Squatters in the Redwoods - Rest Stop Adventures

The first stand of redwood trees we came across in California was breathtaking!
Little did we know we would discover squatters in the redwoods.
True story…
Even though we were having so much fun on our trip, it sure did feel good to be back in California. Our kids didn’t love being woken up, then dragged from their car seats for a family picture in front of the California sign.
But I think it was worth it.
(The sign is amazing and I think it would look fabulous in my living room.)

As soon as we saw the HUGE trees we pulled our little RV over for for some exploring. Everything looked bigger. Even the plants and flowers looked oversized and we felt like were went back it time. We saw a giant slug climbing and took a picture for scale. HUGE. And I have really big man hands so this thing is really a doozy.

I have never seen anything like it! (Side Note: One of the destinations in the book 1,000 Places that can Change your Child’s Life, is the Muir Redwoods, but that wasn’t on our route.) This was my first time seeing the Redwoods and I’m still in awe. I really can’t believe they exist. The best comment was from Eli. “I feel like I’m in the last Star Wars movie on Endor!!!”
I did too.

We decided we would take a little stroll on one of the natural footpaths. Our cell phones didn’t get reception so I felt completely off the grid. And because everything was so much larger than life, I felt small. We saw a dry fast food wrapper on the ground.
Darn people leaving stuff in the majestic Redwoods!

So we are walking around one of the giant trees on the side of a bit of a hill. We can see the roots at the base of the tree make a cave that goes deep into the ground.
Like a huge room.
In fact, it’s so deep all we can see is darkness.
And sleeping bags.
And blankets.
We joked that someone could be in there, and we wouldn’t even know.
As we walk a bit farther we see a split stump of a giant Redwood.
And in the stump is laundry.
Yep, laundry for washing and being hung to dry.
Wait a second, that fast food wrapper was dry… nothing is dry here.
It’s the freakin’ Redwoods… everything is spritzed with a fresh coat of dew.
Everything but that fast food wrapper left by creepy hippies living off the grid.
Oh yeah, our cell phones don’t work so are screwed if they decide to attack.
Then Brad and I had the heeby-jeebies and booked it outta there with the kiddos.
(Honestly, I’m feeling a little uncomfortable just thinking about that moment.)

We left and found Crescent City Park and after that we found some happy Redwoods.
On the grid.
You can never be too careful when it come to hippies.
Brad got clever with the panoramic setting and took this picture vertically up the tree. It’s pretty neat, even though it squashes our faces a bit.

Things to know if you go…

You can pull out at any turnout for some great photos and to have your mind blown.
The best I can tell from the map, the squatters were near the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park, and the happy pix were taken near Del Norte Coast Redwood State Park.
Watch out for hippies.

Day 12 – Traveled 9 miles
(for part 3 of Rest Stop Adventures)