Crescent City, CA to Fortuna, CA

I became a little weary of the foggy soup of the coastline and I headed inland.  My chosen route was East on California 299, South on California 3, and West on California 36.  California 299 was a lovely mountain ride on the Trinity River National Scenic Byway.  It included an 8-mile conversation with a flagwoman while waiting for construction workers to do something on a bridge.  Because of the license plate on the car, she thought I was from Nevada and I suppose wanted some gambling tips.  I accommodated with the usual--don't take any wooden nickels. This was her fourth year working as a flagwoman.  A career in the making.

The drive back on 3 and 36 was a thrill a second.  For old Simi Valley aficionados, think of 90 miles of Santa Susana pass with Box Canyon road thrown in the middle.  If you look at a map, the Box Canyon part is west of Dismore to the bridge over the Little Van Duzen River.  Left, right, up and down, with no center line and trucks coming the other way.  But I made it.

Earlier I visited the Lady Bird Johnson Grove in Redwoods National Park.  It was an awesome 1.4-mile nature hike through hundreds of huge, tall redwoods--all original growth and all over 200 years old.  They have survived the weather and numerous fires.  Here are some pictures:

Burned Out Redwood
Still Growing

Ferns Growing In Top of
Burned Redwood Stump

Its difficult to get shots of big redwoods because they are so big.  This one was next to the parking lot.  I heard it say to a passing stranger:  "So you think I look bedraggled?  What do you expect putting up with this fog for 300 years and more than a few fires?  And now this incessant shutter-click, shutter-click!"

The best part about seeing these magnificent redwoods is knowing that because they are protected by both the state and federal governments, that barring a nuclear winter, they will be around for a long time to come.

Mileage: 308.  Cumulative mileage: 3, 987.