April 2018

As my time in Santa Barbara was wrapping up, I headed out on a scout trip up north to see where I would land for my two month adventure with the Redwoods. 

My love of hot springs gave me a slight detour to Umpqua Forrest for a soak before heading out to the coast to check out the northern most Redwoods outside of Brookings as well as the oldest Myrtle Tree in Gold Beach.  

And I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go see the beautiful Tokeetee Falls while I was there...

As I headed west to the coast, I came upon Gold Beach, a sweet small Oregon town.  After the morning soak and driving for hours I was too tired to continue south and decided to spend the night in Gold Beach.  And I'm glad I did because when I stopped at the Rod n Reel for dinner, the friendly server ended up telling me about the largest Myrtle Tree trail and how it was just up the road outside of Gold Beach.  The next morning, I drove up the windy road and over the bridge to hike the fairyland trail to the Myrtle.  

The tree is, according to when the sign was made, 88 feet tall and 42 feet in circumference.  She had a huge hollowed out base from fires which could fit about 6 people inside. One of the entrances inside her was shaped like a heart.   

Continued South to Brookings, OR and the Alfred A. Loeb State Park with a beautiful river and more Myrtle trees...

Think this spot will be great place to camp for part of the trip.  Nearby up long dirt road, is the northern most Redwoods.

After a short walk visiting the northern most Redwood grove, I stayed the night in Brookings, OR.  Grabbed a delicious bite to eat at Oxenfre (I will definitely be going back to that hot spot when I come back north in May).  It seemed like busiest place in town, with a casual vibe and surprisingly gourmet food.

The following day I made it to Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Park and had a sweet stroll through one of the groves.  Cruised up the South Fork of the Smith River road which winded along the fast moving river for miles.  After exploring up the road for about 30 minutes, a spring appeared on the side of the road with a pipe for easy bottling, which I hope to sample on my return trip.

 I wrapped up this adventure packed 5 days and headed south back to Santa Barbara to tie up loose ends, see my clients for their last sessions, build out the van I will be camping with and get ready for the deep dive with the Redwoods in May!