TREES OF MYSTERY!

I got to take my first campsite shower this morning. It was exciting! Especially when I stepped into the spray thinking it would be warm since the knob had been turned to HOT. I was sadly mistaken. *shivering with decidedly blue lips* Luckily, it warmed up soon after that. What a way to wake up!! Like I said, it was exciting. In any case, it beats washing my hair in the sink which is what I did yesterday. *grins*

We had some yummy yog with granola and strawberries this morning before packing up our super full car and heading further into redwood country. The California coastline was beautiful but of a decidedly different shade than the Oregon coastline which we had recently left behind. The verdant greens and sparkling blues had faded into a misty gray. The water stretched as far as the eye could see and blended so perfectly with the silvery sky that I could not distinguish the sea from the heavens above it. Like I said, it was beautiful but of a very different sort.

Next stop: TREES OF MYSTERY! And Paul Bunyan, of course!! To be honest, we didn’t bother looking into what the Trees of Mystery were. We just wanted to take pictures with the 49 foot Paul who was weighing in at about 30,000 pounds. And who could forget Babe. Especially since she (he?!?) was a glorious blue monstrosity. (Next on my list, the world’s largest twine ball! Just kidding…maybe. *laughs*) Upon leaving Paul and Babe, we had the delight of passing by skunky bits and the car was delightfully odiferous for quite some time thereafter. *gag*

We really had wanted to go on a hike along the coast so we pulled into a random park to see what we could find. It turns out, we had chosen aright - Fern Canyon, the site of many movies including one of my favorite…the Goonies. (Or so the man at the entrance who collected the parking fee said. I’m inclined to believe him. *nods head emphatically*) It was really pretty and the hike was good. We even had some good fun while crossing one of the bridges. Someone had tied off a colorful tape that read “Don’t be a bimbo, do the limbo!” *laughs*

Matt had previously been to a cool blowhole down around this area but couldn’t remember where it was. Hoping that a quick stop at the visitor center would shine some light, we headed there as our next destination. The people were very nice and marked out two blowholes on a map for us and we were off…to Trinidad Beach! It turns out, it wasn’t the one Matt was thinking of but it was SUCH a pretty beach. There was a slight hike down to it through some vegetation that felt vaguely jungle-like. *feeling like an adventurer in the New World* And then it unfolded into a stretch of beach with a jumble of large rocks just perfect for clambering upon.

Waves broke endlessly against the rocky islands dotting the water and broke into frothy foam that was swept back into the vast expanse of water. Dogs gamboled along the shore as their owners threw in stick after ball after stick. It was nice to sit on the rocks and just relax. The air tasted clean and the sun had finally broken through the cloud covering to warm the day into perfection. And since the park was a little difficult to find, there weren’t a lot of other people there. It was utterly peaceful.

Too soon, it was time to go. Our plan of attack was to head inland towards Redding on highway 299 to catch I-5 down to Yosemite. With a gas stop in McKinleyville, we were on our way. It was absolutely stunning. There were quaint farms with cows, horses and sometimes even sheep! (They were healthy looking but neatly shorn. Therefore they didn’t quite fit my image of wooly fluffiness but whatever. *crying for the emaciated sheep*) The farms gave way to rich red dirt crumbling down the hillsides that were limned with emerald green. And to our right, opaque green water sparkled with intensity and slid effortlessly around the rocks in its path.

The weather was getting decidedly warmer. We were happy to throw open the windows to let the warm air rush in. (And by ‘throw open,’ I mean roll down. Geez, people. Give me some poetic license!!) We hit Weaverville in time for dinner and was promptly seated on the patio at La Casita. It was nice to be able to sit outside and not freeze our butts off! *happy dance* The burritos were good and the view was…interesting. Let’s not go there other than to say, the shelving was fascinating.

We stopped at the Whiskeytown Lake for a lovely sunset. Soon after, we arrived at Redding where our first stop was the local Rite Aid to get me some anti-itch stuff because my mosquito bites were driving me CRAZY! And to add insult to injury, my previous bite calculation had been incorrect. I was sitting pretty on TEN mosquito bites!! ARGH!!! *scratch, scratch* We drove late into the evening and finally pulled over in Williams to crash at a Motel 6. (Another three mosquito bites were located upon my person at that time. *cries*)

Mileage: 316