7-5-17

We woke to an alarm but took our time getting motivated. We arrived at the Redwoods Visitor center a little after 9:00. We watched the park movie, and then went on a walk in the Lady Bird Johnson Grove. We felt oddly under dressed because it was about 55 degrees and we had on shorts and sweatshirts and everyone else was wearing long pants, shirts and rain jackets. Our hands were cool but I found the temp and the moist air refreshing. We were early enough to the grove that no human sounds were happening and you could hear the moisture from the ever present fog dripping off the leaves and needles of the trees onto the ferns and other plants on the forest floor. The sound of our feet on the earth and the quiet was so peaceful and we left there feeling happy and positive. Back in the visitor center to complete another junior ranger badge and then we were on our way. 

We are still using paper maps but every once in a while, we check maps on the phone to see if the route we have chosen is the quickest or if a road is closed. Maps indicated our drive to Whiskeytown National Recreation Area was going to be 4 hours but it also has us going through dirt forest service roads to avoid three one lane road delays on Hwy 299 where they were making repairs from landslides. I stuck with the road and the drive was beautiful. Curvy roads along three different rivers that all eventually fed into Whiskeytown. It took us over the coastal mountain range of California back into the valley before the Cascade range. I would definitely recommend this route as a fun drive. 

We pulled in to the visitor center at 3:30 and they were scheduled to close 4:00. We got our information and a junior ranger badge and then headed in to Redding. I already need another oil change and service but the dealership here could not fit us in. We bought groceries and sent home a package of sleeping bags, pillows, blankets and cold weather clothes. The temperature was 100 degrees in Redding and we had already changed our last camping reservation to a hotel. Despite the cold sleeping we have experienced, we both will miss the cooler temperatures of the elevations of the Pacific Northwest. We ate dinner and then went back up to the lake to explore the area including the dam and head over to the marina for a moonlight kayak tour. The water was nice and we had a good time exploring the coves. As we were walking from the lake shore to our car after stowing our kayak, Lorelei noticed a deer munching the grass in the parking lot about 10 feet from us. I never would have seen him as he was in total darkness and shadow.  He walked towards the lake and we quickly deck changed in to dry clothes to go to the hotel. We arrived about 10:30 and I stayed up until 12:15 doing laundry and other things.