Redwoods are enormous–there’s no denying that. The Giant Sequoia is the biggest by volume, but the Redwood is the world’s tallest tree by height. The Redwood National Parks are managed by both the National Park Service and California State Parks. Marla and I ventured into a grove off of Howland Hill Road in Jedidiah Smith State Park and were rewarded with some jaw-dropping views.
After we left the California coast, we headed north to see our friend Vicky Giffin who now lives in Ashland, Oregon. She greeted us with open arms, and an empty washing machine and dishwasher for our clothes and dishes (respectively) which we very much appreciated.
Ashland, Oregon, is the home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which is how Vicky and her husband Peter, discovered the area. Peter has performed in many plays over the years and the two of them have become well-assimilated into the community since they moved there. It was so wonderful to have the opportunity to see Vicky’s neighborhood and home and meet some of her friends.
After we left Vicky’s we stopped at Oregon’s one national Park, Crater Lake to see what it was all about. Crater Lake was created from the eruption of Mount Mazama about 7,500 years ago and it is filled every year by an average of 44′ of snowmelt. I think this lake might be the bluest lake I have ever seen.
Finally, we reached out and touched the Pacific Ocean on the Southern Oregon Coast at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park. We have mostly avoided lighthouses after our friends Karen and Dan tortured us with about 8 lighthouse tours in one day when we were visiting the Outer Banks of North Carolina about 20 years ago. But to camp close to the ocean, we made an exception.
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