Big Trees 2

Several years ago, we visited Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks but not the Coast Redwoods.  After our annual NPS trade show meeting in Portland, Redwood National and State Parks invited us to visit and perhaps make a screened print to fit our series.

Tradeshow Staff

Here’s our trade show–our 20th year!  We post on Facebook also. This year the meeting was held in Portland and we brought the whole gang.  Chuck Ziga of Ziga Media even attended from Connecticut–he publishes our calendars.  Afterwards, we all (well most) headed for the famous Oregon Pinot wine country to celebrate this anniversary. The next day, Ranger Doug and his sidekick Martina rode south to the big trees….

Big Trees

These are truly magnificent forests–and consider 95% of these trees have been harvested by the timber companies.  In 1918, the Save the Redwoods League formed and began buying up groves assembling a chain of preserves along the northern California coast now managed jointly by the National Park Service and the California State Parks.

Another Big Tree

These trees were not harvested for fancy wood products, but chopped up on sight and trucked down to the Central Valley and San Joaquin Valley mostly for grape stakes and picnic tables.  The harvesting of Redwoods continues to this day….and so does the League.

PCVC

When you visit, make sure to stop at the Visitor Centers–this one at Prairie Creek–built by the CCC.

DSCN1473

Here is the interior with a beautiful fireplace.

Big Tree

Here’s another big tree called Big Tree.  It’s over 300′ high.  The Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is 100′ taller than their mountainous Sequoia cousins.  Forest floors are filled with fern and rhododendrons.  This is spotted owl country!

 JD Grove

Wow! And we’re looking at about 5% that’s left.

Theater

In Eureka, we stopped by an old theater for a photo op. Lots of roadside attractions here.

Second Babe

Here’s one.  A 40′ concrete Paul Bunyan and his anatomically correct “Babe” the Blue Ox.  We stumbled into the little museum here and were blown away by Marylee Smith’s collections of Indian art and artifacts; defined as the largest private collection of it’s kind.

Museum

This was worth the drive alone.  Don’t miss this stop.

Tree House

Or this one–the World Famous Tree House.  We must push on to Wyoming so we drive south, but not before I break my leg tripping on a stage enroute to a piano.   I’ve always been a sucker for pianos and didn’t see the dimly lit raised stage.  Tore my knee all apart so I’m now languishing in Jackson Hole while everyone tweets their skiing to me……Stay tuned!