We have spent the last three days in the Ashland/Medford/Jacksonville, Oregon area being wined, dined and entertained by our ‘old retired friends’ from Chicago, who are busy now raising Soay sheep on the Saltmarsh Ranch.

The weather and scenery did make it hard to leave our wonderful ‘camping’ spot on the Klamath River (Klamath River RV Park). Our last morning there was another beautiful, sunny day – so we broke out the camp stove to make French Toast outside and sat on the banks of the river for one last meal before heading to Oregon.

French toast on the banks of the Klamath River.

Friday the 13th was just another wonderful day in our basket of wonderful days this trip;-) At about 10 AM we were welcomed to the Saltmarsh Ranch by the barking of guard dogs warning us NOT to mess with the sheep and the baaaaaa-ing of the sheep just saying ‘Hi!’.

Welcome to the Saltmarsh Ranch.

Unlike us – who are footloose and fancy free traveling to visit with all our friends and family all over the country – Priscilla and Steve decided to retire from being a Chicago attorney and a PhD professor/Dean at a Chicago university, respectively, move to their little slice of heaven in Jacksonville, Oregon, and raise Soay sheep!%*@! Just like all the handbooks say (if you can find one!) – this means dawn to dusk ‘chores’ every day of the year –

Steve and Shawn relocate the irrigation pipes on the alfalfa.

If my memory serves me right, this little plot of land has gone from hosting a couple dozen sheep to the almost 200 residing here now! This includes the 70 lambs born this Spring, which we got to see learning their way around in the world. It is really fun for us to visit from year to year, as we were here their very first year in the original farm house with the first ‘batch’ of sheep, their very first guard dogs, very first guard llama and when Molly (the sheep-herding dog) was only a puppy learning her trade. Now – there is the exquisite new home, lots of sheep, four guard dogs (including a brand new puppy, Luke), two guard llamas and Molly is an old pro! Not to mention all the new lambing sheds that have sprouted up on the property and the changes in the pastures.

Rams, rams everywhere!

Guard Llama Hank would let Steve approach the fence but gave us the evil eye and kept pffft’ing at us.

Lots of new lambs had arrived in the past few weeks.

Aren’t they cuuuute? We also benefit from wonderful brunches, lunches and dinners of fresh vegetables, fresh farm eggs (forgot to mention all the chickens – and we went to pick up 12 brand new chicks!! More fresh eggs in future trips;-) ), fresh baked breads and biscuits, home made jams – and on and on and on!! At the end of our stay we were even sent off with fresh eggs (which we had today!!) and fresh baked bread. Who would NOT want to come visit this Ranch?!?!?! Most important – every year or two we get to renew our friendship picking up where we left off last without seeming to miss a beat. Isn’t that what friends and life are for? And, as we discussed with them, thank goodness everyone’s vision of retirement is not the same – or we would not have this wonderful place to relax and catch up every so often. So – renew a friendship today – and relax – E & G PS – A wonderful little golf course also called while we were in Phoenix, Oregon (imagine – Phoenix!) – Centennial Golf Course – one of the most well maintained courses we have played. Met (and played with) a fun couple from the Bend area – and E played really well. SO – really liked this course. Highly recommend if you are in the area.

Watch out for low hanging limbs!

Our lunch spot was exquisite – and the agate hunting was fun and productive.

Big Lagoon.

Hmmm, is this an agate?

Not sure if it’s been mentioned, but almost the entire distance along the beach we encountered these Tsunami warning signs. Would have never given them a thought if not for recent events in Japan.

Paid closer attention to these this trip.

One more quick stop – the Visitor/Information Center for the Redwood National and State Parks to get info to plan the next couple of days’ activities. The flowers were so beautiful at the Visitor Center we couldn’t resist a picture –

A thorn amongst roses?

Time to check out the recommended (again by Walt and Jan) RV parking spot for the next three nights. What a find! Right on the Klamath River just before it empties into the Pacific Ocean. AND, again, we are at that time of the year – just before the rest of the world is drawn to this type of place – so we have it almost all to ourselves;-) AND, what a view out our front window!

Today’s destination.

Views are not bad.

Lots of room and nobody around.

Good morning, river! (View out the front window.)

After a great dinner of flank steak, corn, rice and s’mores, we planned our next day and ‘hit the sack’.

Tuesday, May 10, was a wonderful day! The ‘Ancients’ were calling again – so after obtaining a pass (free) for the Tall Trees Grove from the Ranger Station, we were on our way. Seven and a half miles past the Lady Bird Johnson Grove is a turn-off for the Tall Trees. Then you go thru the locked gate (got lock combination along with day pass) and travel six and a half miles down the dirt road to the trail head.

Let’s see, you put the thingamagiggy in the whatchamacallit and then twist.

Another adventure!

The hike is 1.3 miles in to the loop trail of 1 mile, then 1.3 miles back out (with an elevation climb out of 600’). This is one of the most beautiful – if not the MOST beautiful – hike we have ever taken!! If you are ever in the area – DO NOT MISS this one! While it is described as taking about two hours – we used up every bit of three. Of course, there were a LOT of pictures to be had of the Tall Trees.

Tunnel of love! Trees are too BIG to move off the path.

Elizabeth just about fell over backwards trying to see the tops of these guys.

This banana slug is about 5 inches long. BLAH!!

We ‘did’ the loop in the Lady Bird Johnson Grove – which was quite nice – but, after the Tall Tree hike it was more like a manicured garden. Not sure what my fascination is for the redwoods that have been burned out – but, it just intrigues me that they can be hollowed out from fire with a hole that dwarfs Gary and still be living!

Open sesame.

One more picturesque loop on the way back to the bus – The Coastal Drive. Beautiful views of the ocean from the bluffs –

Great view from the coastal road near Klamath, CA.

There is also an old radar installation from WWII. Due to Japanese sub activity off the coast of California, this radar unit was installed and placed in these buildings to appear as part of a working farm. Pretty interesting –

Believe it or not, a WWII radar site.

Did you notice that the dormer windows are just mounted on top of the roof shingles. All in all – another wonderful day that wore us out!! Gotta get to bed for another busy day tomorrow. See ya – Elizabeth & Gary from Klamath River

Northern California along the 101 is really something to see. Much has already been written about the Giant Redwoods in the prior postings – These Giants with excellent posture standing guard on each side of the road gawking at the passerby. At the north end of the Avenue of the Giants, one leaves the redwoods – drives through farm country that makes you think you are in the middle of our country – ascends a mountain covered with lush greenery that makes one think they have been magically transported across the Pacific to Hawaii – and the ocean appears! This was our day;-)

First there was Scotia – a “Company Town” created in the 1880’s by Pacific Lumber Company to house the loggers needed for its logging operations. Within 30 years two sawmills had been built, with the second becoming the world’s largest redwood sawmill. To support this activity in an ‘out of the way location’ Pacific Lumber built 100’s of homes, a hotel, saloon, bank, elementary school, hospital, theater, the Company’s main office and created a Volunteer Fire Department. Some of these buildings were destroyed by fire over the years and rebuilt. Today Scotia is owned and operated by the Town of Scotia Company, LLC and the still existing buildings serve other purposes – such as the Scotia Museum or medical offices. The town is ‘neat as a pin’ as they say – so much so it almost looks like a movie set – maybe where they filmed the Stepford wives!! Very eerie feel. Since not much was open on this Saturday morning – except for a very wonderful pharmacy/Hallmark store and the grocery store – we hopped back in the car and headed to the next town north for lunch.

While the town of Fortuna is billed as one of the most beautiful natural destinations in all of Humboldt County – we would beg to differ. The Chamber of Commerce clearly pays their writers well!! One of the larger towns, therefore providing basic services, it provided a good place for lunch (Eel River Brewery), a grocery store stop for a few needed supplies and a Starbucks! Otherwise, nothing to brag about and certainly nothing to take a picture of!!

The next stop, however, made our day! FERNDALE. “Road Trip USA” writes this of Ferndale:

“Well worth the 10-mile detour west of US-101, the historic town of Ferndale (pop.1,331) is an odd fish along the woodsy Northern California coast, a century-old dairy town that would look more at home in middle America.”

Strolling through this Victorian village is like a walk through the past. The entire Main St. has been designated a National Register Historic District due to its finely preserved commercial and residential buildings.

Downtown Ferndale, Rexall Drug Store and all.

Ferndale is nestled against coastal hills and near the Eel River. Rich bottom land provides plentiful grass for the area’s thriving dairy industry, which has sustained the community since the late 1800s. The ornate homes built by successful dairy farmers became known as “butterfat palaces”.

One of many Victorian homes in this small community.

A wonderful, picturesque, OLD cemetery is a big part of the town. Many of the headstones have birth dates from the early 1800’s. This time of year it is especially beautiful with all the flowering plants and trees.

The Ferndale cemetary.

A hike to the top provides a great overview of this old Victorian town.

If you look closely, you can see the ocean in the back center of this shot.

Only in a town of 1,300 would one find a sign like this posted on the local grocery store;-) Reminds you of how special a small town is!

I wonder if the 3 or ? boyfriends are all named Schmoe.

Ferndale is also the gateway to the VERY remote Lost Coast (lost because you can’t get there!) and Cape Mendocino, the westernmost point on the coast of California.

Cape Mendocino and “The Wall” in the distance.

The VERY narrow, twisting, 17% grade road leading to (or from) the Coast was included in a century bike ride we encountered on this day. We marveled at those who were completing this ride – as at 85 miles they had this 17% grade (which is referred to as ‘The Wall’) to climb. Sooooo glad it was them and NOT us!!!

Ugh..Glad we are not riding with these guys!

Winding our way through this farm country and cow pastures – I couldn’t resist another ‘Sound of Music’ moment – only this time the ocean was in the background.

Sound of Music moment …Take 3.

All of this activity made us hungry – and the Ivanhoe provided a wonderful meal and evening with lots of local color. Don’t miss it if you are in Ferndale.

In all of these little towns one building or facility serves many purposes. The general store might also be the post office, visitor center and check in for a hotel. For the last couple of nights, we stayed at a pleasant, quiet ‘resort’ – in the redwoods in Redcrest – which also housed the Redcrest Volunteer Fire Department. Thankfully, there were no calls while we were there – as we thought we might get called into duty!

Magic makes nice with the Volunteers’ fire engine. In the last 8 days we have stayed in 4 different places – and each move was an average of approximately 30-40 miles (some as little as 20 miles!)! We have traveled a distance in the last 8 days that took one travel log writer we are reading on the journey a total of 6.5 hours to drive!! BOY IS IT FUN TO BE RETIRED AND HAVE THE ABILITY TO STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES AND ENJOY THE SIGHTS!!!! Loving it – Elizabeth and Gary from Northern California

Here we go again!

One stop along the way was the “One Log House” – or as we say, “An older version of Magic – like before slide-outs!”. Seriously, this is one of the Redwood trees that has been hollowed out and made into an actual house. Just shows you how large around these things are.

You can’t see them in the picture but the wheels are still attached beneath this “early RV”.

Kitchen and bedroom.

Dining room/living room.

While at this stop, Gary also wrestled a bear for a VERY large ice cream cone –

Where’d ya get that ice cream cone??

Avenue of the Giants – a magnificent 31-mile scenic drive surrounded by Humboldt Redwoods State Park which has the largest remaining stand of redwoods in the world.

Big sign for big trees.

Fossil records show redwoods originally grew naturally in many places across the Northern Hemisphere. But, due to climatic changes and other factors, Coast Redwoods now only grow naturally in a narrow 40 mile wide and 450 mile long coastal strip from southern Oregon to southern Monterey county in California. And, we are here!

John Steinbeck said it best –

“The redwoods once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always…from them comes silence and awe. The most irreverent of men, in the presence of redwoods, goes under a spell of wonder and respect.”

The majesty of these ‘ancients’ does create an aura, or a spell, which makes one awestruck. Partially due to their size – but, there is just a ‘feeling’ that comes over one as you walk through them.

These Coast Redwoods have been referred to as “eternal” or “immortal” and, in fact, the scientific name – sempervirens – means “everliving”. Most Redwoods live for 500+ years, with some over 2,000 years. Unique adaptations, which contribute to their longevity, include:

*A network of shallow roots which extend radially for up to 100 feet interconnecting with other trees to hug the earth and hold the trees during windstorms.

*A thick, fibrous bark which protects the trees from fire and insects.

*Tannic acid throughout the tree act as a deterrent to insects and decomposition.

*The ability to sprout from root collar burl tissue located near the base of the tree often forming a cluster or ring of trees around the ‘parent’ tree all from a single root.

Unfortunately, the shallow root system also makes them subject to being blown over (the primary cause of ‘death’) – and when one falls it has a domino effect on surrounding trees. These fallen trees become ‘homes’ or ‘nurse logs’ for other plants. It may take 400 years or more to totally decay and become incorporated into the forest floor. During this time, a variety of shrubs and trees have the opportunity to develop part or all of their root systems within the decaying wood. It is in looking at the fallen trees that we really get a feel for how large they are! Even the smaller ones are larger in diameter than either of us – dwarfs even the car – and makes Gary look like an ant!

This one fell right along side the road. At least 7 feet in diameter.

Dwarfs our car!

Even Gary looks small next to this old guy.

A couple of hikes through the “Founders Grove” and the “Rockefeller Grove” brought us up close and personal with these giants! This large redwood is an old growth tree that has been through many fires – but, continues to live –

Believe it or not … this one is still growing, fire and all.

Holy moly!!! Keep following the arrows up the pole.

Tiny road!

Big trees!!

Soooo, what do ya think… a Corona or a Cialis commercial?

Great views from our camp spot.

We did manage to pull ourselves away from this view for a morning hike on the Grove Trail in Leggett – which had its own sites of the majestic redwoods.

Taking a walk through the Redwood Grove at Standish-Hickey State Park.

The Redwoods’ version of the twin towers.

AND – to drive thru the “Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree” –

Last time Gary did this was in a 1955 Chevy station wagon.

No problem, you have and inch on each side.

While on the coast, the weather has cooperated wonderfully and given us the most beautiful days! It has been sunny first thing in the morning – no fog to burn off. And, the fog has NOT rolled in at night – so the stunning sunsets have been visible in all their glory!

A beautiful end to the day.

Today was a really FUN day – and the kind we really love. Only about 130 miles – but 4 hours. “Why?” – you might ask. Because the road was a “green dot” road (ie – a scenic route), which means beautiful, very narrow, two lane, tree covered – and just to make it really interesting – Napa Valley threw in a bike rally. But, we loved every minute of it – and Magic performed wonderfully;-)

Narrow – 2 Lane – Sharing with Bicycle Rally.

Tree Covered – Working our way to the coast.

Lunch time at our version of a McDonald’s drive thru.

Narrow – Damaged – But Beautiful Stands of Redwoods.

Mid-afternoon – after a month and a half on the road – we reached the coast of California, the primary destination of this Spring trip. Our home for the next couple of nights is adjacent to the beach just north of Mendocino –

A few shots along the cove adjacent to our campground.

WOW! Somehow a whole week has passed since we last posted here.

During this last week, we have played three days of golf on a couple of beautiful courses. If you are anywhere in the neighborhood of Yosemite be sure to check out the Sierra Meadows Country Club in Ahwahnee. And, if around Sonoma – check out Eagle Vines –

A great day of golf at Eagle Vines.

We also spent a couple of wonderful days in Yosemite.

Entering the Park.

We had another great ‘parking’ spot for Magic –

Enjoying the Lakers in the great outdoors.

Yosemite National Park was established by an act of Congress on October 1, 1890 and is a park about the size of Rhode Island situated in the Sierra Nevada’s. It is famous for its incredible valley, but the park includes five distinct areas that attract nearly 3.5 million visitors each year. Unfortunately, three of the areas – Glacier Point, the Tioga Road and the Tuolumne Meadows, and Hetch Hetchy were closed due to snow in their higher elevations. So – we spent time in the Valley and Wawona and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias.

The valley is seven miles long and one mile across and was formed by glacial erosion over hundreds of thousands of years. The walls of the valley are draped with waterfalls that were running full due to all the snow and precipitation this winter and early spring and, therefore, were simply beautiful! The Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls – the signature fall in the Valley – combine to drop almost 2,500 feet making this the tallest waterfall in North America.

Upper Yosemite Falls.

Upper and Lower Falls.

Just outside of the Valley is one of the most photographed vistas in the world. Here one gets a classic view of Yosemite Valley, including El Capitan (on the left), Clouds Rest (in the middle where the clouds are ‘resting’), Half dome (coming around clockwise), Sentinel Rock, Cathedral Rocks and Bridalveil Fall. We spent quit a bit of time here just taking in the sights! (Gary does get a little bit of slack for the phone thing — as he got an offer on his Mother’s house and was trying to move the deal along while there. This is a good thing.)

Channelling Ansel Adams?? … Not.

You’ve gotta see this view!!

Can we park Magic here?

The elevations in the park range from 2,000 feet to 13,000 feet. So while the Valley was quite nice, Wawona and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias was back in the snow! This eliminated our anticipated hike;-(

Shoulder deep snow in the Mariposa Grove. Our stay in Yosemite had to come to an end and we moved on to the Napa/Sonoma area for a few days. Surprisingly, there was no wine tasting – just visits and dinners with friends;-) Oh yes – and one SLEEPLESS night watching THE WEDDING!! Tomorrow we head toward the coast. More later – E & G

What a Splendid Day!

After a day of rest, we had a perfectly wonderful day today!

Our target hike was the Paradise Creek Trail (all that it’s name implies) beginning at Hospital Rock.

On our way.

Indians lived in the area of Hospital Rock from prehistoric times until the 1870’s, when the white man’s diseases killed off many of them. The name, ‘Hospital Rock’, has nothing to do with these early Indian inhabitants – it was the site of medical treatment to one of the early white explorers of the area and was therefore ‘dubbed’ Hospital Rock, which stuck through the years. These early inhabitants did leave their marks, though, in the form of bedrock mortar holes used for grinding acorns and the pictographs we viewed today.

Pictographs at Hospital Rock – Graffiti of Old!

Continuing from Hospital Rock toward Paradise Canyon, we crossed the Middle Fork Bridge (the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River) and entered Paradise Canyon, which contrasts sharply with the surrounding terrain. The trail parallels Paradise Creek, passing waterfalls, spectacular swimming holes and beautiful scenery.

A bridge across the Kaweah River – A bridge to Paradise.

Who are these folks?

Elizabeth captured a spout along the way.

Moro Rock from a different point of view.

Today, we found that picnic spot by the creek we were looking for the other day when all we found was snow! We both enjoyed our PB&J and the lazy respite by/on/in the creek.

Breaking for lunch.

Not a lot of history or story to tell here – just beauty –

Colors along the way.

Lots of water in the Kaweah River.

After our return to the car, we decided to see how far up the Mineral King road we could get – about 1/3 of the way. The Mineral King area was added to the NP in 1978 – named in the 1870‘s by gold prospectors who gained little more than unfulfilled dreams from it. The road is little more than one lane and in disrepair (an understatement!). But, the road, apparently, is the secret to the paradise’s solitude we did not get to. We did, however, have opportunities for a few more pictures –

A 1923 bridge on the Mineral King Road.

A brief stop along the way.

Nature’s hot stone therapy.

Another wonderful day that exhausted both of us. Now sitting in our campsite waiting for the Laker game;-)

Another tough day on the road. See ya later – E & G

I think I stood in front of this with my brother Ken…about 55 years ago!

The number one thing learned – do NOT visit Sequoia NP or King’s Canyon NP in the Spring – wait until Fall. Because – the word for the day was – CLOSED;-(

We eagerly approached the Foothills Visitor Center at the south entrance to Sequoia NP armed with our National Geographic “Guide to the National Parks of the United States” (a great book, by the way), which very specifically ‘mapped’ out our adventures for the next five days. A very informative, patient Ranger listened as the itinerary was presented to him –

Day 1 – Drive and hike Mineral King – CLOSED;-(

Day 2 – Drive and tour Crystal Cave – CLOSED;-(

Day 3 – Drive and hike Moro Rock – CLOSED;-(

Day 4 – Drive and hike Cedar Grove – CLOSED;-(

Day 5 – Giant Forest & Grant Grove – GO FOR IT;-)) !!!!

YEAH – we found one day’s activities that were open, which means NOT covered under SIX feet of snow. Don’t ask what the thought process was – but the fact that most of the park is at 7,000+ feet and might still have at least some snow affecting activities – NEVER entered our minds.

There is a bulletin board somewhere behind this pile of snow.

Oh well, just modify – as we have become quite adept at.

We started our day fairly early, as the trip up Generals Highway to the Giant Grove had to be timed with the road opening/closure (apparent much needed road work was being completed and traffic was only allowed thru the work area on the hour). Our timing was pretty good – the wait gave us just enough time to at least get a picture of Moro Rock -from the ‘back’ side. This was a Gary memory – he and his brother climbing on the top of this on camping trips with their parents;-) What we couldn’t do was the drive to the back side and the climb of 400 steps to a top view of the giant sequoias.

Too bad we can’t actually climb Moro rock today. Too much ice and snow on the trail.

Waiting our turn.

Finally, we entered the Giant Forest – where the Four Guardsmen greeted all who came.

Elizabeth is actually standing in between the middle two of the Four Guardsmen.

This may sound silly – but, there is a definite ‘aura’ and peaceful feeling when you enter and walk thru the groves of sequoias. Each tree also looks and feels like it has its own personality. It is so appropriate that these wonders are protected (mostly from logging) in a National Park – the second oldest NP.

In all the world, sequoias grow naturally only on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada, most often between 5,000 and 7,000 feet of elevation. The giant sequoia has a massive trunk, huge stout branches, and cinnamon-colored bark. It grows to over 300 feet with a base over 40 feet in diameter (that is 6 Gary’s laid head to feet!!), branches to 8 feet in diameter and live over 3,200 years!! They don’t die. Chemicals in the wood and bark provide resistance to insects and fungi, and thick bark insulates them from most fire. The main cause of sequoia deaths is toppling. And, once they fall they remain forever on the forest floor as the chemicals in the wood also prevent rot.

This has been used for everything from a residence to a bar.

We did get in a short ‘hike’ along the road and up to see the General Sherman Tree – 2,100 years old, 274.9 feet tall and 102.6 feet in circumference. In mass, this is the largest living tree. It grows enough new wood every year to make a 60-foot-tall tree of usual proportions AND a 13-story building could fit beneath its lowest branch!! Can you even see Gary –

General Sherman, worlds largest living thing.

Can you see Gary at the base?

Can you see me now?

Our original plan was to take the 2 mile hike around the General Sherman Tree, stop at a beautiful spot and eat our picnic lunch. But – all we could find was snow;-(

So much for our picnic lunch, here.

After a picnic lunch in the car, General Grant Grove called. Here resides the General Grant Tree, which is 267.4 feet tall and 107.6 feet in circumference. Another little factoid – it would take 21 people holding hands to encircle this sequoia!!

The General Grant and you know who.

What an amazing sense of life in this grove of giants.

Again, the feeling of tranquility that overcomes you as you walk thru these groves is pretty powerful – and awe inspiring.

Big and little.

Our trip back to Magic was filled with many more beautiful sights – too many to post. Our camp is also beautiful and relaxing – a room with a view –

View from our living room.

This was a day of new adventure for Elizabeth (who had never been to this NP) and a day of reminiscing for Gary (who spent many summers in these parks as a Dad with his kids and as a kid himself!). Gary learned that all is not as we remember it – the area he ‘swore’ he spent many summers camping in – was NOT where he remembered it at all;-( Elizabeth re-learned that our National Parks are a wonder and every penny we spend on them is well spent (and not enough!!)!! AND – the Giant Sequoias are Mighty!

Still having fun – E & G from Magic