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| Coast Redwoods, Stout Grove |
Just back from a little road trip up north to see family, including laying eyes for the first time on an eight-month-old grand-nephew and his mom, as well as North Cascades National Park which has been on my bucket list for ages. We spent our first night on the road in Crescent City and just had time for a quick visit to the Stout Grove in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park before laying down the miles to Seattle the following day.
After stopping for lunch at the Cafe Phoenix in Arcata we were soon speeding past numerous patches of orange coast lily and sneaking quick peeks at enchanted, misty redwood forests decorated with bright, rose-colored rhododendron blossoms.
It drove me mad to be unable to pull over anywhere to photograph these evanescent sights, especially where road repair work reduced Hwy. 101 to a single lane of one-way traffic following a guide vehicle. We passed numerous photogenic nooks and crannies where any viewshed consultant worth his silver halide would have created pull-outs. Then again, these off-limits (or at least hard-to-reach) areas are probably spectacular because we can't stop to see them: I love the Stout Grove, but the understory has been lovingly trampled right down to dirt.
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| Old Burl |
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| Redwood Gnome |
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| Secret Trail |
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| The Immortals |
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| Redwood Bark Furrows |
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| Redwood Grandeur |
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| Maple View |
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| Forest Edge Along the Smith River |
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