Visiting the Coastal Redwoods
Traveling up the west coast in November makes you remember why there is such a thing as the off-season. It has been cold, rainy and wet.
We are headed to Vancouver for a family friend’s wedding and now, by the time this is posted, the wedding is over and we’re headed back home. we are home.
We were able to visit with family and friends on our first stop and then we continued on to Clear Lake, California. There was a lovely area on the lake where we stayed the night. The dock went out over the water and you could fish if you were so inclined… 
or feed the ducks.
So pretty and peaceful
Traveling up the coast we stopped to see the coastal redwoods. They are amazing!
Redwood trees are only found one place in the world and that is on the Pacific west coast.
Their trunks can be quite large. One place I read said anywhere from 8-20′ in diameter.
I wonder what kind of noise this tree made when it fell to the forest floor.
Their root system is very shallow – only 6-12′ deep which is their biggest weakness. They spread their roots and intertwine with other redwoods, thus giving them the strength to withstand wind and flood to some degree.
Redwoods are very resistant to fire because of their 1′ thick bark and lack of resin (even though you will see in the next 2 pictures some that were damaged by fire). There is no known insect that can destroy them.
This picture gives you perspective on how mammoth they can be.
They keep their green needle leaves year-round.
A close-up view of some that were on the forest floor.
It’s always fun to see how far around the tree you can reach.
And after driving through the Avenue of the Giants, we stayed in Gold Beach, Oregon in a small hotel on the ocean.
Our California, Oregon, Vancouver trip post will be continued… next time. 🙂
