6/23/14: Redwoods

On the way back from Crescent City, we stopped at Walker Rd to walk the Simpson Reed Grove trail and the Peterson Memorial trail.

This tree is finding a different way to compete with the redwoods:

Girls on burls:

Even a fallen redwood is quite impressive:

This is a nice family photo, but it is much too normal:

Ah, now that's better!

:) Connie

6/23/14: Crescent City

In Crescent City, we went to the Marine Mammal Center and saw baby sea lions and seals. Then we walked to the Battery Point Lighthouse to take in the beautiful views of the coast. Next, we explored the tidal pools to look for marine life. After that we headed to the Kid Town playground and then dinner at the Good Harvest Restaurant.

The light house is only accessible during low tide, and we were lucky that our visit coincided with low waters.

View from the light house island:

 Green sea anemones in a tidal pool:

Kid Town playground:

:) Connie

6/23/14: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park

On Monday we started off the day by walking some of the trails in nearby Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

The water was really cold in the river, but we gave it a shot anyway. :)

The kids had fun catching tadpoles and froglets in the pools along the river's edge.

:) Connie

6/22/14: No Training Wheels!

The next day we decided to hang out at our campsite in Hiouchi RV Park.

We finally got around to taking Jamie's training wheels off her bike. Here's a video of her riding:

:) Connie

6/21/14: Drive to Redwood National Park

On Saturday, we drove up to Crescent City, California to camp near Redwood National Park. During the drive, we stopped at one of the beaches to explore.

There was a lot of sea spray coming off the ocean, causing a cool fog effect on the beach:

Had to write something in the sand...

The kids had fun collecting interesting things on the beach. We saw shells, sand dollars, crab parts, cool striped rocks, and kelp.

I think I see a Tioga peeking out from behind the bushes...

:) Connie

6/20/14: Mud Pots in Volcanic National Park

Here's a video of Anna talking about the mud pots in Volcanic National Park:

:) Connie

6/20/14: Volcanic National Park

Volcanic National Park is home to many volcanic mountains and interesting geological features. It is the only park that has all four kinds of volcanoes: cinder cones, lava domes, shield volcanoes, and composite volcanoes.

The last large eruption in the park occurred in 1914, and the damage from that eruption still scars the landscape. It was the last in a series of eruptions of Mt. Lassen. The volcano is currently dormant, and there are nine seismographs around the park measuring activity to help scientists predict the next eruption.

Lassen Peak has an elevation of about 10,400 feet, and you can drive up to about 8,500 feet by car. We drove up there in the Tioga along steep mountain roads with switchbacks and no guard rails (hoo-wee!). Then we took a hike up the side of Mt. Lassen until the snow on the trail prevented us from going further.

On the way up the mountain side, we caught a glimpse of the Tioga down in the parking lot:

The girls had fun playing in the snow:

Views from our hike:

:) Connie