Northern California: Avenue of the Giants

Coast Redwood. Sequoia Sempervirens. The tallest of all living things on earth, only the Giant Sequoia out bulks it.

The Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt State Park, Northern California is a sublime old forest with trees some 600 years old in places.

A wonderful 30 mile drive and trails to walk. So nice.

Avenue of the Giants: Photographer's Muse

Muse?

Haha.

Under instruction more like it.

Look up.

Look down.

Look there.

Stand near that tree (which one of hundred's, oh that one, ok)

Stand on the road (wait for car to come past).

Lean against that tree.

Please?

Haha.

OK, that's me, I am done

Avenue of the Giants: A Ghost Tree

I read The Golden Spruce (author, John Vaillant) in Alaska during the summer of 2006 and loved the book. 

It is the story of one giant golden spruce, an albino, a world natural wonder, until Grant Hadwin took a chainsaw to it in 1997 and the fascinating, troubling context in which his act took place.

So when I read that one can see albino redwoods along the Avenue of the Giants it was a given that we had to find one. 

They are very rare and this forest only has a handful of albino trees.

An 'albino' redwood is a redwood tree which is unable to produce chlorophyll, and so has waxy, white needles instead of the normal green. 

They survive by tapping into a host tree.

A lead from the visitor centre and lots of back and forth on the road we eventually found the 30' tree, my first ever albino tree. 

Just amazing, I can see why they are called ghost trees, it gleamed in the forest. Mesmerizing. 

It's 'normal' neighbor

Albino Redwood and its huge host looming over it.

Ghost tree 

Completely taken with this tree

Foodie Interlude: daily coffee

Each day, the pleasure of the search for a good cappuccino.
And then finding it in the quaintest of places like this little wooden cabin in Miranda along the Avenue of the Giants in Northern California.

Northern California; Victorian Village of Ferndale

Bucolic Ferndale is our base for a few days while we explore the Lost Coast and the Avenue of the Giants.

The town revels in its Victorian history, pastures and cows one row back from Main Street.

Even more quirky, the Triple D TV host , Guy Fieri comes from here and filmed a Guy's Hometown Tour last November. Will just have to pop into the places he featured.

Last light on the Victoria Inn in Ferndale

Here's looking at you!

On our evening stroll down Main Street we bumped into this tiny burger joint. Its called No Brand Burger Stand. Such a poke in the eye to all the huge burger chains that proliferate, got to love it.

Redding: Sundial Bridge

Atmospheric night visit to Sundial Bridge

We needed a place to put our heads yesterday and Redding was an option. I had had a conversation somewhere along our trip with a woman from Redding who mentioned the Sundial Bridge over the Sacramento River.

Sounded a good enough reason to overnight. Thai take aways, and an evening stroll along the bridge is a good puddle jump.

It's a pedestrian bridge, celebrating its 10th anniversary and the mastermind behind this fabulous design is Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava.

The morning visit to see the gleaming white sundial was just as impressive.

Sundial Bridge over the Sacramento River in Redding

Lassen Volcanic National Park: Manzanita Lake Trail

Late afternoon stroll around Lake Manzanita with perfect light for some of Fred's best photos.

Lassen Volcanic National Park: devastation area

For 3 years from 1914 Lassen erupted and profoundly altered the impact area and in the devastation area, the 'new' rocks that are 100 years old just lie around.

Northern California: Lassen Volcanic National Park

Spontaneity has not been my strength, mostly because I love to plan and in fact I travel twice. Once when I plan and again when I am traveling.

Over coffee and an almond croissant in Reno, I looked at the map and saw Lassen Volcanic National Park, no research, 'just do it'.

What a win. Loved the drive.

Lassen Peak is one of the largest plug dome volcanoes in the world! Formed 27000 years ago, its a baby geologically and a beauty.

We have moved away from the Sierra Nevada's to the Cascades and it is fascinating to be right in the seismic zone, the Ring of Fire. This will be the first of many volcanoes we see.

On the approach road to Lassen Peak

View of Lassen Peak from the southern approach

At 10457' well above the forest line

Only Fred!

Lassen Peak from Kings Creek Meadow

Sky, rock, tree will be an enduring memory for me

Algae coloring Emerald Lake in the Park

Puddle Jumping, Northern California

We chatted to a young barista in Tahoe Lake and she shared the term 'puddle jumping' that Australian friends had used for traveling from place to place.

So here we are, puddle jumping for a week through Northern California.

Our first puddle appropriately was a mudpot from the Lassen Volcanic National Park.

As we approached the color of the sulfur buildup rock is evident and then the smell hits you too. The mudpot was bubbling aggressively from the snow melt. So fascinating to be this close and to appreciate the energy of our planet.

Mudpot visible at the base of the sulphur buildup.

Sulphur gases coming off the mudpot

Huge mudpot of Lassen Volcanic National Park

The landscape of Lassen Volcanic National Park being shaped by the sulphur eruptions over the eons.

Sulphur plume!