After a not so great winter at Park Of The Sierras where medical issues kept us pretty much grounded,it was nice to get cleared so we could volunteer this summer at Humboldt Redwoods State Park.Jeni and I worked in the visitors center 3 days a week from 9am til 1pm. This gave us lots of time to explore the area.I was kinda the info guy for the park,"where is the drive thru tree","where is the biggest tree in the park","are there any bears","where is the closest gas station"."where is a good place to eat",well you get the idea.The one question that was hardest to answer was about the parks hiking trails.I knew i had to get some help so our friends Gary and Kathy who got us this gig and have been working here going on three years now came to my rescue.Kathy has hiked most of them here and she is the trail guide guru of the redwoods.She took me under wing as we hiked many of the trails in the redwoods.On our days off we would hit the beach which could be Shelter cove,Samoa Dunes in Eureka, Trinidad cove,or Ferndale beach. we did get a lot of beach time and great seafood.After our time was done at Humboldt{after Labor day} we hung out in Crescent City,and Brookings,Oregon.
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| our first day at the visitors center |
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| the biggest tree in the park |
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| the size of the biggest tree in the park |
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| Jeni inside a redwood hallow on the nature trail |
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| Jeni inside what the locals call"goose pens" |
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| these are burls on the trunk of a redwood tree. these burls hold thousands of seeds in case the tree goes into trauma |
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| Jeni relaxing next to the eel river |
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| Jeni doing the limbo under a redwood on the Mather trail Add caption |
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| Jeni in another goose pen on the river trail |
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| Ferndale ca. located between Fortuna and Eureka is a charming little community that has a great collection of beautiful old Victorian homes |
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| Jeni among the younger stand of coastal redwoods on the river trail |
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| more Victorian in Ferndale |
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| more Victorians |
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| more Victorians |
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| and more Victorians |
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| a nice hike through the redwoods on the "Addie Johnson trail ended at her grave site.she was one of the first pioneers in the area |
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| Jeni relaxing by the eel river |
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| A very nice garden at the Loleta cheese factory in Loleta ca. |
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| Jeni forging ahead on the bull creek south trail |
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| Jeni enjoying the ocean at Shelter Cove Ca. |
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| Jeni in awe of the splendid foliage at the Loleta cheese factory |
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| River otters on the eel river |
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| the relocated cape Mendocino light house at Shelter Cove |
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| The restored foot bridge on the river trail |
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| big owl overseeing the redwoods and the hikers |
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| bald eagle resting in a redwood tree |
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| Jen and I enjoying the Klamath river |
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| Jeni on the overlook near Eureka Ca. |
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| Salmon fishing on the Klamath |
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| These little farm houses were actually WWII gunnery bunkers protecting the northern ca. coast from Japanese attack |
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| Ole Philly on the Klamath river |
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| Jeni enjoying Harris beach state park in Bookings Oregon |
Well it was a heck of a summer for us as we head back to Park Sierra for the fall and winter.After our stint at Humboldt we moved north and stayed in Crescent City for a month enjoying the area and the ocean.In hindsight we probably won't return to the visitor center next summer.Although we loved the people and the park for me working inside just wasn't for me.But there are always new horizons to explore and maybe we will find another place to volunteer and enjoy.
Doctor apps are on the agenda for fall and making sure our bodies are in better shape than last fall.One thing for sure I feel 100% better than last fall.
We would like to thank our good friends Gary and Kathy for bringing us along this summer as we really enjoyed our time with them.They drove us around to the sites on our days off.We felt like tourists and they were our tour guides.Thanks a million guys!
