After a pleasant breakfast we headed back north to the Trees of Mystery park that is 19 miles miles south of Klamath. The road was completely enveloped in mist, and driving was somewhat challenging. By the entrance we were greeted by a huge statue of Paul Bunyan and his ox Babe. The park allows for close encounters with some of the world’s largest trees. It was a somber, majestic and, yes, mystic place. The gondola ride was a scary affair for someone who is afraid of heights (me) but I survived. Mists obscured the valleys below, but we still enjoyed the view.
Next stop was the Fern Canyon. The mist dissipated, it grew very warm and sunny. Warning to all of my friends who would want to visit this uniquely beautiful place: you need a hardy SUV, take a picnic and be prepared for a tough 5-19 miles hike to really enjoy this park! I drove my little Corolla – and my heart bled over each bump on the gravel road (8 miles!), each brook we waded, each sharp turn on the steep serpentine drive… From the parking lot on the beach - it is a pleasant 0,5 miles walk to the bottom of the canyon, and then one wants to venture up the stream. This was out of question for my parents who are over 80 – and we were getting quite hungry! Still, we followed the stream up for about half a mile more, and each turn brought another gasp of surprise and awe.
25 more miles and we arrived to charming Trinidad, that sits on the very edge of the bay and commands fantastic views of the Pacific ocean. We had lunch at the Seascape restaurant that is lodged directly by the fishermen’s peer, where we could see sea lions and grey pelicans! The food was great and very inexpensive… Portions generous!
When we returned to Eureka, the town looked very different in the sunshine – much friendlier and warmer! We crisscrossed their tiny downtown and enjoyed the quiet streets with Victorian-era buildings. Too bad their museum works only Wednesdays through Saturdays…
http://www.treesofmystery.net
No comments:
Post a Comment