Hiking the Redwoods

Kristin and Torey took us to Fern Canyon in the Redwood National Forrest for our first day in town. It was incredible. There was water trickling down dirt walls which held thousands of fern's roots. We had to hike over huge logs that acted like bridges so we didn't get wet by the stream that empties out into the nearby ocean. There were elk on the beach grazing.

And I forgot to bring my camera battery!! :(

Day 2: Take 2, with camera battery. :)

Hey...wait up Kristin and Torey!

These woods are located right behind Humboldt State. Arcata has almost 800 acres of Community Forest, which is basically like an outdoor lab for those at school to study biological sciences.

This fat banana slug looks like a happy camper! Torey said if I touch it the slime won't just come off with soap and water. This was a souvenir I did not want to take home...

You can find art around every corner (or tree) in Arcata!

It is amazing that you can go from hiking in the woods to the beach within a few minutes.

Kristin's dream beach house.

Thanks for the lovely vacation Brauns!! We are already planning our return trip.

Eureka!

The Braun's took us on several driving tours of the area. The Carson Mansion, located in Eureka, is one of the most photographed Victorian houses in the United States. William Carson built this house in 1884. He originally moved to the area in hopes of discovering gold, but instead found a fortune in Redwood. http://ingomar.org/history-carson.html

The "Pink Lady" is directly across the street from the Carson Mansion. It was built by William Carson as well, as a wedding present for his son.  I wonder how his wife felt about living across the street from his parents!

We gained a little more insight into Arcata when we were witness to the Kinetic Grand Championship, a 3-day, 42-mile triathalon in art sculptures, which has been taking place since 1969. http://kineticgrandchampionship.com/about_the_race.php

It wasn't enough to watch 24 hour a day footage on TV from previous years . We really had to see it in person.

Ave. of the Giants

The Avenue of the Giants is a scenic drive that parallels the 101. We stopped several times to do mini hikes, exploring the Redwoods along the way. It is humbling to be surrounded by trees of such stature.

Redwood Road Trip

Fred and I trekked 14 hours up to Northern California for Memorial day weekend. I just couldn't imagine having a long weekend without making the most out of it! My aunt and uncle live in McKinnleyville, just north of Arcata where Humboldt State is. We have not visited since they moved so we took advantage of the invitation, even if we did invite ourselves!

The drive is beautiful. The picture above is me driving through Chandelier Tree. It is 315 feet tall, 2,400 years old, and a total ripoff! We paid 5$ to drive though it, not realizing that this was all it was. At least we supported the local economy. :)

Even though we never left California it felt like we were in a different state. I am not used to experiencing Americana so close to home! The guy at the counter reading the paper unbuckled his suspenders when he sat down to order his usual meal.

This veggie club sandwich and potato salad was delicious. I can see why they have so many regulars! I look forward to our next trip up North, and our return to Garberville, CA.

Nancy gets married!

My cousin Nancy and her husband Vinny tied the knot at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles. http://www.olacathedral.org/  I have been to this cathedral once before and was in awe of its beauty and vastness. I could not believe that I my cousin was going to have her wedding in this cathedral!

It was a beautiful ceremony. My other cousins, Emma and Leah, are in dark purple dresses to the left.

The cake was really good but the only piece I got was smeared onto my hand by Vinny...just look at his mischievous face!

I am not close to my cousin but everyone asked if we were sisters. Not only do we look alike, have many interests in common, have the same eyeglass precription, but also our personalities are similar. People at the wedding just couldn't get over it. Now that my cousin and I had a chance to reconnect, we are definitley going to stay in contact. My cousin Nancy is GREAT!

Ummmm...Freddy and Vinny felt got along very well too.

Well, we didn't get home to 3a.m. and had way too much to drink but overall had a perfect night.  Congratulations Nancy and Vinny!!

Hike in De Luz

This was the first time I took Fred on a hike in De Luz that I have probably done 100 time growing up. It can only be done in Spring, when there is running water and warmer air temperatures.  It definitely brought back memories; I used the exact same route (the exact same rocks) that I have used so many times before. I am quick, and whenever Fred didn't follow me exactly, or when I accidentally got too far ahead, I had to wait awhile!  

Certain parts of the hike are pretty technical. Can you believe my sisters and friends would do this in elementary school...and no broken bones!?

Hmmm...this wasn't here before! There were actually two cars along the route. All I can do is hope they got washed down in a storm, versus plummeting off the cliff above.

We reached the fun part of the hike! There are a two fairly large pools to go swimming in at the end of the 'trail'. Fred took advantage of the waterfall, even though the water was pretty cold.

Santa Rosa Plateau

Fred and I are definitely taking advantage of living at my dad's. We try to go hiking every weekend. The Santa Rosa Plateau is an ecological preserve about a mile from my house. It protects 8,300 acres and I grew up tromping around this area (it was not protected from me!).

We made a friend.