Happy Place

We decided to take a trip to the Redwoods...Anyone with a large family knows how road trips can go. But we still love them.

This was a quick trip, but an eventful one nonetheless.

We have been here before and my children have all loved it. Though, by the end of the trip, they were tired of seeing trees. Yet we came again. And as soon as we're driving under the green canopies, they're in awe. The RICH green colors, the size and majesty of the trees, the sound of the ocean and the damp, misty air...this is my happy place. And for a short time, it is theirs also. This too makes me happy.

We drove through the Avenue of Giants, stopped at almost every beach that was accessible. We stopped to see the magnificent groves of Redwoods, the beautiful and amazing Fern Canyon. We rode through the famous sand dunes, created over many years by drifting sand. We hiked down to Agate Beach and gathered driftwood while the kids tested the cool waters. We stopped all along the way for many photo opps and even walked the trunk of a fallen Redwood that hovered 10 feet above ground. We stopped for lunch at the cutest little cafe along the river...We stood in the empty charred trunks of Redwoods struck by lightning.  We even experienced a stroke of luck, somehow avoiding poison ivy, while climbing and scaling the fallen trees. We drove through the 2400 yr old Chandelier Tree...THAT was a tight squeeze. We saw and heard the sea lions that make their home close to the Umpqua Lighthouse, just north of Florence. Their caves are deep beneath the cliff. We crossed many bridges...I love bridges. We hiked sea stacks that gave us a birds' eye view of the ocean and all of the beauty along the coast.

There's a kind of gray, quiet calm at these northern beaches...but the green here is so vibrant. They are a perfect match and I love it!

These are the memories that stay...