Avenue of Giants

Second day of coastal driving between Fort Bragg and Eureka and had to veer inland to the Avenue of Giants.  There was nothing outside of San Francisco--occasional towns, but no fast food joints or touristy anything.  Just nature and parks and sketchy little towns.  But as soon as we started to get close to Giant Redwood territory, the wood carvings and Americana and tourist traps started popping up alongside the road. 

All of these little bears were on the porch of the Peg House--probably amazing in-season, but sad a ghost-empty when we arrived. We bought a snack and some stickers and got back on the road as quickly as possible.

 

Even off the coast, the roads were still just as dangerously steep, narrow and wind-y. Just beyond this sign, the road completely doubled back on itself.

 Was totally sucked in by this roadside attraction.  The "One Log House."  It's essentially a narrow trailer made of the trunk of a Giant Redwood.  It's terrible to think of logging those beauties, but they also grow so thick and straight that they almost seem made for cutting down.

 

 

This bear was easily eleven feet tall--all carved out of one piece of wood.

 Just the very start of it. . .Teeny tiny itty bitty Redwoods.

 BIGFOOT!!! (and right by the side of the road, too.  He's gotta be more careful.)

 We learned quickly that we needed to put a person or vehicle next to the trees to be able to judge their size.  We pulled over, overwhelmed by driving through their massiveness.  They come up really quickly.  One minute, you're driving by regular old trees and the next, your in these groves filled with monsters.  I have not been as aware of feeling awe as I was there. . .

 Plus the nerd girl in me totally expected to see Luke and some Stormtroopers speed past and/or see a brachiosauraus crossing the road off in the distance.

 Seriously?

 The moss on the trees was a brilliant green, of course.

 We stopped to see the "Founder's Tree".  Dan sat in front of it and said, "This is huge.  do you think we will see trees bigger than this?" (*spoiler alert. . . yup.)