Avenue of the Giants

Okay last post about giant Redwoods for awhile, I promise. It’s just that each place I’ve gone to has had bigger trees and been even more unspoiled. Yesterday I decided to sacrifice sleep and spend my last day in Humbolt County driving the Avenue of the Giants, a 31 mile road through the largest and oldest groves of virgin redwood. We got off highway 101 and immediately were surrounded by redwoods. The towering trees made a massive canopy over the road. It was cool, dark, and so quiet. A few miles into our drive we got out for the first time at an area that had a lot of upturned trees. It was fun to crawl through the tunnels and caves made by the giant root systems. Even on their sides the trees are huge, 2-3 times wide as I am tall. The area also had a lot of ferns and moss. It was like stepping back in time, I kept waiting for the dinosaurs to show up.

Next stop was a gift shop built in a cavern under a tree. We stopped again to walk the Founder’s Grove trail, an easy 2/3 of a mile. It is a grove dedicated to the people who had the foresight to recognize the giant redwoods as a natural treasure and save it. Thank you! The redwoods are just so majestic and awe inspiring that everyone should get to experience them. What was interesting was that the trees in each place we stopped were slightly different. Some trees were more red and some were more brown, some were gnarled with uneven bark, and others were straight with smooth bark.

Last stop was to drive through a tree! I was glad Vanessa’s rental car was little, because we barely fit. She stopped in the middle to take pictures, and then she tried to get out of the car to let me in for a picture. It was a tight squeeze. Totally cheesy, but fun! Right next to the drive through tree was a little vineyard that had wine tasting. Why not? The wine was pretty rugged, since the area doesn’t get a lot of sun. My favorite was the sasquatch red, but that’s probably just because I loved the bottle. The label had a giant sasquatch lumbering through the woods.

Last stop of the day was at Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka for dinner. We were starved. I was still feeling my wine, so I skipped the beer, although I was very temped by the Apricot Wheat. Lots of people were dressed up for Halloween and they had lots of crazy decorations on the walls, so it was a fun atmosphere. Like everywhere in Humboldt County they had a lot of veggie options- I went for a portabella and spinach quesadilla. It was hot, cheesy, and yummy. Not too greasy, and the tortilla was super fresh. And since it was Halloween, and I’d yet to have a single piece of candy, I decided to spring for the apple crisp for dessert.