After three months on the road touring California, we finally left Crescent City on a cold, rainy, misty morning and set off on the next leg of our family adventure, heading towards Oregon and the Pacific Northwest on the US101 Highway.

Through the giant redwoods and following the coast, it already felt like we had entered the moody set of the Twilight movies. No vampires or werewolves or Robert Pattinson in sight though.

Hello Oregon...

 I ❤️ Taylor Swift.

I'm a total Swiftie.

It has been the summer of the Eras Tour and Taylor Swift has been on my playlist since the tour kicked off in Glendale, Arizona back in March. I was totally bummed that I could not get tickets to the very first concert that was in my home state. Grrr! Ticketmaster! Grrrr!!!!!

After watching endless TikTok's of the tour and getting first hand info from my bestie, Heather, I was chuffed to bits to finally watch the show at the cinema in Crescent City. It was not a packed audience on the opening night of the cinematic release, but I did get my free souvenir popcorn bucket (which I will cherish) and I sang my heart out all the way through.

 Obviously, neither Kim nor Henry chose to accompany me.

It was epic!

Legendary!

After deciding not to travel three hours up the coast to Coos Bay in Oregon that would supposedly offer the best views of the annular solar eclipse, I stayed put in Crescent City, California. I was rewarded with the most magical view of the eclipse, on the beach, right in front of our trailer.

With hot steaming coffee in hand and wrapped up warm and cosy in a blanket, I made the short walk to the beach and found a beached log on which to sit as I waited first for sunrise and then the solar eclipse.

It was a cloudy morning but ever so still, the waves were gently lapping on the shoreline in quiet anticipation. The birds were still and quiet. Some on one leg, some on two, resting, facing east, watchful, as if praying in some unspoken ritual.

The sun rose and peeked its cheery head through the clouds. And then the astonishing phenomenon began ever so slowly, with the moon passing between the sun and earth.
An annular solar eclipse is when the shadow of the moon does not completely cover the disk of the sun leaving a bright glowing ring, or annulus, around the sun creating a startling contrast of light and dark.  The eclipse took a good hour from start to finish. 

Even though it was cloudy and I did not get a really clear view, the clouds added magic and mystery, color and contrast. It was breathtaking. 

All photos were taken with my trusty iPhone 13 Pro Max.

After some rainy days, finally the sun came out and we ventured out to find the barking seals in the dockside area of Crescent City, California. We could hear them barking from our trailer about a quarter of a mile away.

We explored the dock area and could see seals and sea lions flobbed out on the floating docks. Some were barking and jostling for position, but most of them were basking in the sunshine and sleeping.

The fishing season was over. Someone on the campsite had told us they had been able to buy tuna straight off the boat the previous month. Alas, we did not find any fishing boats loaded with tuna, so we had to make do with visiting the restaurant for some hot, deep fried fish and chips with lashings of salt and vinegar, but no curry sauce I am sad to report.

Gorgeous weather and beautiful views! Lush!

We were mesmerized watching the weather roll in to Crescent City from our prime location, right on the beach. Henry and I were getting cabin fever. So while Kim continued tweaking his graphs (not a euphemism!) for his stock market trading, Henry and I set off in the rain to check out Ocean World in town.

​Henry and I love aquariums and we are always excited to discover new ones. However we are now aquarium snobs having visited the crème de la crème of aquariums in California; the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium and the highly esteemed Aquarium of the Pacific. 

Ocean World was small and a bit, as Henry would say, "budget," but had some memorable features. Henry and I are always determined to have a good time and we entered with buoyant expectation. Billed as "...more than just an aquarium; it is entertainment for the whole family," we were hopeful it was going to be a fun experience. We certainly had fun outside posing on a surfboard set against a huge mural of a giant wave!

After mooching around the store for 15 minutes waiting for our timed entrance, we were led with our group through a nondescript door to a patio area with a simulated rock tide pool where we could "pet" the starfish and observe the flowery anemones whilst being silently observed by some fibre glass statues of pirates. There was also a life size model of a smallish orca. The most interesting and authentic artifact was the whale bone pelvis that had been found washed ashore in Crescent City.  As you can see from the pics, Henry was mightily impressed. 

We were then shepherded down some concrete steps into a basement that allowed us to view two large tanks. To our right was a tank of seals and sea lions and to our left, a tank of rays, leopard sharks, sturgeon and striped bass. The tanks were presented through a series of large windows that created a dramatic cinematic effect. The tanks were clearly very old, not very well maintained and quite small for the number of marine mammals and large fish living there. The sharks, rays and fish circled mindlessly. We padded about on the carpeted flooring between the two tanks, watching the sea creatures watching us. In the middle was a smaller tank titled "Sandy Bottom" containing local rockfish, Dungeness crab, spiny dogfish and silver and rainbow surfperch. In the hushed environment, time seemed to stand still. It was a little unnerving. Thankfully, a small child in our group shrieked and that seemed to waken us from our trance.

We then made our way up and out of the basement, plodding up some more concrete steps and were informed we were going to have a  real treat; the opportunity to "pet" a shark. Woo hoo! I wiggled my eyebrows at Henry. Henry rolled his eyes back at me. He  was suitably impressed and tried very hard to conceal his excitement. He succeeded.

We entered a room with a shallow pool and a single shark circling. I immediately thought, "We're going to need a bigger tank." The shark was a large and rather docile leopard shark and we all obediently stuck our hands into the water after being reassured with the good news that "no one has lost a finger yet." 

Henry and I then had fun mucking around pretending to be eaten by a great white shark. There was a fibreglass model and we took turns pretending to be gobbled up by the shark. Our death cries began to disturb the children on the tour and so we stopped.

The tour continued with a visit to the outside portion of the seal and sea lion tank. We noticed it was still chucking it down with rain so we stood watching in a covered breezeway with our hoods up blowing warm air into our hands. Our tour guide, a slip of a girl, who was clearly not Sea World trained, fetched a bucket of fish and threw some to the lovely mammals.

The two seals and one sea lion were clearly rescues as they were a motley crew. Scarred skin, missing eyes, withered whiskers and bitten fore flippers were the marks of these rescued mammals. It was really kinda heartbreaking. Henry and I exchanged sad faces. No words necessary.

We watched the "grand finale" as these brave little animals slid down a slide, jumped at a ball hung over the pool and waved at us in exchange for a few fish. 

We exited.

We love animal encounters, and we did have some giggles, but this visit felt just a little bit sad on a wet Friday afternoon.

Chasing waterfalls in Trinidad, California, was a joy!

We found leaves as big as your head with the most amazing colors of mustard yellows, rusty browns, lime greens and burnt oranges. The idyllic scenery was complete with the gently flowing waterfalls. Spectacular!

We puddled about in the water, hugged lots of trees and made a wish every time we caught a dancing leaf.

We are definitely seeing the change from Summer to Autumn. Feeling the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.

Adjacent to the Trees of Mystery roadside attraction in Klamath, California, there is the most incredible display of Native North American artifacts in a gorgeous little museum simply called "The Collection."

As I mentioned in my last post, other than the Heard Museum in Phoenix, this has to be my favorite and possibly the most beautiful collection of Native American Artifacts that I have found in my travels so far.

Colorful Kachinas, clay pots, baskets, rugs, maps, intricately cut and stitched clothing, a vast array of fishing gear, totems and superstitious tokens, feathers, furry skins and polished hides, weapons, ingenious fire and food making artifacts, jewelry and so much more. It was well laid out and covered the more familiar work of the Apache and Navajo tribes in the south, to local Klamath tribes such as the Modoc, to tribes spanning across the whole of America including the Dakotas, Sioux and Seminole.

Marylee Thompson Smith was the main collector and benefactor of this unexpected find. She said these words when the little museum opened on March 10, 1968:

The museum was a treasure trove of the art of the First Americans. You could feel their history, heart and soul, through their hands and their handiwork. Truly, sadly, a lost art.

​It reminded me of these lines from Keats' "Ozymandias:"

Seeing the Redwoods and the history of logging that took down 80% of the majestic giants, followed by the tour of this museum, by the end of the day I was reeling from a feeling of loss regarding nature, art and humanity itself.

We had passed by The Trees Of Mystery, just outside Klamath in the far north of California, on our way up Highway 101 to get to Crescent City. You could not miss the giant fibreglass statues of Paul Bunyan and his beloved pet, Babe the Blue Ox standing in the well manicured gardens of the car park to this roadside attraction.
​
We were excited to visit. When we arrived, we took our time walking around the huge statues and acquainting ourselves with the story of Paul Bunyan, the famed giant, plaid-jacketed, big booted, lumbering lumberjack of North American folklore, and his pet Blue Ox, Babe.

It was fitting that Paul Bunyan and Babe stood there welcoming us to the Trees of Mystery as the history and traditions of logging and particularly the carving of large hunks of wood into works of art was told as we walked along the interpretative trails.

I was actually familiar with Paul Bunyan. In the movie Fargo, a carved, rugged statue of him is glimpsed covered in snow as the murderers pass through the North Dakota town in the dead of winter. In fact I can't think of Paul Bunyan without also thinking of one of my absolute favorite actresses, Frances McDormand, in her Oscar winning role as Marge Gunderson in the movie.

You betcha!

I am also familiar with the iconic "Muffler Men" molded out of fiberglass, inspired by Paul Bunyan, that stand in gas station forecourts along my beloved Route 66 and other slightly decrepit byways in North America. Originally, the first 'Muffler Man" was created to carry an axe, appropriate for Paul Bunyan, but later the axe was replaced with the giant fiberglass man holding a muffler, tire, huge wrench or some other car related object as an advertisement to draw customers off the road to take a break from their journey, stop for some food and for some car maintenance. You can read more about the "Muffler Men" in my Route 66 photographic journey through Arizona.  You may need to scroll down until you arrive at the Flagstaff photos and the pics of the giant men. Check it out here.

Once upon a time the original folk tales Of Paul Bunyan began with American loggers sharing exaggerated stories around cosy campfires of a giant axman who could fell tall trees with a single chop. Their tales became embedded in to local lore, bringing awe and appreciation to the hard logging work they did across America, with their own sweat, spit and bare hands.

The loggers' stories of Paul Bunyan, strong and handsome with a chiseled jawline, over seven feet tall, with a stride of seven feet in length, striding across the plains, through the forests, doing the work of many were passed down, mouth to mouth, in the honored tradition of folk tales. According to their stories Paul Bunyan carved the Grand Canyon with his axe, created the Great Lakes as a personal drinking bowl for Babe, and if you keep a careful watch, you might be lucky enough to see Paul Bunyan riding Babe like a cowboy. Oh yeah!

At 49 feet high, the statue of Paul Bunyan at the Trees of Mystery is the tallest statue of the folklore hero in America. The stuff of legends! 

We made our way to the trails and spent a happy day meandering through the wide variety of trees, almost like a tree exhibition, crowded together for our enjoyment. One of my favorites was the ancient giant Redwood named the Brotherhood Tree.  It is one of the largest and oldest living things on the planet. It was named in hope for the brotherhood of man. It is over 2000 years old, 19 feet in diameter, 60 feet in circumference and 297 feet tall. Wow! We were awestruck standing next to a living entity that had been growing for much of recorded human history. We also enjoyed the Candelabra Tree, Elephant Tree and Cathedral Tree. 

Henry spotted Bigfoot, banana slugs and a giant mosquito.

I loved the "I love you" sign.

We had enormous fun bouncing our way along the 100 feet high aerial netted suspension bridges and platforms in the canopy of the Redwoods.  Of course Henry and Kim jumped as high and hard as they could (as if they were in a lift!) on the ropey bridges to make us all jiggle and giggle. Even the kids were laughing at us! Fun!

Henry grabbed my phone and took these lovely, flattering shots. Anyone else have a family member who takes daft pics?

Next we headed for the Skytrail where we took a gondola up the forested hillside, about 1/3 of a mile and 1,570 feet up, through the tallest of trees with a spectacular view at the top where you could see the Pacific Ocean glinting in the distance and incredible views of the Klamath River and back country. At the summit there was an observation deck called Ted's Ridge, where we took in the panoramic vistas.

We finished the day touring the most amazing Native North American Museum. After the Heard Museum in Phoenix, this has to be my favorite museum of tribal artifacts. It was truly incredible. More about the museum in my next blog post.

​This was a memorable day and once again, the trees were the stars.

Kim and I set off together, just the two of us, on a "Date Day" to explore the Northern California coast line and take advantage of the sunshine, blue skies and crisp, cool air. Henry opted to stay home, have a long lie in, connect with friends and play video games. An all around win-win.

We set off on the US101 heading south and almost immediately found ourselves driving through the giant Redwoods that were standing to attention and affectionately hugging the road. We stopped at Wilson Creek and spent some time just basking in the autumn sunshine watching the brown pelicans bobbing about on the breaking waves. We walked the beach, combing the shoreline for treasures. In the misty distance we could see some sea stacks hanging out, close to land, but enjoying their salty solitude. It was such a beautiful morning.