Eureka!

We made our way to Eureka, CA today; exit 700 off of Highway 101. We still have over 100 miles left in California. That's a lot of road.

We left Kathy and Steve this morning at 10:30. We had a great visit. Thank you for your hospitality.  Ukiah is in such a beautiful area, surrounded by mountains.

The drive north was spectacular. The lush green forests blanketed the mountains. The hills in the foregrounds, covered with deciduous trees and conifers alike take in every hue of green imaginable. As your eyes rise you see a giant ocean of green filled with multiple waves. Words and photos do not do the scenery justice. There was no way to capture the height in a single shot.





We then drove through the Chandelier tree; 325 feet tall, 21 feet in diameter and as much as 2400 years old. I remember as a kid my dad sent a post card of a car driving through a giant redwood. Now I did it myself.

This is a look up inside the tree.

And then we drove all of the Avenue of the Giants. This is an incredibly scenic 31 mile drive through the largest remaining stand of virgin redwoods in the world (according to their website). This is by far the largest stand of redwoods I have ever seen. That's right, I have never seen any before. The majestic beauty of these trees is astounding. It is indeed a difficult thing to take in. It is near impossible to see the top of the trees. What amazed me is the massive girth of the trunk of these trees that grow straight as an arrow covered in short gracefully drooping branches. Research tells me that the canopy of a redwood rarely exceeds 30 feet.

And yes, we had to do this.

It was indeed incredible. Not one, but two drive through trees.

Just look at how straight these trees are as they seemingly reach the heavens.

Thanks for looking in.

Till Tomorrow!