Redwood National Park

This past weekend, Mike and I had planned on going to Utah in search of better skiing.  After checking the weather, we decided our time would be better spent camping by the beach!  So, at the last minute, we loaded up our car and drove 7 hours to Redwood National Park.

We did some quick research before we left and we knew there was a campground by the beach that has only "first come, first served" campsites.  In order to improve our chances of getting a site, we woke up at 4:00 am on Saturday and drove straight there.

We were able to get a great campsite... tucked away from everyone... with a small stream running through it so we could hear the water trickle... and although not oceanfront, you could still hear the roar of the ocean.  It was really nice.  Our second night though, we moved to our neighbors campsite after they packed up and left.  It was an oceanfront site and it was awesome!

We had awesome weather.  It was cold at night and warm (but definitely NOT hot) during the day.

The fog started rolling in after sunset. 

 We fixed breakfast at the campsite and watched lots of boats just offshore.  

We went for walks on the beach and saw TONS of driftwood.  

Good morning! 

 There are so many Roosevelt Elk in this area.  They were hopping around in the river and sunbathing in the grass.  It was so neat to see them. 

And of course... we saw some Redwoods.  We've seen a LOT of big trees since moving out West but these are seriously HUGE.  The pictures don't convey the magnitude of these trees. 

Notice the small van compared to the trees. 

I loved that you could be deep in the forest or sitting beside the Pacific ocean in just a matter of minutes.  

We drove North on 101 to Klamath, California.  This is the area where the Klamath River meets the Pacific Ocean: 

We drove down a LONG gravel road through forest and alongside the beach (past our campsite) to reach a "Fern Canyon."  It was a short hike to a beautiful area full of ferns growing up the canyon walls.  We passed several more large elk along the drive: 

Zater wanted to chase them. 

The Fern Canyon 

It is a beautiful area.  We had a great time despite the LONG drive.  My favorite part of the whole trip was sitting at our campsite, watching the sun set over the ocean.  

Our campsite. 

On the way home, to break up the drive a little, we took a slight detour to see the "Chandelier Tree."  It's a large Redwood that you can drive a car through.  

And now, we are back home in Tahoe, awaiting a winter storm that is expected to bring a minimum of 6 inches of snow... up to a possible foot.  It looks like we will be able to do some more skiing in Tahoe after all!   

And much love to NC who has been braving LOTS of winter weather this year.