We got up early to head down to Redwood National Park.  The coastline south of Bandon to California is amazing – better than Cannon Beach and rivaling Bandon itself = it seems almost sacrilegious coming from an Oregonian but it’s the truth (for me at least). Except for maybe the thundering scapes of Cape Perpetua – I’ll make that concession.  

It was cold but the sun was out and the mist was coming off the road and even swirling off the backs of cows! That sort of backlighting you can only dream about but just add cows.  It added to the magic and mystical sense you get when you enter the Redwoods.  

We arrived at the Prairie Creek Redwoods National Park Visitor Center – my eyes kept watering – partly from the cold but I think also from my eyes being stretched so wide trying to take it all in.  I took my wide-angle lens for which I was thankful.

Bob went ahead to see if he could make it to Fern Canyon which is 9.5 miles round trip along the James Irvine trail (where they filmed Jurassic Park: The Lost World).

The mist was still persisting in some spots but making allowances for the sun to dance among the massive trunks.  This created a sense of euphoria; there was no one else on the trail to bear witness – I stood in solitude amongst the giants (one of those zen moments I can now go back to when I meditate).  It was so quiet save for light rustling of the wind – or it could have been wood nymphs tracking my progress.  

Or, perhaps the trees themselves demanded solitude considering some were hundreds if not thousands of years old.  They had certainly earned that right.

The trails were similar to what I have experienced in Forest Park in Portland but naturally you cannot compare as you are less of speck of humanity there than you are amongst the giant Redwood groves.

We headed to our campsite – the Giant Redwoods RV Park in Meyers Flat.

Photo op with the boys in one of the drive through trees.

We found ourselves nestled amongst the Redwoods in a quiet a well-kept RV park. Being off season it was quiet except for the rooster first thing in the morning.

We ended the day with a gin and tonic with a fire to take the edge off the chill and contemplate the stately magnificence of our surroundings.

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