After waking up at 7:00 am and quickly showering, we dressed and headed for breakfast at our
. I was surprised at how busy it was at 8:00 am; everyone had the same idea of getting an early start on breakfast.
(but at least it was free), so Alex decided to make himself a waffle while I selected the scrambled eggs (which were mildly edible). The coffee was
"très horrible," and I had to immediately chuck my tasteless cup into the trash.
Before proceeding to the park, we drove through a drive-a-redwood exhibit off the road.
The exhibit also features some cute tree-houses, and we couldn't help ourselves to photos.
From here, we drove to some of the nearby redwood groves on the Avenue of the Giants. There were lots of redwoods, and some were very densely arranged.
We stopped by one grove to explore the nearby South Fork of the Eel River. It was shallow, and Alex played with some of the many pebbles.
He was also trying to test out the water-proof effectiveness of his new hiking shoes. They seemed to be okay.
We stopped by the Visitor Center, and the ranger suggested we do the short free guided walk at 11:00 am, followed by the nearby Rockefeller Loop.
We enjoyed our guided walk, and the tour guide explained some interesting facts about California redwoods. After the short stroll, we headed to Rockefeller Loop.
The ride there was relatively slow due to the deplorable / porthole-laden road. Even though it was 1.7 miles away, it took about 10 minutes to get to the Rockefeller Loop parking lot.
Alex got to do some climbing and scrambling onto the giant fallen redwoods.
After the beautiful hike, we decided (as recommended by the ranger at the Visitor Center) to drive for lunch at Ferndale.
While there, we enjoyed a delicious pizza at Ferndale Pizza and the best cake ever at Humboldt Sweets.
After lunch, we returned to Humboldt Redwoods to continue our hiking.
Our first stop was Founders Grove - a short hike through beautiful redwoods. There were many people here (compared to other hikes), but the walk through the woods was quite enjoyable, and Alex got to climb some large logs.
After this hike, we drove to the Drury-Chaney Loop trail - a longer hike through the more scenic wilderness.
As it was getting late (and we were tired), we returned to our Best Western Plus for rest (and maybe dinner). Unfortunately, our favorite local restaurant - Cecil's New Orleans Bistro was closed. We decided to explore the town, but nothing else was worthwhile. The only open Coffee Shop was full - but the food served failed to impress me.
We decided instead to purchase bottled water and a few Haagen-Dazs ice cream bars for our dinner (we were not hungry anyway after the massive lunch at Ferndale.
Monday, May 31, 2017
After waking up and packing, we ate our complimentary breakfast at the Best Western Plus and continued to the Visitor Center - as the hike I wanted to do could not be found. The ranger convinced me to do the Bull Creek Trail near the Big Trees on the map. The drive there was prolonged and painful due to the horrible road.
Hiking here was fantastic, and we were so glad to have come here. There were many giant trees and very tall trees. Walking here was very pleasant and peaceful.
After hiking a few miles, we returned to Ferndale to observe the Kinetic Sculpture Festival from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. On the way there, we stopped by for lunch in La Fortuna, where we ate at the highly recommended
Eel River Brewery. In addition to burgers, this establishment had some interesting items on the menu - like German morning beer? (Yes, in the old days, everyone drank beer for breakfast, lunch, and dinner because normal water was polluted and unsafe). This beer had a shallow alcohol level - obviously.
I ordered the fish & chips and was thrilled with my meal. We ran late, ate quickly, and headed to Ferndale, another 40-minute drive.
