I wanted to drive the Lost Coast Road north of Ft. Bragg since it is very sparsely trafficked and runs through a desolate region of California. It is also the meeting point of many of the earthquake fault plates. As a result, the area has more earthquakes than other places in California. I wanted to be able to say I had done it and survived. It didn’t happen as planned, since I learned about the magnificent redwood forests at the end of CA-1 in Northern California near Eureka and decided to take that drive instead. Kathy was happy with the change of plans, and I must say the drive along the Avenue of the Giants was awesome. California’s Humboldt Redwood State Park is home to the world’s oldest standing forest. There are older individual trees in other places, but this forest has stood for over 2,000 years and what remains is from what was once the planet’s largest forest. Many of the trees are over 360 feet tall (the tallest trees in the world), and the deep shadow the canopy produces is ethereal. We found ourselves pulled towards walking amongst these magnificent trees many times. I also drove the van through the hollowed-out part of the Chandelier Tree, which is a mere 315 feet tall, but still growing. It was a fantastic drive.

Once in Eureka, we settled into our motel, and went to eat at a restaurant next door. All of the sudden, the building began to shake. Yip, it was a mild earthquake. So, I had my earthquake fix in what I discovered to be the most northern point of the Lost Coast. What a day! WEG