Day 13: To the Redwood Forest!

We are greeted by a lovely cool Oregon morning. The clothes we put outside to dry are sopping wet from some random middle of the night rain. The kids are busy playing in their personal “fort” of overgrowth behind us. We drag our feet leaving, because they’re having so much fun.

We’re headed to the Redwood Forest today (with Tate and I humming non-stop, “…to the Redwood Forest, to the Gulf Stream waters…”). We are taking the 101 along the coast of Oregon, which is windy and somewhat nauseating. Jack has talked non-stop about seeing a lighthouse, so we stop at the Umpqua Lighthouse about halfway. Carter is asleep, so I make sandwiches for lunch while Dave takes the kids out to explore the museum. Much to Jacks glee, it turns out that they offer tours inside the lighthouse. The unique thing about this particular lighthouse is that it has both a red and white lens. Jack is grinning ear to ear!

Along the coastal drive, we see trees dripping with moss. I’m pretty sure if you stood still here long enough, you would grow moss. It feels wet to us desert rats. But beautiful! Peeking through the trees are sheer cliffs overlooking waves, crashing on the boulders off shore. A mist hovers in the distance. Words cannot do it justice, nor does my camera lens.

As we pass the California state line, it seems that the sun comes out suddenly! Talk about comedic timing! We roll into a small town, starving and short of dinner options. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Weng Wangs…or was it Wang Wens? I’m not sure, but Chinese hit the spot tonight. We sit at a huge table, dining on a number of dishes while Carter spins the lazy susan like a DJ rapper.

With full bellies, we continue on south toward some RV park. In the midst of the Redwood Forest, Dave spots a sign that says Mill Creek Canyon Campground, with a tent symbol on it. I’m thinking …there is no way we’re even going to make it down this road, much less find a place to camp…as he turns in. Six miles to the site check in is what the sign says. Oh, good grief…what is the man thinking!? We wind along the road, past HUGE redwoods until we come up to the office, with camper in front of us. Ok..maybe? Turns out they have room for us, so we get to stay in the most amazing campground ever. In the middle of nowhere. There are not hook ups and no generators can run from 8 pm to 10 am. This might be an issue for my morning latte, I’m thinking.

It is absolutely worth the delayed caffeine gratification, though. If not for the adventure alone. The pamphlet they give us at check in says, “Bears roam throughout this area day and night”. They continue on to tell us what to do if/when we do see a bear. We’re pretty far from civilization, so I figure we’d probably bleed out before receiving proper medical attention for our bear inflicted wounds. “Hey kids, let’s go for a walk!,” I exclaim!

We take a walk around the campground, which is bustling with activity. The air smells like a combination of dank mossy forest and campfire. One of the kids says, “I wish they had a playground!” to which I reply, “This IS one big playground!” The kids are able to climb up on huge tree trunks. I take a pix of everyone making muscles after scaling one large one. A fellow camper points out a Banana Slug on a faucet, which is a huge hit.

Back at the campsite, we roast some marshmallows and make a few s’mores. Dave and I hang out and have a nice glass of red wine. Unfortunately, it only mellows us out…not our overtired children. The sun is still setting at 10 at night, so it has been hard to keep anyone on a schedule!

Finally, everyone gives it up and falls asleep. We look up at the brilliant stars through the tree boughs and enjoy a few moments of quiet, reflecting on our trip thus far. Casually, I mention something about how we should bang pots and pans together in the event of bear presence, just as we hear a ruckus in the woods. Dave turns to me and asks, “Well…time for bed?” Yes, indeed. Time to head in!