Vacation amonst the GIANTS!

I can't believe August is already coming to a close! Lane has turned another year older - reaching the ripe ol' age of 27 - we have returned home from our WONDERFUL vacation in the Redwoods, and school will be starting this coming week.

Speaking of the Redwood vacation, what an awesome adventure! We camped the first night we were there and made sure we got our $20 bucks worth by thoroughly hiking and exploring the gigantic National Park we camped in. Within the first afternoon/evening we were there we managed to hike around for about 2.5 hours leaving us with another 4 hours of hiking and exploring to do the next morning before we had to check out at noon.

From there, we moved on to our adorable accomadations at the Trinidad Inn Bed and Breakfast. The first morning we woke up and took the dog out for his morning glory, we saw a mother deer and her two babies grazing in a secluded meadow there on the property. Once they wandered off we meandered over to enjoy some of the muffins, coffee and teas the wonderful staff placed outside in a little gazeebo every morning for their guests to enjoy. The whole feeling of this enchanting coastal town is so cozy and secluded wrapped each morning in a refreshing coastal fog. We were up early every morning, eager to get as much hiking and exploring done as possible! We spent the first day cruising through the "Avenue of Giants" outside Eureka, stopping and taking short expeditions along trails leading to specifically large trees - such as the Dyerville Giant which has been estimated to stand 370 feet tall before it fell in 1991. That is 200 feet taller than Niagara Falls or comparable to a 30-story building. It is also 17 feet in diameter and 52 feet in circumference. It probably weighs over 1,000,000 pounds. Translation: IT IS HUGE!

We celebrated Lane's birthday with dinner in a restaraunt on the Pier. We enjoyed our meal while being entertained by the young seal that lives in the cove right outside the restaraunt. It was quiet and relaxing and, though at times highly inconvenient, there is something to be said for having no cell phone reception for an entire week.

On Wed we decided to head up to the National Forest to "hunt" for some elk. It was a rainy cold day and we doubted we'd find any. The first couple of spots we stopped were a no go and we began to really loose the faith when, all of a sudden, there they were! An entire herd of them grazing in a meadow right off the side of the main road, so much for a hunt. I have never seen elk before and Lane has only seen the Nevada elk, which are apparently a lot bigger. However, the main bull in this group was plenty big enough for me...I decided that I would NEVER want to be a boy elk. The antlers that guy was carrying around on his head must have weighed at least 40lbs!

Once Lane got his fill of pictures and video from the elk, we moved on up the road and into the Redwood forest in search of a good trail. WE FOUND ONE! (p.s. dogs are NOT allowed on ANY of the state forest trails there, which is the most retarded thing I have ever heard, but that's the fact of the matter) We decided to take on a 9mile trail leading through the heart of one of the oldest growth forests in the park, leading to "Fern Canyon". It was simply the most amazing hike that I have ever been on in my entire life - and I live to hike, I've literally hiked hundreds of trails, this one trumped them all! Keep in mind that it was raining pretty good off and on and so we figured there wouldn't be a lot of people out hiking and it would be fairly simple keeping bailey a secret from the forest rangers...that is until we ran right smack dab into TWO of them less than 100 yards into the hike! Thankfully they were pretty nice about it and let us off with a warning saying, "I'm not going to ticket you but just know another ranger might". Duly noted. We never saw another ranger in the four hours it took us to complete the hike...

We definately should have saved the long hike for the last day as it completely wiped out all three of us. We returned to our room dirty, wet, cold, tired and sore. Unfortunately, I think Bailey now officially hates vacation and will most likely never be leaving home again.

The last day was relaxing and fun as we did some short hikes along the beach, up and over a cliff overlooking the ocean and wandered into Old Historic Downtown Eureka. We had a good time walking amongst the old timeless buildings and browsing through the local shops. It's funny that the only things we bought happened to be baby clothes...for the baby who won't be wearing clothes for at least another 4.5 months!

Returning to the sweltering heat, dryness and desolation of Nevada has been rough - well at least on me! However, I am looking forward to the coming month of September as things begin to cool down and fall weather creeps in and steals away the fiery heat of the summer months. As school gets underway and business picks up time will pass quickly and Addie will grow even quicker! The holidays will come and pass in a flurry as they always do...and January will usher in a new year with so many new and exciting beginnings:)

Here are a few pics from our trip!