Youngest Grandson's Birthday Wednesday!

Wednesday was my youngest grandson's 3rd birthday. Now I have three grandchildren at age three for the next 24 day's, before one of the other grandchildren turns four.

Fort McFee Park, Splash Pad area!

His party was a Fort McFee Park in Farragut, Tn. It had a splash pad area with fountains and some other water gizmo's that the kids played in. They had a great time, and the weather was perfect for it.


Afterwords, we just went back home and relaxed the rest of the night. Thanks for checking in.

Arches, Great Sand Dunes, Pike's Peak, Monument Rocks!

After going through the San Rafael Reef area of Interstate 70, we continued eastbound until exit 182 Moab. From there we drove into Moab, passing the Arches entrance so we could fill up on gas. 

Arches National Park!

Flowers along the way.

As we made our way back to the park, of course you have to stop at the gate and pay your entrance fee, (which we had already obtained an annual pass in the beginning of our trip) the road winds up the side of a mountain where we made our first stop at the Park Avenue viewpoint, we then went to the La Sal Mountains viewpoint, Courthouse Towers viewpoint, Tower of Babel, Petrified Dunes, Balanced Rock, Garden of Eden, Wolfe Ranch, Delicate Arch viewpoint, Fiery Furnace, Salt Valley overlook, Sand Dune arch, Pine Tree Arch, and Tunnel Arch. After doing some hiking at the viewpoints, and much picture taking, it started getting dark, it was around 7:30 pm, so we headed out of the park, leaving behind some parts of the park we never made it to (The Devils Garden and Klondike Bluffs) and headed south on 191.


Now the video I did does not have the pictures in the order I took them, but you can get an idea of what the park is like from them. I really enjoyed the views at this park. I would go back to all the parks I have visited if I had the time to do more sightseeing by hiking! When you do most of the trip in a car, you do see a lot, but you also miss a lot. I always say I need to spend more time at one park, but there are so many to visit, I want to see them All, lol!

We also past up going to Canyonland National Park. The entrance to that was not far from Arches. I really wanted to go, but that would have been another night and whole day in that same area, and we were already cutting it close to get back home for babysitting our Grandchild. Or, that could just be an excuse to go back to that area again someday!

Flowers along the way.

As we drove down 191 we stopped to spend the night in Monticello, Utah at a motel. In the morning we got up and headed southeast on 491, going through Dove Creek, Colorado, then getting onto 160 in Cortez heading east. We passed through Durango, where we stopped at a Walmart for some fruit and snacks, then continued east through Pagosa Springs, going through Wolf Creek Pass, stopping to take a picture of Treasure Falls. 

Treasure Falls!

Treasure Falls is at the western base of Wolf Creek Pass, it can be viewed from US Highway 160 northeast of Pagosa Springs. A trail leads to the falls, but when we were there, the hiking trail was closed at the time. I think it got washed out by the looks of it.

Up around the bend from Treasure Falls, I stopped to take these pictures before continuing on to Alamosa, and from there, to The Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Great Sand Dunes National Park!

We got to the park pretty late in the afternoon, I believe it was around 3:30, it was a long drive getting there from Monticello, Utah. The road out to the park was very long and desolate looking in places, then we started passing Potatoes, yes, potato fields as far as you can see, on both sides of the road. I never knew Colorado grow so many potatoes. 

Some fields were plowed and very dusty, others were bright green and thriving (with continuous watering) because it is so dry there. 

It was hot that day, I had on shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt, and yet, as you looked out around you, all the mountains had snow on them. Not being from the west, it was just unusual to me. Last time, two years ago when we were out west, it was late July, and I didn't see any snow on mountains like that. Beautiful sight though.

The Park itself isn't that big, but the dunes were great. You could spend all day climbing them if you wanted. The views from the top of the dunes were awesome, and the deep valley's in the dunes were pretty cool as well.


The park contains the tallest sand dunes in North America, some rising about 750 feet from the valley floor, covering about 19,000 acres . Researchers say that the dunes started forming less than 440,000 years ago.
The dunes were formed from sand and soil deposits of the Rio Grande and its tributaries, flowing through the San Luis Valley. Over the ages, westerly winds picked up sand particles from the river flood plain, and as the wind lost power before crossing the Sangre de Cristo Range, the sand was deposited on the east edge of the valley. This process continues, and the dunes are still growing slowly. The wind changes the shape of the dunes daily, and at times, it was windy enough for me to feel the effects of the blowing sand. I tried to capture it in some of the pictures.

There are several streams flowing on the perimeter of the dunes. The streams erode the edge of the dune field, and sand is carried downstream. The water disappears into the ground, depositing sand on the surface. Winds pick up the deposits of sand, and blow them up onto the dune field once again.


We were there for about two hours, took my usual pictures, hiked to the top of one of the tallest dunes there, then we headed out of the park up towards Colorado Springs to catch Interstate 70 east to make a stop in Kansas to see the Monument Rocks. 

Pike's Peak!

All aboard!

As we were driving we saw signs for the Pike's Peak train ride. You know what that meant! Yes, we had to go on the train and go to the top of Pike's Peak! So we got a nice motel in Colorado Springs that night, and in the morning, made our way over to Manitou Springs where you board the Cog Train. http://cograilway.com/ In case you want to look it up. We were lucky to get on, we didn't have a reservation and almost all seats were taken already. We had to sit in different aisles to get on, but hey, we wanted on! We didn't know at the time, they have a road built that goes all the way up. Had I known that, I probably would have gone that route, more adventurous you know! The road does not have any guard rails, and you are right there, if you know what I mean. I am sure it was much easier on the car not to do it. There would be a lot of wear on the brakes I would imagine! 


If you go on the train, I must make a suggestion, TRY TO GET A WINDOW SEAT. It was hard getting pictures with so many people in the way. You are not aloud in the Isles to take pictures, or for any reason for that matter. One of the reasons for this is that the train can stop in 3 seconds, yes three seconds, guess where you would go! And it actually happened on the way down. And it really was within 3 seconds. They said it was a computer glitch! True story! 


You may be thinking, what if there was a computer glitch and there were no breaks, not to worry, as they told us they have three backups, two on the train, and if they fail, they have two giant springs at the bottom to stop the train. Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs!  : >]

Monument Rocks in Kansas!

To get to the Monument Rocks in Lewis you get off Interstate70 onto 83. Once you are on 83 you go about 25 miles south, you will see a large sign for it on your right, there is a dirt road on your left, that's right, you have to go down dirt roads to get to it. Go 4 miles down that dirt road and at the T, turn right and go two more miles down that dirt road, and there you go, you found them. Now this is private property, and they do allow visitors, so be respectful of that, so others can enjoy them in the future also. Oh, and one more thing, watch out for the cows crossing the road, and slow down over the cattle grates!

Monument Rocks.

Monument Rocks.

Monument Rocks.

Monument Rocks.

That pretty much sums up our trip. I already posted the end of the trip in Missouri and home with all the pics from them.  

I hope you enjoyed our adventures and I hope you will continue to read my blog. Thank You, Mike!

Bryce, Zion and other points of Interest!

Off to Bryce Canyon!

We are off to Bryce Canyon after our first nights stay at the Cannonville KOA. Below is a collage of the campground. We stayed there two nights. The first night was our arrival night, the second one was to sleep after visiting Bryce Canyon. After going to Bryce Canyon, we also drove up Rt. 12 to Escalante, just for the scenic drive, as if Bryce wasn't enough!

Our guide, Cole!

The first thing we did when we arrived at Bryce was to drive to each viewpoint within the park. After taking loads of pictures, we then went to the stables (we had made a reservation for the half day horseback ride down into the canyon) to wait for our ride down the canyon. If you cannot hike, or if you don't want to hike, I would suggest the horseback ride down into the canyon. It is so different than viewing the canyon from the top. Both are spectacular! We went on the ride provided by the "Canyon Trail Rides" they are located in the park, look them up at www.canyonrides.com. They also serve Zion and the Grand Canyon (North Rim) Parks as well. Our guide for our ride was Cole. He looked young, who doesn't at our age, lol, but was very helpful with my wife, because of her disabilities, he had to help her on and off the horse each time, and at one point he had to lead her horse for quite some time, Thank You Cole, you where great!

The Amphitheater.

The geological structures at Bryce called hoodoos, were formed by wind, water, and ice erosion of the river and lake bed sedimentary rocks. So, technically Bryce is not a canyon. (A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river.) The red, orange, and white colors of the rocks provide awesome views. Bryce's elevation is higher than Zion National Park, the rim at Bryce varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet. The "Amphitheater"so it is called because of it's distinctive shape is just spectacular. At different view points and times of day, they change in color. Some points are best viewed early morning and some at sunset. The viewpoints are named accordingly, sunrise and sunset points!


You can stop in Bryce Canyon City and ride a shuttle for free. It stops at the different view points in the park. If you have the time I would suggest hiking the trails for the best possible experience, or as I said earlier, the horseback ride is great! 

The first video below is from the top of the Canyon at different viewpoints. The second one is from our horseback ride to the bottom.

  

Scenic Byway 12

 Running a length of 120 miles or more , Utah's Highway 12 Scenic Byway travels through some of the most diverse and beautiful landscapes in the country. Included in this, is the 1.7 million acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Scenic Byway 12 is one of two paved highways in the monument.


It was rated among the top ten Scenic Byways in America by Car and Driver magazine. Scenic Byway 12 is a unique route well worth traveling. It winds through slickrock canyons, red rock cliffs, pine and aspen forests, alpine mountains, national parks, state parks, a national monument, and quaint rural towns.


As I said we road from Cannonville, where we stayed while in the area, up through Henrieville, then on up to Escalante. We did not venture off of route 12, missing a lot a scenic attractions, but saw quite a bit from the highway. It is well worth the time to travel the whole road if one has the time, and to take some of the side roads as well.

Scenic Byway 12 between Cannonville and Escalante. Red Canyon I posted earlier is also on this route before Cannonville.

Zion National Park!

Interesting Pattern.

After that drive, we went back to the campground, did laundry, then went to sleep. The next day we packed up and headed to Zion National Park. I have to say, Zion is Completely different looking than the other parks we were at. The rock formations, and the patterns in the formations were one's I have never seen before. The horizontal lines, commonly called cross bedding, represent layers of wind-blown sand that built up into sand dunes. These dunes were then buried, and the sand grains glued together by calcite and iron oxide to form sandstone. Crossbedding can be seen in many place along the Zion Mt. Carmel Highway.

The vertical lines are less common. They are actually shallow cracks that result from stress and erosion on the rock surface. These cracks are probably caused by expansion and contraction, temperature changes, wetting and drying, or a combination of these processes.

Love the lines.

The only way once inside the Park you can go to the points of interest is by there free shuttle. The Park did this as a way to alleviate the congestion in the park and help preserve the natural resources from to much vehicular traffic. It worked out great for us, I really liked it. There was no waiting  to speak of between stops because they run buses every 10 minutes or so.

They have some great hiking there, I did part of the Narrows. On that hike you actually have to cross the river numerous times, so plan on getting wet above your waist, or even all the way, as I did, okay, I slipped and went under, lol! Man, was the water cold too!. It was a great and scenic hike. I also did one to the to The Emerald Pools from the Zion Lodge stop, to the next stop the Grotto. Awesome hikes! 

After enjoying the walks and hikes, picture taking, sight seeing and stopping at each point of interest, we returned to the car and left the park.

Cedar City, Utah!

Our next stop was Cedar City, Utah where we stayed in the Cedar City KOA for two nights. It was Stay on Friday, get Saturday free weekend, how could we pass that up. It was a very nice and relaxing stay there. We rented a few movies and watched them on Valarie's laptop and just chillaxed! 

Cedar City KOA. Very nice place.

Cedar City was a very nice, and quaint town, we enjoyed the stay there very much. We went out to eat at Sizzler down the road for the salad bar, went to Walmart and did our laundry again before heading out Sunday morning.

We kind of backtracked to the North heading up Interstate 15 again, getting on Interstate 70 eastbound to go to the Arches.

San Rafael Reef-Spotted wolf Canyon-Devils Canyon-Ghost Rock Summit. Interstate 70

The San Rafael Reef is in Emery County in central Utah, is a part of the Colorado Plateau. Approximately 75 miles long, it is the name given to the distinctive eastern edge of the San Rafael Swell, composed primarily of steeply tilted layers of Navajo and Wingate Sandstone. It has been eroded into tall fins, domes, cliffs, and deep canyons.

The San Rafael River, Interstate 70, and Muddy Creek all cut through the San Rafael Reef. There are also numerous slot canyons that twist their way through the flanks of the San Rafael Reef, among them Crack Canyon, Chute Canyon and Straight Wash. These spectacularly beautiful canyons are often less than a few feet wide and can be hundreds of feet deep.

Interstate 70 ascends the western edge of the swell on a steady slope loosely following the north rim of Devils Canyon. At the top of the grade is a view area with a view of Devils Canyon and an overlook of the country west of the swell. It then crosses Eagle Canyon via a pair of steel arch bridges. The eastbound bridge is 489 feet long and the westbound bridge is 523 feet long.

The highway then ascends Ghost Rock Summit, the highest point for I-70 inside the swell. At the summit is another view area overlooking the Little Grand Canyon of the San Rafael River. The summit is named for unusual rock formations nearby. The Ghost Rocks themselves are at 7,405 feet , although the freeway is slightly lower. I-70 meanders through a relatively flat portion of the swell until reaching Spotted Wolf Canyon, which provides the exit route to the swell. 

Grand Tetons National Park to Cannonville, Utah!

After getting showered and packed back up, we headed to the Grand Tetons National Park. The views of the lakes with the shadows of the mountains are just amazing.

Grand Teton National Park is named for Grand Teton, the tallest mountain in the Teton Range. The naming of the mountains is attributed to early 19th-century French speaking trappers—"les trois tetons" (the three breasts) and was later shortened to Tetons.

Grand Teton National Park is in northwestern Wyoming. It is approximately 310,000 acres in size. The park includes the major peaks of the 40-mile long Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. 

It is only 10 miles south of Yellowstone National Park, and the two parks are connected by the National Park Service managed, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway. The three protected areas in conjunction with surrounding National Forests make up the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which at almost 18,000,000 acres, is one of the largest intact mid-latitude temperate ecosystems in the world.

Human history of the Grand Teton region dates back to at least 11,000 years, when the first nomadic hunter-gatherer Paleo-Indians would migrate into the region during warmer months in pursuit of food and supplies. 

In the early 19th century, the first Caucasian explorers encountered the eastern Shoshone natives. The first permanent white settlers in Jackson Hole arrived in the 1880s. Efforts to preserve the region as a national park commenced in the late 19th century and by 1929, Grand Teton National Park had been established, protecting the major peaks of the Teton Range. The valley of Jackson Hole remained in private ownership until the 1930s, when conservationists led by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. began purchasing land in Jackson Hole to be added to the existing national park. 

There are many outdoor recreation activities to choose from at Grand Teton National Park. During the summer you can hike, walk, view wildlife, take photographs, backpack, camp, climb, fish, swim, boat, float, canoe and bike. In winter skiing and snowshoeing are popular activities.


Some activities (such as overnight backpacking, boating, floating, canoeing, fishing and snowmobiling) require fees, permits, licenses or registration. Special regulations may also apply, so take the time to become informed at any visitor center or ranger station.

After wondering through the Grand Tetons National Park we headed south, back out of Jackson towards  our next destination in mind, Bryce Canyon.

Along they way, we went through some small towns and past some awfully nice scenery as well, so I took more pictures!

Coming out of Wyoming on highway 89, we again went through Idaho, then back out, stopping at our next stop along the way, the KOA in Garden City Utah, just across the border from Idaho.

As we left the KOA in the morning, I stopped to take pictures of Bear Lake as we climbed the mountain on our way once again to Bryce Canyon.

Bear Lake is a natural freshwater lake on the Idaho, Utah border. It is the second largest natural freshwater lake in Utah and has been called the Caribbean of the Rockies because of its unique turquoise blue color, the result of suspended limestone deposits in the water. Its water properties have led to the evolution of several unique species that live naturally only within the lake. Bear Lake is over 250,000 years old., it was formed by fault subsidence that continues today slowly deepening the lake along the eastern side.

The first known inhabitants of the Bear Lake Valley were Shoshone tribes, but it was also known to many other Native Americans. The first record of whites seeing the lake is from 1818 when French-Canadian trappers working for the North West Company followed the Bear River upstream to the valley. Later, between 1825 and 1840, many mountain men, including Jedediah Smith and Jim Bridger, met on the south shore with Native Americans to swap goods and stories.

From the Garden City KOA we got on I-15 south to Rt. 20, then to Rt. 89 again, into Panguitch, where I found these roadside attractions in peoples front yards, jeepers creepers, where did you get those peepers!

Just before we got to the KOA in Cannonville, Utah not to far outside of Bryce Canyon, we went through an area called Red Canyon on highway 12.

Highway 12 approaches Bryce Canyon National Park from the west via Red Canyon, a shallow valley in the side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau surrounded by much exposed, orange red sandstone. The rocks are eroded into the familiar pinnacles, spires, columns and hoodoos also found in the national park a few miles to the east. Only on a smaller scale and with less color variation. And although the main road is quite busy, most visitors hurry on to Bryce without stopping.

The formations go along Rt.12 for about 4 miles, at the edge of the plateau then fading away as the road reaches the flat grasslands, and extend several miles north, including two other valleys, the Losee Canyon and Casto Canyon,  all within the Dixie National Forest.

Montana to Jackson, Wyoming!

We arrived at the KOA in Missoula Montana for the night. After spending the night in a cabin, we got up the next morning, did our laundry and had a conversation with one of the workers there. He was very nice and very informative, we discussed other campgrounds and places visited and places to visit. The campground was very pleasant and clean, we would definitely stay there again.

Missoula KOA.

After getting our things together we then drove on to Bozeman to visit my wife's niece. We stayed at the Bozeman KOA in one of there cabins. The campground was a little smaller than most KOA we stayed at, but it was a very nice campground with clean facilaties. Don't ask me why, I guess I was being stupid at the time, but I didn't take any pictures of our visit with her or her family. I didn't even think about it at the time. For that I am a little upset with myself.

Bozeman KOA.

On our way out of Montana, we entered West Yellowstone, we were going to go through Yellowstone on our way to the Teton's, but we were told the road was closed going to the Teton's, so we went the long about way through Idaho, but we needed to go to Idaho Falls for the GPS anyway. Here are a few pics of West Yellowstone. We went through Yellowstone two years ago, but never went to the Teton's.

As we were driving towards Idaho Falls to get our GPS fixed, I thought to myself, hey, you didn't take any pictures of our visit with Valarie's niece. Slap me in the face!

We went to Best Buy in Idaho Falls where they replaced our GPS because the geek squad didn't have any Idea what was wrong with it. It stopped working in California. On our way we stopped in St. Anthony to see the Dunes there.

Sand Dunes In Idaho!

The St. Anthony Sand Dunes consists of more than 11,000 acres of clear, shifting, white quartz sand dunes up to 400 feet high that move about eight feet each year. They are unique in that the dunes support a high amount of exceptional off-road vehicle use on open dunes inside a wilderness study area, attracting riders from all over the West. Primitive campsites are available on the East end of the dunes along the Red Road. A 48 unit campground is located at Egin Lakes Access Recreation Site, located on the south-central portion of the dune camping. Seasonal closures are in effect for most of the sand dunes during the wintertime to no human entry for wintering wildlife. Located 8 miles W. of St. Anthony. Just off Rt. 20 heading towards Idaho Falls. 

Now, these sand dunes were okay, but nothing like the one's in White Sands or Oregon, nor the upcoming ones in Colorado, yes they have dunes in Colorado also. I would rate them as 1. White Sands  2. Colorado   3. Oregon Dunes  4. The dunes in Death Valley  5. Idaho. Now that's my story and I'm sticking to it! I rated them by appearance, not by sports activities such as driving on or over them, I'm all about the hike and the pictures! But they may actually be nicer than I think, because I didn't get out of the car but a few times, I didn't get a chance to hike on them, so maybe someday I will re-rate them. I would love to, lol!

Here are some more pictures, Unless I got confused, which I sometimes do, they should all be from our drive through Idaho, but not in any particular order in which they were taken, lol! Now some of them have the Teton's in them, and yes, they were actually taken from Idaho. They say there are two sides to everything, both sides don't have to be in the same place though!

It was a long drive from Idaho Falls back into Wyoming to get to Jackson, but we made it. We got a cabin at the Jackson KOA. It was right on the river. The cabin faced the river so you could sit on the porch swing and watch the river. They also had steps that went down to the river with benches down there to sit.

Cabin by the river.

Nice clean private shower-restrooms.

Washington State!

 Mount St. Helens

Our trip continued as we made our way To Mount St. Helens. We got off of I-5 at exit 49 onto the 504 Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. It takes you into the Park all the way up to Johnston Ridge Observatory. It was a beautiful ride in, lots of scenic stops, waterfalls, river views, wild life and five different visitor centers.  

The May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and subsequent lahars poured vast amounts of sediment into the Toutle.


The Toutle River is a river that rises in two forks on the flanks of Mount St. Helens and joins the Cowlitz River near Castle Rock, which was formerly navigable. 


The US Army Corps of Engineers dredged 85 million m³ (110 million yd³) of sediment from the river and built the $65 million Sediment Retention Structure on the North Fork of the Toutle to keep it clear in the future. Part of the same engineering works is a tunnel to drain Spirit Lake whose natural outlet was blocked by the eruption.

The Spirit Lake Memorial Highway is 54 miles long and takes about 1-2 hours to drive, or more if you like taking pictures as I do!

The Spirit Lake Memorial Highway takes you through land shattered by Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980. Because the valley floor is now so unstable, the highway is cut into the tops of the hillside and offers sweeping views of the surrounding area. The highway concludes at Mount St. Helens National Monument with the dramatic spectacle of Mount St. Helens gaping crater.

Early in the century Spirit Lake Memorial Highway began as an uneven wagon track. In the 1930s the road was paved and ended at the pristine, serene Spirit Lake, the highway’s namesake. The life-changing eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980 annihilated the upper half of the road and mudflows devastated miles of the lower portion. The highway was rebuilt and reopened in 1992. Despite the highway’s name, the road now ends high on Johnston Ridge before you have a chance to get a good look at Spirit Lake, but allowing a view of the volcano itself.

This scenic byway is truly a memorial to its surroundings. You will not lack for sights and activities to keep you busy at the five visitor centers that line the highway. Each center covers different aspects of Mount St. Helens eruption, from the events that led up to the blast to the recovery of trees and animals. The spectacular, sometimes stricken landscape surrounding the highway reminds you of the raw energy the earth can unleash.

At 8:32 Sunday Morning, May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helen's Erupted.
Shaken by an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, the north face of this tall symmetrical mountain collapsed in a massive rock debris avalanche. In a few moments this slab of rock and ice slammed into Spirit Lake, crossed a ridge 1,300 feet high, and roared 14 miles down the Toutle River.

The avalanche rapidly released pressurized gases within the volcano. A tremendous lateral explosion ripped through the avalanche and developed into a turbulent, stone-filled wind that swept over ridges and toppled trees. Nearly 150 square miles of forest was blown over or left dead and standing.

At the same time a mushroom-shaped column of ash rose thousands of feet skyward and drifted downwind, turning day into night as dark, gray ash fell over eastern Washington and beyond. Wet, cement-like slurries of rock and mud scoured all sides of the volcano. Searing flows of pumice poured from the crater. The eruption lasted 9 hours, but Mount St. Helens and the surrounding landscape were dramatically changed within moments.

A vast, gray landscape lay where once the forested slopes of Mount St. Helens grew. In 1982 the President and Congress created the 110,000-acre National Volcanic Monument for research, recreation, and education. Inside the Monument, the environment is left to respond naturally to the disturbance.

Surviving plants and animals rise out of the ash, colonizing plants catch hold of the earth, birds and animals find a niche in a different forest on the slopes of Mount St. Helens.

The volcano continued to erupt until 1986, violently at first, then quietly building a lava dome. Thick pasty lava eruptions oozed out, each one piling on top of the next, like pancakes in a sloppy pile. The lava dome is now 920 feet high. The United States Geological Survey scientists continue to monitor the volcano for earthquakes, swelling, and gas emissions.

Numerous viewpoints and miles of trails have been created for you to explore by car and foot. During the summer Forest Service interpreters lead a wide range of activities, from short walks to amphitheater presentations, to help you understand and enjoy this area. Discover the wonder of winter around Mount St. Helens, where many cross-country ski and snowmobile trails are available.

Each year thousands of climbers make the journey to the crater rim. Permits are required above 4,800 feet year-round.

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park-Smith River! Onto Oregon!

    

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is a state park located along U.S. Route 199 approximately 9 miles east of Crescent City, California. The park consists of about 9,500 acres. The park is named after explorer Jedediah Smith and is one of three state parks cooperatively managed as part of Redwood National and State Parks.

Established in 1929, this predominately old growth coast redwoods park is bisected by the last free flowing river in California, the Smith River.

Bright orange topped mushrooms.

Almost all the park land is a water shed for the Smith River and Mill Creek, a major tributary. The park has about 20 miles of hiking and nature trails, river access, a visitors center with exhibits and a nature store. Drive Howland Hill Road ( gravel, not recommended for trailers) and stroll in the Stout Grove.

We did not get out of the car that much, my wife was nervous there. To secluded for her liking. It was very beautiful there, I just love the moss, the redwoods, the ferns and the river and streams. Would love to have done some hiking, that's where you find all the hidden treasures!

This pretty much sums up our California part of our trip. Now we are off to Oregon!

     
We started our trip of Oregon inland somewhat, coming from Jedediah Smith State Park we continued on 199 up to Grants Pass.

Grants Pass is a city in, and the county seat of Josephine County, Oregon. The city is located on I-5, northwest of Medford. Attractions include the Rogue River, famous for it's rafting, and the nearby Oregon Caves National Monument, located 30 miles south of the city.

While on I-5 driving, we where debating whether to continue on I-5 up to Mount Saint Helen's, our next stop, or to go back to the coast to visit the Oregon Dunes National Recreation area. We decided to go to the dunes, so we took some back roads cutting across to Coos Bay, where we spent the night in a motel.

Coos Bay is a city located in Coos County where the Coos River enters Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean. Prior to Europeans first visiting the Oregon coast, Native American tribes claimed the Coos Bay region as their homeland for thousands of years.Members of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw and Coquille tribes lived, fished, hunted and gathered there.

Approximately 400 years ago, British and Spanish explorers first approached the South Coast. In 1579 Sir Francis Drake is purported to have sought shelter for his ship, the Golden Hinde, around Cape Arago. Trader and explorer Jedediah Smith was in the region seeking furs.

The earliest settlement of European Americans in the area was in January 1852 when survivors of the Captain Lincoln shipwreck established Camp Castaway until they and their cargo could be fully rescued. There has been a permanent settlement on Coos Bay since 1853, when the town of Marshfield was founded there and named after the Massachusetts hometown of its founder, J. C. Tolman.

On February 4, 1999, a Japanese ship named the New Carissa ran aground on a beach 2.7 miles (4.3 km) north of the entrance to Coos Bay, drawing international attention to the town. The New Carissa was empty at the time, heading for the Port of Coos Bay to pick up a cargo of wood chips. When the captain was told that the weather was too poor for the ship to enter port, he anchored his ship close by. The crew put out only one anchor, and it appears that this was probably on too short a chain to be effective. The subsequent US Coast Guard investigation found several other aspects of the ship's company's handling of the situation to have been poor, leading to the conclusion that human error caused the grounding. 70,000 US gallons of fuel oil were spilt by the vessel, with a further 165,000 to 255,000 gallons being deliberately set alight and burnt off by salvors later. The stern of the ship remains on the beach, the bow was towed out to sea and sunk after structural damage caused by the fire split the ship in two. 

The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area!

The next morning we got up and started back up the 101 north to the Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area. It was rainy, windy and chilly most of the way through the dunes area, I sure missed the deserts we went through earlier in the trip, lol!


The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is located on the Oregon Coast, stretching approximately 40 miles north from the Coos River in North Bend, to the Siuslaw River, in Florence. The National Recreation Area is part of Siuslaw National Forest and is administered by the United States Forest Service. The dunes adjoin Honeyman State Park.

The Oregon Dunes are a unique area of windswept sand that is the result of millions of years of wind, sun, and rain erosion on the Oregon Coast. These are the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America. Some dunes tower up to 500 feet above sea level, providing numerous recreational opportunities including off-road vehicle use, hiking, photography, fishing, canoeing, horseback riding, and camping. The Carter Dunes Trail and Oregon Dunes Day Use provide disabled access for forest visitors.

Northern California!

Trees of Mystery!

     The Trees of Mystery is a privately owned roadside attraction in Klamath, California. It is located off of US Highway 101 on private land surrounded by Redwood National and State Parks. The property contains a number of unique tree formations, hence its name.

Trees of Mystery is best known for the 49-foot-tall statue of Paul Bunyan and the 35-foot-tall Babe the Blue Ox. Both  are visible from the highway. Constructed largely of wooden beams, chicken wire and stucco. The current Babe was built in 1950 and the current Bunyan was built in 1961. The original Bunyan was built in 1946, but was destroyed by rain that winter. In late 2007 the 1000-pound, 9-foot-wide, head of Babe fell to the ground as a result of rotting materials damaged from rain. The head has since been replaced.

It also features the End of the Trail Museum, a large private collection of Native American art, crafts and tools. In 2001 an aerial tramway was installed called the Sky Trail. It takes you to an observation deck where you can enjoy a view of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding forest. And of course we took the Sky Trail ride to the top, and what a view it was. To get to the ride you have to walk through the Trees of Mystery part of it. I enjoyed the hike, and the views of all the unique trees, overall, it was worth the stop. If you are in the area, stop in! 

Going through Napa and the Redwoods!

     After a great day at Yosemite, we headed back toward the northwest coast of California so we could go through the redwoods. Our first stop for the night was in Garberville. Before we stopped there we actually past through Leggett, California, and of course we had to drive through the Chandilier Tree since we were there. There really isn't much to it, you pay a small fee, then you drive down to the tree and  go through it. It is something to do to say I drove through one of the redwoods. it is amazing how they can carve out such a big portion of the tree and it still survive. The Chandelier Tree is only one of the three remaining tree's you can drive through. We also drove through the Shrine Tree later in the trip, it is like $5.00 or $6.00 to drive through, it is worth it if you are in the area just to do it. Bragging rights, I guess, lol!

The Chandelier

The sign, lol!

The Chandelier

The Chandelier

The cutaway.

Valarie driving through.

Valarie driving through.

The growth on the tree.

Stretch!

Don't look so excited!

Lake by the tree.

Valarie getting to the root of things?

My roots?

Which way to go, humm!

      The Shrine Tree Below. The Shrine Tree is in Myers Flat, California, not as impressive as the Chandelier. It is being held up by cables and looks half dead. The Chandelier still looks great and was doing well when we were there.

Yes, I'm home! Do I looked stumped? Get it, STUMPED!

     Like I said, we spent the night in Garberville. It was a small town with some quaint little shops. A lot of tourist pass through here, and a lot of hikers. There are quite a few trails around that area.

Organic Cafe, sweet!

Organic health food store in Garberville.

Pizza anyone?

Or maybe a movie?

Anyone seen Robin?

Our motel for the night!

Breakfast anyone?

     After we left Garberville we went down the Avenue of the Giants. It goes through the parts of the Redwoods on the way up north and follows alongside The 101. It is the old Hwy. 101.

I think I'm on the Avenue of the Giants. Does anyone know for sure?

Map of the Avenue of the Giants in Garberville.

       

Gateway to the Redwoods. And the Skunk Train.

     

     What is the Skunk Train you say? It started in the late 1885 as a logging railroad, the Skunk Train began carrying passengers a few years later. It didn't get its nickname until 1925. That year small self-powered trains started traveling on the tracks. The combined fumes from their gas engines and the coal stoves that kept passengers warm were so pungent that locals often commented: "You can smell 'em before you can see 'em." It wasn't until recent years that the name was changed officially from the California Western Railroad to the Skunk Train.

       The Skunk Train runs from downtown Fort Bragg and Willits, carrying tourists while it also serves the people who live or vacation in the parts of the Redwood Forest it goes through. To find more info on it just google it if you are a train lover. We did not know what it was at the time or we would probably have ridden it just for the heck of it. I would have loved to have seen more of the Redwoods. There were a lots of things we missed seeing, but we only had a month to make our trip. So many places, so little time. If only........well, you get it! That's all for now. Hope to have you back!