiful but the first one of Agate Beach from the Rim Trail is awesome!

    What a great place to hike - reminds me a bit of home on Vancouver Island.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Joe and Nancy ConradFebruary 8, 2013 at 11:08 PM

    Thank you, I just love it up there, we might have to go that way in March.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousFebruary 9, 2013 at 9:31 AM

    This is like a blast from the past for us, walking the same trails, visiting the same towns, and staying at the same campground. Do you have fog swirling through the campground during the day? We loved Patrick's Point and Trinidad Bay is where we went kayaking. Enjoy your time there.

    ReplyDelete

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