Travels – Page 45 – Paint Your Landscape

RV Friends, Fabulous State Parks, and Hunting Strange Rocks

July 25, 2012LuAnn

We are staying at one of the many wonderful Oregon State Parks, Bullards Beach, on the southern coast. Nina and Paul of the blog Wheeling It are here as well, volunteering as interpretive hosts at Coquille River Lighthouse. We are anxious to take a tour of this lighthouse with them as our guides but first we are looking forward to just catching up and seeing their great pooch and kitties.

We always look forward to reading both their blogs, Nina’s full of information on RVing (RV tips, places to go, things to see), their adventures, fabulous photos, great writing style and Paul’s Investing for a Living has made me realize I need to devote more time to this topic. Nina recently posted about her cousin visiting and of scouting out concretions, which I had never heard of before. I read more and was fascinated so she took us along with her to find the elusive giants, only able to be viewed at the lowest of tides. There was no signage saying “this way to the giants” but Nina was determined to find Fossil Point and we are discovering with a focused Nina, look out! Fossil Point is very aptly named, wouldn’t you say?

I am totally enthralled with these rocks and urge all to read Nina’s fantastic post on this topic. What is a concretion you ask? To quote Steven Michael, it is “a compact mass of mineral matter, usually spherical or disk-shaped, embedded in a host rock of a different composition”. They are more common than you might think and in Oregon the largest concentration can be found throughout the Cape Arago Headlands, right outside our back door. So, if you like rocks or the study of geology, you are gonna love concretions!

Spotting these giants from afar at Fossil Point, I would have jumped up and down if we weren’t already slip-sliding through seaweed and mud. Nina didn’t say it was going to be easy to get to them but we knew it would be worth it, and boy was it!

nina among the giants — Nina, giving some perspective to the giant concretions

From Fossil Point we headed to Yoakam Point north of Sunset Bay State Park to “The Wall” where more amazing creations awaited us. Guiding ourselves down a short, slippery hill we hit the beach and took a minute to take in the views. Wow!

A great view of the Cape Arago Lighthouse can be seen from here and is one of the few ways left to see it, as it was decommissioned back in 2006. The bridge leading out to it is in disrepair and no longer safe to cross.

The concretions at Yoakam Point are nothing like the giants we had just seen but rather looked like someone had thrown them into a wall of mud and they stuck there.

the wall at yoakam point — “The Wall” at Yoakam Point

terry at yoakam point — Was it something I said?

From here Terry and I headed to Shore Acres State Park to check out Simpson Beach, where we were told there are must-see concretions. Simpson Beach would be special without these most unusual rock formations but they are indeed the icing on the cake!

seat fit for a queen — Seat fit for a queen!

prehistoric bones? — Looks like the spine from a prehistoric mammal.

Another stop to make while driving through Shore Acres is Simpson Reef, where you can look out to Shell Island, a popular breeding area for many sea birds, Stellar and elephant sea lions, and harbor seals. If you are lucky, as we were, a couple will be there with spotting scopes offering a peek to anyone interested.

From here definitely stop at the botanical gardens. What began as a private estate and grand gardens for shipbuilder Louis J. Simpson is now a beautiful public botanical garden with over 600 rose bushes with a breathtaking mix of colors and a lovely pond. If you happen to be in the area over the holidays, from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve, an annual tradition is “Holiday Lights at Shore Acres“, which looks quite lovely.

lovely setting to sit for a spell — Lovely setting to sit for a spell

Cape Arago State Park was to be our last stop for the day and what a treat it was. From the scenic headland we watched with a small gathering of folks while two gray whales spouted, breached and shook their flukes for all to see! It was an exciting ending to the day.

We have only a couple more days to spend in the Bandon area and already are dreaming about our next visit here. We have enjoyed reconnecting with friends Nina and Paul, spending time in the fabulous states parks that are so well maintained, and hunting for the most unusual rocks. Life is good!

cape arago headland — Cape Arago Headland

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Kayaking the Bay ~ Trinidad, CA

July 15, 2012LuAnn

Trinidad, population a whopping 367, has a great little lighthouse on the hill and a harbor full of sea stacks draped with doey-eyed harbor seals just waiting to be photographed. The sun, which many days does not make its appearance until later in the day due to the heavy marine layer, poked out as promised by the locals, so we inflated the Sea Eagle and off we went.

It didn’t take long for us to spot harbor seals and the more we looked the more we saw, some perched on rocks that appeared to be no larger than their bodies. It looked to be quite the balancing act for some. Ok, everybody say ahhhh!

We were rewarded with calm waters for our entire time on the bay and the views were just breathtaking.

As the sun started to drop lower in the sky, we decided it was time to head back to the beach where we put in. We both happened to look up to the sky at the same time and, was it a bird, was it a plane; yes, it was a bird and a big brown pelican at that. What was most interesting and somewhat alarming was that it was heading straight for us and seemed to want in the boat! He landed in the water just outside our kayak and was very persistent, continuing to see how we felt about him coming aboard.

brown pelican — My, what a big mouth you have!

Finally, when he decided there was no hitching a ride with us, he moved on as the dinner bell started ringing for him and his friends. We rounded a sea stack and there in the harbor was the Jumpin’ Jack fishing boat cleaning fish.

jumpin' jack fishing boat — Dinner is served!

A line of pelicans and other shore birds anxiously awaited their share. I think the wayward pelican mistook us for a fishing vessel. Even with a persistent pelican trailing us, kayaking the bay was an awesome experience!

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The Vibe in Arcata, CA

July 14, 2012LuAnn

There is a vibe goin’ on in Arcata that should not be missed if you are ever around these parts. This college town of 17,230 residents is home to Humboldt State University and some funky shops, restaurants and interesting little book stores. Saturday mornings it is also home to a great farmers’ market, a feast for the senses. Surrounding the perimeter of the town’s central plaza, farmers, beekeepers, flower and food vendors, etc. etc. come together to show off their local wares.

Amazing variety abounds and in the center of the square there is always entertainment. Today it was to be Ukesperience, a great group of local guys, three playing killer ukulele, one playing percussion and another on drums. Young and old alike were tapping toes, clapping hands, or just outright jammin’ to their folksy tunes. After shopping we joined the rest of the crowd to listen in, do a little people watching and nosh on some yummy corn and black bean tamales.

A visit to Wildberries, a great little organic market, is a must if for no other reason than to soak in the local hospitality. On a previous day’s visit we noticed how friendly everyone was, particularly our cashier Janna. She moved to Arcata from the Central Valley and has never looked back, preferring the cooler temps here. Today we stopped by again for a few items not found at the farmers’ market and once again found Janna. As she started to ring us up, she said “hi LuAnn and Terry”. We were most impressed with the name recall.

Yep, there is a great vibe in this college town, one that will bring us back again before we leave, perhaps to get a little more Ukesperience.

packin' their greens — Packin’ their greens

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101 Things To Do ~ Humboldt County, CA

July 13, 2012LuAnn

Until we read the publication “101 Things To Do – Humboldt” we thought this was to be the more relaxed, laid-back leg of our journey. Alas, it was not to be. Since we only have two weeks we decided to make a list of some of the things that peeked our interest. There were many items on the list, as you might guess (too many in fact), including the Humboldt Roller Derby. Something about athletic, sweaty women getting physical with one another, and some in fishnet stockings to boot, is intriguing right? Well, maybe not for all of us, but I had to admit, stepping out and doing something a bit different had a certain appeal. Unfortunately, their once-monthly schedule had passed us by so we scratched this off our list. Sorry, I know some of you are disappointed that you won’t be seeing a post on this subject! It’s back to more mundane hiking, biking, kayaking, and sightseeing ways for us.

interesting fungi on fallen log — Interesting fungi on fallen log

Besides Redwood National Park, there are many interesting state parks in Humboldt County.

shoreline view from wedding rock — Shoreline view from Wedding Rock

Patrick’s Point State Park was our first stop as it is just down the road from where we are staying at Sounds of the Sea RV Park. A quick 1/2 mile walk and we are there, meandering through dense forest of coast redwood, spruce, fir, and red alder, on our way to the Rim Trail. This stunning 4-mile path winds along the bluffs, providing views of sea stacks, barking sea lions lazing on the rocks below, crashing surf, and craggy cliffs. At the north end of this trail is Agate Beach, which unfortunately can’t be accessed from here right now due to a rock slide. If you are a tent camper, many of the sites in this park look amazing.

terry looking out over the pacific from wedding rock — Terry looking out over the Pacific from Wedding Rock

me atop wedding rock — Me atop Wedding Rock

Redwood National and State Parks is a bit unusual because, as the name implies, there are three state parks (Del Norte Coast, Jedediah Smith, and Prairie Creek Redwood State Parks) within the national park. This unique concept, bringing the National Park Service and California Department of Parks and Recreation together for the protection of the forests and watersheds, came about in the 1920’s due to the efforts by the Save-the-Redwoods League.

come sit awhile — Non Nobis Solum ~ Not For Us Alone

Their work formed the creation of the three state parks and in 1968 Redwood National Park was established after ~90% of the remaining coast redwood had been logged. These four parks, with a combined total of 133,000 acres, are now a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve, setting aside these forests for everyone’s enjoyment. Today roughly 45% of the remaining old-growth redwood are here (the tallest of the tall), some living to be 2000 years old and over 360 feet tall. Walk among these giants and you will be humbled by just how small we truly are!

terry walking among the giants — Terry walking among the giants

Arrive early to Redwood National Park if you want to see the famous Fern Canyon, location chosen by Steven Spielberg for the filming of Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World. There wasn’t another soul around when we arrived at 9:00 am but the crowds were out in force when we returned from our hike. This is a must-see and with just a short 0.3 mile walk you are immersed in a “hauntingly beautiful” narrow canyon, walls lushly covered by many types of ferns and mosses, dripping with moisture.

fog swirling through the forest — Fog swirling through the forest

After spending some time here completely in awe of its beauty, we hopped on the trail to begin our 7.5 mile adventure into the redwood. A quick side note: do spend time in the visitor centers here. The rangers are a wealth of knowledge, particularly about hikes available. This particular hike quickly put us into a world that reminded us of our time spent in Costa Rica. We felt like we were enveloped in a tropical rain forest and as we penetrated her depths, the fog swirling around us at times, the only sounds to be heard were the occasional squawking of a stellar jay and the droplets of moisture hitting the ferns covering the forest floor. The canopy overhead was so thick that sunlight had difficulty finding its way in.

fallen log teeming with life — Fallen log teeming with life

enormous fungi — Even the fungi are super-sized here!

We saw only two other hikers during our entire time in the forest, which is how we like it! This was rated as a moderate hike, but honestly, it was easier than that. We made a loop out of the Fern Canyon, Friendship Ridge, and West Ridge Trails and could not have asked for anything more spectacular!

view from coastal trail — View from section of Coastal Trail

The various shades of green (my favorite color) could not be believed and I’m sure I did not do justice to them with my camera.

lichen on fire charred tree — Lichen on fire-charred tree

snail — Just missed stepping on this little guy!

Surprise, a beautiful waterfall tucked into the forest sounded its arrival as we approached one of the final bends in the trail!

On our drive out of the park we were treated to a herd of Roosevelt elk, largest of the elk in North America, mainly residing in the rain forests of the Pacific Northwest. It seemed unusual to see elk in this environment, overlooking the Pacific, as we are accustomed to spotting them in the wilds of Yellowstone National Park.

If you find yourself in Humboldt County, home to the tallest trees and 100 miles of “achingly beautiful California coastline”, you will find so many things to do, 101 Things To Do, as we have read.

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The Trail Less Traveled ~ Sky Trail to Sculptured Beach ~ Point Reyes, CA

July 9, 2012LuAnn

Oft times it is the trail less traveled that rewards us with the most treasures. Expansive vistas, fern-covered forest floors full of rich, earthy smells, colorful berries and wildflowers, busy bees at work, trilling of songbirds, and the powerful surging of ocean tides on sculptured rocks await those who dare to venture these paths.

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These are just a few of the sights, sounds, and smells we experienced on the Sky Trail > Woodward Valley Trail > Coast Trail down to Sculptured Beach, a moderate 10-mile round trip of pure delight!

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