How this trip came to be is now part of Lokey lore. Long story short, in the fall, Burke bought plane tickets for a family event, and then we were unable to attend said event. The airline tickets were non-refundable, so we were left with Southwest vouchers that expire within the year. Spring break seemed like a good time to put these vouchers to use.
Shortly after the dust settled on this situation, we celebrated Evan's 16th birthday. As a gift, we let him pick our spring break destination. We gave him a list of four places, and he picked the redwoods! Happy birthday, babe! On our way to Eugene, OR with a long layover in Vegas.
spicy soup at a dumpling spot in Eugene
There was a Voodoo nearby. We had to stop.
We rented a car, and drove from Eugene to Crescent City, CA. It was a rainy 4-1/2 hour drive along a Pacific Ocean scenic route. I signed up for a cheaper sedan, but they offered us an upgrade at a price we were willing to pay to have some space. We enjoyed driving the Infiniti QX60.
Battle Rock City Park
Port Orford, Oregon
A couple hours into the drive, this was our first look at the ocean. Burke noticed it, hit the breaks, and turned around so we could take a closer look at the park. So grateful he spotted this small, hidden park.
Guess I've never seen real driftwood before. There was so much of it. And the beaches were so clean!
This reminds me of The Goonies, which took place in Oregon.
Whaleshead Beach
Brookings, Oregon
calla lily
No sooner had we pulled off the road to explore Whaleshead Beach, and it started raining pretty hard. So it was a quick stop.
Crescent City, California
We settled into our Airbnb, which is one of the best ones we've ever booked. Then we headed over to a local brewery, which was within walking distance.
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
Grove of the Titans and some of Mill Creek Trail
We were all astounded when we first entered this state park. It was a similar feeling to when you see the Grand Canyon. Burke said that Star Wars used the redwoods for Endor with the Ewoks. Makes sense to me. We were using words like surreal, otherworldly, mesmerizing to describe what we were seeing.
Evan hugs a tree! 🌳
action shot
I'm told we hiked 8 miles each day. My decades old hiking boots fell apart, soles came right off. Haha! Shows you how much I hike.
💚
Ryan pondering.
grateful for this pic
doesn't do it justice
After those trails, we went home for lunch and a bit of a nap. Then we drove over to a different location in Jedediah Smith State Park to check out another trail.
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
Stout Memorial Grove
Burke hugs a tree! 🌳
I hear spotting banana slugs is a special thing, so we kept our eyes peeled. Evan spotted this tall boy. He's such a great spotter. Glad he found the first one.
Then I spotted this fat one. I am not a great spotter, so I was pretty excited.
Evan started climbing.
We didn't see signs not to, so we let him explore a bit.
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
Ossagon Trail
The next day we drove south to explore Prairie Creek. We chose this trail because it led to the ocean. We did not read the description closely enough. The whole in was descending, so the entire way back was a literal uphill climb. We survived, and it's a good story. We were pretty alone on the trail, which was cool. The bench is before the trail got hard.
Burke was keeping track of how long we were hiking, and there came a point where his watch was saying we'd already gone the trail distance that was on the sign. Plus, we were getting tired of descending and increasingly concerned about the steep uphill hike that lay ahead of us.
At this point, when there were branches covering a significant amount of water, Burke and I turned back. Ryan and Evan continued on to the ocean.
Ryan and Evan planted these two sticks side by side to make their mark. No one on the beach but them. I have to imagine that was a pretty cool feeling.
I was going pretty slow on the way out, Burke was keeping a slow pace so as to not leave me behind. Of course, the boys not only caught up to us after their foray to the ocean, but they passed us. Ahh, youth! After dominating that serious trail, we went to look for the Corkscrew Tree.
The area around the Corkscrew Tree was so lush with ferns and mossy tree trunks. Breathtaking.
another treasured pic
Corkscrew Tree
After seeing the Corkscrew Tree, we were told the scenic road was closing to vehicles, so after a moment of frustration, we revised our plan, and we moved on to the Kuchel Visitor Center in Orick, California, which is right on the ocean.
this tracks - Ryan being Ryan
After the visitor center, we hiked Lady Bird Johnson Grove.
last family hiking picture of the trip
Before heading home, we stopped in an area where elk are known to be seen, and we actually saw some! Our elk pictures are from a distance, and not very clear, so I didn't post them.
We are all grateful Evan selected the redwoods for our spring break destination.
Ryan hugs a tree! 🌳
Evan is in his handstand era.
Turns out, this is one of my favorite pictures from the trip.
last family hiking picture of the trip
After that hike, we continued on Bald Hills Scenic Drive, where we got to experience a stark change in ecosystem. This is Evan's "bench" photo. You can see the ocean on the horizon.
brothers scheming to capture some "tuff flicks"
This is an example of a tuff flick, for all of you who are curious about today's slang.
Battery Point Light House
Crescent City, California
Before driving back to Eugene to catch our flight home early the next morning, we lazed around Crescent City a bit. We explored the lighthouse, beach, and harbor.
This is where I put my feet in the chilly Pacific Ocean.
We spotted some seals...
...and some very noisy sea lions in the harbor.
From here, we hit the road - headed back to Eugene, OR to catch our flight home.
Middle Fork Smith River
We pulled off the road and took a little path down to this lovely river. Smith River is said to be one of the cleanest rivers. Ryan noted that he hadn't seen water quite like this. It was a beautiful last interaction with nature.
There were not one, but two Volkswagen Buses. Burke loves VWs.
cool state sign
We found this cool brewery in Eugene called Gratitude - live music, good food/drink, cool vibe. We followed that up with ice cream from a spot we noticed on the front end of the trip.
Heading home, connecting in Denver.
Busy trip + early flight = sleepy kiddo
Hope it was a fun 16th birthday memory for him.
