We stayed a few days at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, near Cresent City, CA, to see the ancient redwood trees there. They were up to 15 feet in diameter, up to 350 feet tall, and up to 2000 years old. One day, we drove to Stout Grove, a redwood grove, on a narrow dirt road that winded between redwoods. And even though it was a two lane road, the road was often hardly big enough for one car, because the gaps between the trees were so small. We parked in the tiny parking lot, and then we hiked through the foggy forest, staring in awe at the massive trees that stood over us. The forest was very magical and mysterious, it was the kind of place that you would expect to see Sasquatch or a staircase to another world.
When we left Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, we drove the Avenue of the Giants, a road lined with huge redwoods. It looked a lot like Stout Grove, even though we were almost two hours away from there. We stopped to see the Immortal Tree, a giant thousand year old tree that had survived lightning, fire, axes, floods, and more. We also saw a 20 foot room that had been carved out underneath a tree. After that, we did a short hike, and saw more giant trees. We saw one tree that had been hollowed into an arch by fire. We could walk right through it, but somehow the tree was still alive.
Are you eating lettuce in Salinas now? Great Steinbeck museum!