We started out our morning with a drive down the coast through more redwoods, stopping at Patrick's Point State Park for a 4.5 mile stroll along the ocean, up on the cliffs. The fog often obscured views of the ocean, but we got occasional clear views and some good photos.
Reaching the apex of our road trip, we headed south this morning, headed for Redwoods National Park in Northern California. Just after noon we arrived at the north end of the park and inquired about camping places. We opted for one of the two spots available at Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park across the street and set up our little backpacking tent. The California Hiking book recommended a lovely hike called the Boy Scout Tree Trail which led to a little waterfall, and we took off across a dirt road through the redwoods to find the trailhead. Great hike - almost no mosquitoes, no need for sunscreen, and the scenery was delicious. 5.6 miles roundtrip with a few tricky areas to navigate.
Today is our last day with Liesl in Eugene. We enjoyed the Saturday Market (a most amazing Farmer's and Artisan's market), Sweet Life (a patisserie), and several games of Settlers of Catan. This photo shows the great dinner prepared by Liesl and Chris's housemates, Joe and Kat. Liesl made the collard greens she bought at the Market this morning.
Today's adventure included a hike up Spencer Butte just south of Eugene. We took up lunch and sat on the rocks at the top for a good while enjoying the view, although it was a foggy one.
Before the morning winds picked up, the view of Diamond Peak over the lake was clear. After sleeping in and breakfast, we broke camp and hiked the 5 miles back to the car, through the rest of the mosquitoes. We had thought we might camp at the Trapper Creek Campground, but decided that showers sounded more enticing, so we returned to Eugene.
Day One of backpacking. We drove south of Eugene to the Deschutes National Forest and hiked five miles up to Diamond View Lake. We saw not one single person along the trail, nor anyone at the lake. However, we were greeted by billions of mosquitoes, so we made camp quickly and spent our after-dinner time playing hearts in the larger of the two tents.
Here are Hal and Chris starting to pack our gear for backpacking tomorrow. We've planned our route, packed our bags, and tomorrow we need to pick up a few supplies. We'll be without internet, electricity, etc. for three days, so I'll check in later!
