I'm starting to get the hang of this "vacation" thing...

(Clicking on the pictures will enlarge them)

Well, a couple of more days with nothing on the schedule, a guy could get used to this... Oh well, it will soon be back to reality. But not yet.

In case you were wondering, I am not attempting to take pictures of the trees, it just doesn't translate with a small sensor camera and I already have many attempts from earlier trips. Unless of course, someone wants to buy me this for Christmas. Yeah, I didn't think so...

Yesterday I greeted the sunrise with my sea lion buddies in the harbor. These guys are nice enough to me, but they can be cantankerous with each other.













I then took a drive out to the Lake Earl wildlife refuge but it was very foggy and the visibility was not good. I did see kingfisher, red tail hawks, western grebe, egerts, blue herons, cormorants, pelicans, and the lake was covered with waterfowl but it was too foggy for identification. I also saw some unidentified mammal scamper across the road, I believe it was a coyote but I only got a glimpse, as well as deer and a few elk.

After that I headed up into the Jedidiah Smith state park via Howland Hill road. No matter how many times I drive this road I am still awed by the scenery. I did a very short hike on the Mill Creek trail as a foot bridge is washed out 1/2 of a mile in. There were wood planks stacked next to the washout so it is being repaired, a good thing as this is a nice hike. Then I did the Boy
Scout Tree trail, or as much as my damn legs would let me. I probably did about half of the trail which is good as there is a bit of climbing and my legs betray me on anything uphill. It is absolutely silent and I sat on a hospitable log for over an hour as a wood pecker worked in the trees above me, it is incredible to just sit in absolute silence amidst such beauty. I then went to Stout Grove and had a nice leisurely walk. Didn't see another person on any of the trails. I love the off season!

The tide was +8.5 feet in the morning and -1.5 feet when I returned to Crescent City at about 5 PM.












It was another nice sunset as well


























Another beautiful morning today, I slept in a little and just missed the sunrise. I got my coffee at Dutch Brothers (the only decent coffee in town) and headed south to the Prairie Creek park. I stopped on the way at the Wilson Creek inlet for breakfast, it was just me, an oyster catcher and a few seagulls. Not a bad spot for breakfast...














I did the Prairie Creek trail as it is level (3 miles and back), and then had lunch at La Hacienda in the thriving metropolis of Orick (population 630), also home to the Hawg Wild biker bar. Lunch at La Hacienda is a tradition, it goes without saying I have never been to Hawg Wild...

After lunch I did the Lady Bird Johnson grove hike, this is a wonderful, higher elevation hike. I did run across some mushrooms on a downed redwood.













I ran across these guys taking a break in a clearing on the way back down to Highway 101, didn't see any signs of the harem anywhere. If you look closely you will see the guy on the left has lost one of his antlers.

Belated update

(Remember, clicking on the small pics will make them bigger)

Lets see, where was I? Oh yeah, the North Coast of California!

I did a couple of days in Fortuna so I could visit the Humbolt Bay wildlife refuge. On Friday it was very windy, 35mph sustained with gusts to 45+mph. Quite an adventure, I did a 2 mile trail. Too windy to shoot pictures, but fun none the less. There were a lot of raptors about (red tail hawks, kites, etc) and some buzzards as well, I didn't see any eagles. All the shorebirds were hunkered down and hiding. I was walking along the dike and it was so windy the critters couldn't hear me coming, I startled a buck who was laying in the grass about 10 feet from me, he jumped up and ran about 30 feet away and then gave me a dirty look. About 100 feet further down the dike a red tail hawk exploded in to the air from the right side of the dike and flew no more than 8-10 feet in front of my face, I did a major flinch on that one! Later in the day I did the Avenue of the Giants drive. While pretty, the groves weren't as nice as Prairie Creek or Jedidiah Smith.

Saturday morning I went back to the refuge and it was considerably calmer. I did see more birds but most were out of range for shooting. I drove back up to Crescent City, I met up with Mark and we had lunch in Arcata. I did see a big herd of elk (approximately 35) on the way back up. There was a HUGE buck in charge.




















These youngsters were being disrespectful behind his back (notice the one on the right)














I made the short side trip up Requa road to the Klamath River overlook, this is where the Klamath meets the Pacific.













There was a great sunset last night. I was at Pebble Beach. I have been threatening to take a picture of this tree for about three years now, it seemed like a good time.

Here are a few more sunset shots.

Here is a shot from the harbor, this boat had dropped it's load of crab pots and was back for more. The harbor was a beehive of activity last night, kinda fun to see.













Here is the view from my breakfast spot this morning, not too bad, eh?.










I drove up the beach to Pt. St. George and sat out on the bluff for a while. Then I went back into town and got some coffee and went to the laundromat. After the clothes were clean I headed back down to the Prairie Creek park and did a little close up photography.


























Man, I love these forests...














Another great sunset this evening, This is taken from the Endert's Overlook, 500 feet above the beach about three miles south of town. The big rock on the left is Castle Rock wildlife refuge, it is about 5 miles away.













Out of the mist and back in town I caught the last of the sunset, the Battery Point lighthouse is lit up for Christmas.

By the way...

If you click on the little pictures below they will get a little bigger.

Update

Happy Thanksgiving! I drove down from Crescent City to McKinleyville and met up with Mark, it was a beautiful misty morning. The surf was really high, last night the forecast was for 17-23 foot swells. I saw some BIG waves this morning, and throughout the day, although the peak was at midnight on Wednesday.

Mark showed me around the area between Arcata and the coast, some very beautiful sights. In a field above the Mad river we saw a field with 20+ egrets, I could only get a few in the picture.

We checked out the Friends of the Dunes nature center, click on the link to see the place. We met an older gentleman whose parents had built this underground house and lived in it for many years. They had wanted to give it the public when they passed on to try and help preserve public access to the coastline. Money turned out to be a motivator for the other family members, so instead of it being donated, it was sold to the The Nature Conservancy. Mark had a turkey in his charcoal grill so we didn't get a chance to hike out to the beach on the trails, but I am going to try and swing back by there.

Mark graciously bought me a crab, in keeping with my dietary guidelines. I had a plateful of crab, mashed potatoes and some wonderful peas and pearl onions in a white sauce, it was delicious. I also make a good friend of "Stinko" at Marks house, he is a Jack Russell Terrier who designated my lap as the best place to be. He was very sweet and very insistent, whenever I stopped petting him he would nuzzle my hands until I started again. I almost took him with me when I left...

Update

There was a lot of fog coming out of Grants Pass, but about two miles from the Oregon/California border it cleared up and it was a beautiful, summer like day. The surfers were out in force and the Sea lions were as well, and making a hell of a racket. I didn't go into the trees today, I spent the day on the coast. I did see some oyster catchers, and some Grebes and a couple of seagulls... Mostly I just relaxed and enjoyed the view.
As the sunset came on some clouds moved in so the sunset was somwhat subdued. I stopped by the harbor, the crab season gets underway on Tuesday and all the fishing boats are loaded with crab pots. I have never seen the harbor quite so full or busy, there were a lot of people walking around. I have found fishermen to generally be a friendly lot, and spoke with a couple of them.


I then headed to Crescent Beach for the sunset, and while not spectacular it was still enjoyable (and not too bad for November!)
Tomorrow I will be heading for McKinleyville to visit with Mark, then on to Fortuna for the evening. I will be spending a couple of days at the Humbolt Bay Wildlife Refuge.

Update

I am in Grants Pass Oregon in a Motel. Tomorrow I will drive "The Redwood Highway" aka US 199, leaving here about a half hour before sun up to catch the before dawn light. The last 80 mile stretch is incredible, the Illinois river , through the Siskious, the Smith river canyon, on down into those ancient forests, and then all the way down to the sea. Not a bad way to spend a day! I should have a few pics to share tomorrow night.

Vacation!

Well, I am on a two week vacation! I have been looking forward to this for quite a while, and I do not have an itinerary. I am spending the first four days with my family at my sisters house in Salem Oregon, after that I have no set itinerary. I am considering visiting the Klamath Wildlife Refuge (Lower Klamath and Tule Lake) again this year but probably just for a couple of days. I am strongly considering the Humbolt Bay Wildlife Refuge as well, and will likely end up around Crescent City at some point...