Wrapping up our Humboldt trip I wanted to see some really big trees so we headed to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, a mecca for old-growth coastal redwood trees. Within the 14,000 acre park visitors can find some of the oldest trees just a short walk from the parking area. Big Tree, for example, is …
California’s Redwood Coast offers countless options for being amongst redwoods while listening to the ocean crash against the shore. Sue-Meg State Park is a 640 acre State Park that hugs the coast and is filled with firs, spruces, pines and redwoods. We started on Rim Trail Loop, a trail used by the Yurok tribe well before the …
Whosever idea it was to put a walkway in the canopy of the world’s tallest trees is a genius. It wouldn’t be a trip to Humboldt County without stopping by Sequioa Park Zoo for a stroll 100 feet above the redwoods’ fallen needles. It really is an incredible experience. The $4,000,000 eco-adventure project was built by a …
Hammond Trail is named after a major local lumber company, acknowledgment of Redwood Coast’s timber industry. The trail crosses over a trestle that was relocated from Washington state in 1941 and reassembled over the Mad River. It is a beautiful, historic bridge in a beautifully remote town.
In Arcata, just beyond Cal Poly Humboldt, is a community forest made of 790 acres of redwoods. Under the canopy of the tallest trees in the world hikers remain fairly dry under the natural umbrella. Just enough moisture falls to the soil in order to propagate a mushroom menagerie.
Living in Oceanside we are used to seeing the coast, but the Redwood Coast is a different world, or at least it feels like a different state. The Redwood Coast is made of 175 miles of rugged coastline dotted with historic coastal towns. Mad River Beach County Park is a narrow stretch of land, sitting right in …
The Golden Gate Bridge is probably the most iconic symbol of San Francisco. In 1937 it set the world record for the greatest distance between two supports, the tallest towers, and the longest bridge. Taking it north means that we are 1,280 meters closer to the redwoods.
Heading up to our rental house in Mckinleyville we stopped in Fortuna for some homemade staples. Humboldt Distillery recently opened up a tasting room after a decade of business (creating the best selling organic vodka in California). For $5 you can taste all of their spirits or apply that money towards a purchase. We went home …
Fisherman’s Wharf has been popular since the Gold Rush. With limited time before continuing north it seemed like the perfect place to spend a rushed evening in San Francisco. We took advantage of the BART, street cars and cable cars so the girls didn’t have to be confined to a car seat. Taking public transportation …
I love this time of year at the Safari Park, although if you go expecting to see animals you will leave disappointed. Wild Holidays at the Safari Park is all about the lights and Christmas festivities. This year (because no two years are exactly alike) my favorite event was the choreographed light show, when the …
North County San Diego is developing into yet another Southern California winery hub. Cordiano Winery is a step above, one of the few that offers food. The owners are Italian, and their pizza, pasta, salad, and wine options really makes you feel like you are visiting their homeland. It is a lovely place to spend …
Unlike Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm is not nostalgic to me. We went to Disneyland multiple times per year but I don’t recall one trip to Knott’s Berry Farm as a child. The surprising thing is that Knott’s Berry Farm has much more history than its neighbor Disneyland (which is only seven miles away). The Knott Family started selling …
The Nutcracker Ballet is holiday tradition dating back to the 1960s. Although the ballet was first performed in Russia in 1892 (at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, where I saw Swan Lake when there) it was not in the United States until 1944, and it took a while to catch on. Now it seems that every …
The San Diego Botanic Garden has over 5,000 species of plants. So something is always in bloom no matter the time of year. The blue sky, that is just a bonus.
The Cerezo Bluffs tide pools are like a treasure hunt, the treasure being the organisms that the low tide has left exposed. Although it is a little cooler than normal it is still sunny and beautiful (and much less crowded in winter than in summer when it often looks like Disneyland). I prefer the solitude …