Trip 9 - California Dreamin'

On this trip we set out to immerse ourselves in the culture and the nature of California. To discover its textures and see some of its natural wonders. We discover that California is very big. It is not a state that you can just pass through, it is, more than any other place we have visited, more like another country. It is a land dominated by mountains, the spaces between and like nowhere else, water.
Our start in the heavily populated area to the East of Los Angeles, known as the Inland Empire, is crowded into the lowlands surrounded by magnificent mountains. The feeling is of a cauldron which is trying to boil over the mountains to the fresh air of the rest of the state.
To the South is a band of Desert, which is the buffer to Mexico, which we did not explore on this trip.
We travelled North through the mountains (everywhere in California you can see mountains) to the desert, and on again to the huge Central Valley, mile after mile of intensive agriculture. Culture here is dominated by food, flatness, low income and trying to impact on the 'sameness' of the flat lands through music and festival. It is the communication and administrative corridor that links all other areas of California.
To the East is the huge mountain chain of the Sierra Nevada which clearly demonstrates the magnificence of the natural world, both in its geology and nature, reflected in the pysche and pride of most Californians. It is Eldorado, dominated by Gold!
To the West of the Central Valley are the coastal mountains, San Francisco and the magnificent coast. More isolated cultures, from mixed resources, communities seperated by mountains.
To the North of the Central Valley more mountains and a culture which looks more North towards Oregon than South to Sacremento.
This blog details our journey through California, where we pick and choose, or just scratch the surface, of this diverse and beautiful state.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Tree Hugging Day


Today we are driving down U.S.101 through the Humboldt Redwood State Park. We have taken the scenic byway, which winds for 31 miles through some of the biggest Redwood trees. Words and photos cannot express the feelings as we walk among the silent giants. On our first stop we just sat and listened to the silence, then we picked out a slight pitter patter, even though the sun was shining under the forest canopy is was gently raining, I don't know if it was condensation, or droplets falling from the branches, but it was very strange. We made many stops to look at some of the larger trees. Most interesting was the visitor's Center which had a National Geographic film about the Redwoods and climbing them to find the highest (379ft) and study the topmost branches, which have their own ecosystem with soil, flowers, ferns, small trees and animals, some of which never leave the tree they live in. Fascinating. It also described the 'Tree Wars of the nineties when protesters managed to stop the logging of the last of the Old Growth Redwoods (up to 2000 years old), enabling us to continue to enjoy these amazing trees. We also visited the third largest of these trees and were distinctly impressed by its size.
Tonight we have stopped at Standish Hickey State Park. Even on a Friday night it is completely empty, we are alone in the woods with the bears and things. One good feature is that because there is no Camp Host we have nabbed the Camp Host spot, which means we have full Hook Up! and can keep warm using their electricity. We are not surprised that the park is empty as they charge $35 per night for very small sites and no facilities.
Posted by fastrak at 9:19 PM

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