As I woke this morning the overnight rain had moved north and the warm sun  signaled that I had moved south. Today’s journey was short – just 108 miles if you follow the highway – but I took my time and followed some scenic routes through Redwoods National Park to get to Eureka, California.

The cool Pacific water that flows along the coast here results in frequent fog that is perfect for the Giant Redwoods and the air was misty almost all of the way. While this spoiled some photo opportunities it provided an ethereal quality that made others more distinctive. The weather may have been less than perfect for my coastal journey but I can consider myself lucky compared to the couple who, today, told me that they did the same journey a few years ago and suffered 11 consecutive days of rain.

Driving through the Redwood forest was uplifting and knowing that it would take a millennium to regrow if these trees had not been saved from clear-cutting in the early 20th century emphasized to me the value of preservation and the horror of what is occurring in Palmyra right now. The day included some great Pacific views, the grandeur of the Redwoods and the pleasure of seeing elk in the wild. With relatively little time spent in the car I will remember it as relaxing and different.

The Internet connection at my hotel is so poor that it took 10 hours to upload the video to YouTube but, finally, the map and video are here.

Here are a couple of the ethereal views of the Pacific coast that I enjoyed (even though they look similar they were taken over 10 miles apart).This is “Big Tree” in Redwoods National Park. It is estimated to be 1,500 years old,  the trunk is almost 22 feet in diameter at the baseand it rises to a height of 304 feet.
I took a short hike to a small waterfall in the park but the elk were much more interesting even though they were some way from the trail.