To the Redwood Forest

A last minute addition to the schedule was Oregon Caves National Monument, and aren't the unexpected sometimes the best? Even in the pouring rain, it was a beautiful drive up the mountain on a narrow twisted road, to a park full of character. The monument was founded in 1909, and the visitors center and lodge look over a hundred years old, but in a rustic, charming way. We didn't get to tour the caves, we just didn't have the time (and who knew Stephen isn't a "cave person"!), but we did enjoy touring the facilities. And, of course, getting a stamp for our national parks passport!

The visitor center

The entrance to the caves

Then on to California. Cell service is very spotty in the parks and in the mountains, so GPS isn't reliable, and even with a back up AAA Trip Tik and a map, I had trouble getting us to the Redwood Forest National Park Headquarters. Thank goodness all of us have cell phones, and eventually Anne and Stephen got us there. The park is all along Route 101, and I was so looking forward to the drive, to see the coast and the redwoods. But the rain persisted,  with very low cloud cover, and there were very few opportunities to see the ocean. 

Finally, a view of the ocean

The redwoods are magnificent, however, and completely incredible to see. 

Lush vegetation carpets the forest floor

All of us at Big Tree. Really, that's the name of the tree

A long rainy drive back over the mountains has brought us to Redding for the night. We're headed to Yosemite tomorrow, and hoping to find some sunshine there!