Redwoods and Oregon

Day 9: Redwoods

Dad and I were up and on the road early since we had a half a day to make up! We wanted to cover the Redwoods State and National Parks plus make it into Oregon! So off we went on our part of the road trip (my mom made it safely back to the east coast today).

Our first stop was Humbolt Redwoods State Park. We got off of HWY 101 to take the 32 mile Avenue of the Giants. And we were not disappointed. The redwoods were huge trees that I can't even begin to describe! They grow in large groves throughout the park. 

The root systems on the trees that had fallen over amazed me! They were huge. At the visitors center they had a cross section of a tree that had fallen down in 2006 with markers to events that had happened at each growth ring on the tree. This tree was estimated to be over 1,500 years old.

Today I also crossed into Oregon! This is state #49 for me on my quest for all 50! I tried to get a picture of the welcome to Oregon sign, but we were in a moving car and I failed. We stayed the night just south of Bandon, OR in a KOA Kabin. Basically it was a full bed, a heater, and a bunk bed. It was a cozy little cabin that we spread our sleeping bags out in for almost 12 hours of sleep...we were exhausted!

Day 10: Oregon Coast

Today started off with breakfast at a cute little cafe in Bandon, OR with wonderful coffee and biscuits and gravy! Then I tried to visit the Washed Ashore workshop and warehouse, but they were only opened from 1-5 so that wasn't an option. For those of you who have never heard of Washed Ashore, they make art out of trash found on the beach! You can check them out by clicking here. I did manage to find a fish made out of plastic, aluminum cans and Styrofoam.

After Bandon we headed up the coast to check out the Sand Dunes of Oregon! They were awesome! They have ATV and safari tours that you can ride up and down the dunes if that is your thing. We chose to just walk out on them (it is legal here...no nesting Sea Turtles)! They went on for miles and miles! 

Afterwards we continued to head north. We stopped to see a light house just south of Neptune Beach State Park. Where we also did some beach-combing (the tide was coming in so it wasn't great...but still a little) where I found a by-the-wind jellyfish! I'm holding the little jelly on top of the rock here. He was just bigger than my finger. 

Then we stopped at Neptune for a picnic! By this point we were back to rocky coastline with sandy beaches sprinkled in between. We stopped in Newport to see the fishing town, and found some California Sea lions who had taken over more of the piers. Our last stop was in Depoe Bay, the smallest harbor in the world. They have to time the entrance into the harbor with the waves and basically surf! Today was super windy so I don't think any boats were making their way in or out. 

We ended our Earth Day with a beautiful sunset at Road End State Park. I believe it may be the last day we see the sun for a while, it is supposed to rain the next couple of days! We are staying at another KOA Kabin tonight...just outside of Lincoln City, OR.