The weather forecast called for 101-degree temperatures,
so we immediately started looking for escapes to the coast. Our choices included Bandon, Brookings, and Redwood National Park. We settled on
Redwood National Park.
Matt was kind enough to serve as guide and driver, so Carol and I sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed the scenery. The entire drive was scenic, but the portion along the Redwood Highway after Cave Junction was especially striking. The road entered a canyon that roughly followed Griffin Creek and then the Smith River. The highway snaked its way down the canyon from 1600 feet in elevation to 129 feet in elevation. Since all the surrounding rock was igneous, the canyon was deep and steep. I would hate driving that road in the motorhome, but it was great enjoying it as a passenger in a car.
Redwood National Park
We stopped at the Visitor Center and got some advice on things to see. We decided to start with Stout Grove, so we backtracked a couple miles
up the canyon and found the side road to the grove. After a quick lunch, we set out to explore Stout Grove
. It was overcast and midday,
so the lighting wasn't very good. But the redwoods were still VERY tall and impressive. The understory was largely rhododendrons and maples,
so we could imagine the possibilities in early spring when the rhododendrons were blooming. But even today when the conditions weren't
great for photography, the grove was still impressive. Although they don't have the grandeur of the Giant Sequoias we see in Yosemite
and Sequoia National Parks, the Coastal Redwoods were amazing. The height of the redwoods became real when I tried to do vertical panoramas.
They seemed to continue upward forever. I half expected them to get lost in a low cloud.
My favorite part about hiking the mile loop around Stout Grove and up along the Smith River was the bright green of the maple leaves. The cookie-cutter shape of the leaves added color and interest to the foreground of the images. The maple leaves helped to bring some life to an otherwise drab scene.
After hiking in Stout Grove, we took the Howland Hill Road all the way down to Crescent City, which gave us a better feel for the extent of the Coast Redwood groves. Stout Grove was chosen for a hiking area because it was flat and easy walking. The redwoods along Howland Hill Road were growing on mountainsides, which made them look even more intimidating.
We returned to Medford to do some quick shopping before dinner. Amazingly, we found everything on our list at Costco or Target. Our SonicCare gave up the ghost, so I was especially glad to replace it before we hit the land of no stores.
We enjoyed dinner with Matt and Jackie at Omar's in Ashland. It doesn't seem like an official trip to Ashland without dinner at Omar's at least once.
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