Howland Hill Road Archives - the spotted tail

Still Alive and On the Road Report and Photo Essay

Thank you for reading this still alive and on the road report. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to post, so here are the highlights.

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Smoke from the Park Fire, near Chico.

After leaving Maxx and Catalina, we drove to Red Bluff to visit with our daughter-in-law, Allison. Unfortunately we brought some head crud we caught from some of those kids at the previous stop, and spent several days lying around trying to get rid of it. Plus, the temperature in Red Bluff was over 100 every day, so while we went walking at sunset, it’s not like we wanted to get out and have fun in the sun. I did get my oil changed.

A CalFire chopper, getting water to fight said fire.

Sunset at Red Bluff.

Our walking path.

This grass grows everywhere. It’s a mystery why there aren’t more fires.

We left Red Bluff and visited Salt Point State Park, a favorite of mine from our last trip to California. We were in fog much of the time we were there- I was unable to get the sunset pictures I had fantasized about. But it was chilly, finally, the reason we left Florida in the first place.

Waves at Salt Point.

The sun sets into a fog bank off Salt Point.

We left Salt Point and drove to Boise Creek campground, a USFS facility. What it lacked in amenities (it did have water and pit toilets) it made up for with highway noise, being just off CA 299. Maxx joined us here, and is still accompanying us. We found some blackberry bushes for some delicious snacking, and watched folks swimming in the Trinity River, one of Alex’s preferred fishing spots.

On the Damnation Creek trail.

Burl with ferns on a large redwood tree.

The fog made the scene magical.

Small trees, fuzzy with moss, along the trail.

When finished there, we returned to the coast. Our next stop was Del Norte Redwoods State Park, where we camped at the Mill Creek campground. We took one of the most magical walks of any year on the Damnation Creek trail. Tendrils of fog weaved there way through giant coastal redwoods, beyond enchanting.

Mill Creek, near our campsite.

An ent, right next to our campsite. Fortunately it stayed asleep the entire time we were there.

A drive down Howland Road followed, with stops for walks through the Grove of the Titans and Stout Grove. We as a race are SO lucky that loggers did not cut down every single big tree like they did in the East.