Redwoods and Fern Canyon

After traveling through gorgeous wine country and more of beautiful California, we made it to Redwoods State Park and found thee most picturesque camp site.  It was so beautiful and if I could camp in a beautiful meadow under giant redwoods with fern and moss covering everything, I would camp every weekend.  It was all so beautiful and cool and lovely. There was a little stream nearby and nice bathrooms and tons of elk in a giant meadow near our camp.  It was a dream.

After another successful and quick camp set up (we were pros by this point), we headed out to discover Fern Canyon.  Supposedly Jurassic Park was filmed there.  It was glorious and so beautiful and a little surreal.  It is literally a small canyon COVERED in ferns.  There are wooden bridges that wind through the canyon over trickling streams.  I took about a bazillion and seven pictures.  And again, I don't think I fully captured the essence.  Plus I almost had a heart attack, because the offspring glory out of making me almost have heart attacks by climbing up spike-covered logs that rise straight up to cliffs.  And they jump and climb and Q runs and never stops and I get afraid he will meet his death at some unknown and dangerous point up the path.  Sheesh.  Being a mother is very hard, stressful, worry-filled work.

After Fern Canyon we had a gourmet dinner of hot dogs, corn dogs and fruit cups.  We were resourceful and used our corn dog sticks to roast marshmallows.

The next morning, we woke up, broke camp, repacked the van with masterful precision (I love packing the van with masterful precision) and continued on our way.  We packed 1 tent, 6 sleeping bags, 1 blow-up mattress, 7 duffle bags, 1 toiletry backpack, 1 shoe suitcase, 6 pillows, 3 sets of sheets, 12 towels, a plethora of sand toys, 1 camp stove, and a bunch of fly fishing gear.  I still can't believe we fit it all in.  On our way to the Oregon border, we took one last picture with a very large redwood in our campsite...just to remember the hugeness.