Walking in the Redwoods

Yes they really are giants.

When I was growing up I saw the redwoods every time my family drove to the beach.  We lived in the southwest corner of Oregon and driving to our favorite beach in Brookings meant a drive down the Redwood Highway through the Jedediah Smith Redwood Grove.

A couple of years ago Scott and I returned to the area with our cameras. We stayed in Crescent City with the plan of exploring a few of the trails in the area. There are several very easy hikes that will take you through the woods, and we were eager to try them out.

The trees are MASSIVE! Big around and VERY tall. It’s extremely difficult to capture this scale in a photo.  It’s one of the times the photos can work better with people in them to give a better perspective.

There were ferns growing everywhere – like we see in the forests closer to home. Unlike forests at home these forests don’t drip with moss. There’s some moss, but the bumpy texture bark of the redwood trees is what really stood out. I’m not sure if it’s the same throughout the redwoods, if it’s just where we were, or because of the time of year we were viewing them.

We happened to be there when the rhododendrons were blooming. There weren’t many, but we got to see a few. I love the contrast of the soft colorful blooms against the dark rough texture of the tree bark.

I was hoping we would get some fog while we were there - it really helps to add depth to the photos – but no such luck. So, we walked the trails, enjoying the trees and looking for the best camera angles that would somehow capture a piece of what we were seeing.

There are more redwoods to see as you travel south.

Crescent City is really just a starting point. But what a start!

On to the next adventure!

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Where are we going to watch the moonrise this year?

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Wynoochee Valley Road - The Waterfall Road