And in THIS corner ... OR Eureka! I think we found it!

We arrived at Eureka, California yesterday about 5:00 in the afternoon.  It's a very nice town.  For the most part it looks stuck in the Victorian age.  I'm guessing that it was settled for the most part in the 1800s and the houses show it, BUT they've been upkept well so they still look pretty nice.  After church services this morning we took a drive to the Redwood National and State Park about an hour north of town.  That's 40 miles away!  The roads up here twist and turn going both up and down the mountains, so speed limits are slow (and need to be) sometimes.

The giant redwood trees (sequoia sempervirens) are related to the Sequoia trees (sequoiadendron giganteum) from our last post.  The sequoia trees only grow on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains (nowhere else in the world) between 5000 and 7000 feet of elevation.  The giant redwoods grow only along the coast of the Northern California and nowhere else.

Remember how the Sequoia trees are the largest trees in the world, by VOLUME.  Well, the Giant Redwoods are the TALLEST trees in the world.  They grow up to about 375 feet tall.  The other thing that is quite different about their environs is that since the giant redwoods grow along the coast there is a TON and 2/3 of undergrowth - mostly ferns.

Mentioning the ferns brings up an interesting point.  If I were to ask "What is the largest rainforest in the world?" I'm pretty certain that 80% of the people in the world would answer "The Amazon River Basin" BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!! WE HAVE A LOSER!  The Amazon River Basin is the largest TROPICAL rainforest.  The world's largest rain forest stretches along the Pacific ocean from Northern California northward through the coast of Oregon, Washington, British Columbia (Canada) and the lower peninsula of Alaska.

Now it's time to share some pictures of our drive to the Redwood National and State Park:

ABOVE: If you look very closely along the water line you see some people walking along the water. Knowing that gives you a good sense of perspective for how big this beach is.

ABOVE: A picture of the coast showing the fog that seems perpetual 

along parts of the coast line.

ABOVE:  On the way to the park you drive along the Pacific Ocean.  Here are two

 shots showing some of the megaliths (large stones) sitting off the points on the coast.

ABOVE: On the way to the park we saw a herd of wild elk.  Since they are a protected species (out of season) they can wander anywhere they desire.

ABOVE: Irene is standing inside the base of this burned out (but NOT dead) Redwood.

ABOVE:  Here I stand, Lord of NOTHING I survey!

ABOVE 2 Pictures:  This tree NEEDED a hug!

ABOVE:  Jim standing at the base of another large tree

ABOVE: "You can NOT see the tree behind me, can you?"

ABOVE:  Have you ever heard the one about the tree with a monstrous growth at its roots?

ABOVE: A tree growing on another tree.  It actually uses the tree 

it's growing out of for nutrients.

ABOVE A moss covered tree.  This one is not a redwood.