Ride to the Redwoods (Day 4)

Today we woke to overcast skies, so we decided to be on our way to the Redwoods, rather than do any short hikes near Crater Lake. It looked like it might rain, and we didn't want to get caught in it.

The drive to our next destination, Crescent City, California, was about 3 hours. We drove first through Grant's Pass, Oregon, where we stopped at a sporting goods store for Will. He brought his older hiking boots, and the sole came off after our first day of hiking. Oops. So he needed to buy some new boots or shoes. He opted for some reasonably priced hiking shoes. We grabbed Subway for lunch and hit the road again.

The second part of the drive was a bit too curvy for all of us. I gave Ethan some Dramamine, and even took some myself. Ethan felt fine. Eleanor refused the Dramamine and then whined the whole last half hour that her stomach hurt. The surroundings are beautiful, no doubt, but these Chicagoans are not used to so many twists, turns, ups, and downs. (Lisa, you would have been unhappy.) It was obvious when we hit Redwood National Park because the tree trunk size increased dramatically. The kids were trying to find the biggest ones. These giants will be fun to explore the next few days.

We found our cabin easily, a small place on the property of a Mr. Mike O'Connell. He was working in his beautiful garden when we came up. So friendly, he was very accommodating and had the kids happily picking blueberries in no time. Eleanor's stomach ache was miraculously cured.

The cabin consists of a small bedroom, a living room with futon, an eat in kitchen, and a bathroom. Mike was nice enough to provide us with an air mattress and sleeping bags for options for the kids. Eleanor wants to sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor, and Ethan chose the futon. Will's and my bed looks like barely a full bed, and I'm pretty sure our feet will hang off the end. :)

We got ourselves settled in the cabin and then got back in the car for a ride into Crescent City. The town itself is pretty tired, but fine. We found access to a beach and introduced the kids to the Pacific Ocean. It was actually a bay, so we were missing the waves. It was low tide, and the kids could have stayed there forever, drawing with feathers and building a dam to protect their drawings. There was a very large pier nearby, so Ethan and I went to explore. Many people were fishing or crabbing. Our host Mike told us people will sell fish right from the pier. Talk about fresh.

Eventually, we dragged the kids away from the beach (Eleanor was pretty wet/sandy), and we hit the Safeway. Back at home, I made a salad and spaghetti while the kids bathed. We let the kids watch Chopped in the living room during dinner because a) we didn't have the energy to say no, and b) our small kitchen table was still filled with groceries. It will soon be bedtime here.

Not sure what, exactly, we will do tomorrow, but I know it will involve lots of trees, likely a river, and maybe some ocean time, too. Mike has plenty of ideas for us that all sound great.