Trip to Arcata, California July 19-21

When we accepted the transfer to California, we decided that we needed to spend our time here wisely. For us that meant seeing as much of California as we could in whatever time we ended up having here. We took a day trip to Point Reyes a couple weeks ago but took zero photos! I guess that means we'll just have to repeat that trip...which is fine with me because I still want to see the light house. 

We spent three days in the Arcata area earlier this week and I'm happy to report that we took lots and lots of photos. So let's get started. 

This first photo was taken in Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park and was our first view of the redwoods. We were mesmerized from the very first. The photo doesn't do the forest justice at all. We really felt like we were in a different world and that we'd never seen anything like it. This particular stand of redwoods in only about a square mile and it's one of the furthest inland grove of redwoods there is. We felt as though the road was just built around the trees; fit in and around and winding through the trees where ever it would fit. 

  

These next three pictures were taken the evening we arrived in Arcata at Mad River County Park. It was a lovely beach...quite a lot like the only other beaches the kids have ever been to which were in Oregon. It was not hot, and there was a bit of a breeze, but Sarah, Dayton and Maggie had a real blast. I think they could have stayed and played in the surf all night if we would have let them. We found tons of broken sand dollars and we were hopeful to find a whole one, but no luck.

Many redwoods are hollowed out in the middle and sometimes completely split in half so you can walk right through!

A hollowed out stump of a fallen redwood.

The three billy goats looking for a troll under the bridge.

Dayton climbs everything (just like Davis). Usually his sisters follow him right up, but they couldn't get up this particular tree which was growing out of the stump of another tree.

This next series of pictures was taken Monday morning in Arcata Community Forest. We were right behind Humboldt State University, still pretty much right in the city. It was a really lovely area with a bunch of nice trails and views. One of the kid's favorite things in this area were several hollowed out redwood stumps. Unfortunately, the first such stump they found was occupied by a homeless person! They were a little freaked out and approached the rest of the trees with a little more caution. This was a gorgeous little area, but was definitely not cared for as well as the other two forests we visited. It was right in town and there were a LOT of homeless people who were obviously making the hollowed trees their home and there was also quite a bit of trash and a little bit of vandalism.

Dayton kept talking about how George Lucas filmed part of Star Wars in the Redwoods, so we made the kids pose in the ferns so they would look like Ewoks!

This last group of photographs was taken on a hike at the "Avenue of the Giants" which is a route just off the 101. This was our favorite part of the trip for sure! We have never seen anything so full of beauty. Not just a pretty view around each bend of the hiking trail....every square inch of this place is incredible! I wish I were better with words and I'm glad I took lots of pictures because I never want the kids to forget this place!