Feels appropriate driving South down the West Coast Highway (101). It’s like the road trip road.
The cold weather starting to set in left me with some 4 degree nights… Not the most ideal for car camping.
But let me tell you… Finally being able to dry out after a month plus in upper WA is one of the greatest feelings that I thought I would never recognize. I had a fantastic experience in the Pacific Northwest (as you can see here and here), but I don’t think I fully realized what the conditions were like until I got out of them.
Warmer days and less rain? Yes, please!
After some unfortunate events took place (poor sugar), landing me in Portland, Oregon for ~1 week with a blown transmission; I was back on the road and slowly rolling down the windows more and more as I made my way south.
Windows down didn’t last as long as I was hoping for, as I started to gain some elevation heading into my next National Park.
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
I continued South on the West Coast Highway, and turned inland to hit 6,100 ft elevation, and BAM! I take a couple turns and right in front of me, the remnants of Mount Mazama, the volcano who wrote the history of this national park. An eruption 7,700 years ago left a breathtaking caldera (empty lava chamber), that filled with rain waters and snow melt.
Crater Lake National Park is one of those places that is definitely a beautiful thing to look at, but the true interest (for me, at least) is the history behind it all. As the country’s deepest lake (9th deepest in the world), I sort of just got lost staring into the depths, imagining what once was.
Before we move on… Let me tell you about the weather here, at Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. HOLY SMOKES! It got dang cold! I car camped (per usual) for multiple nights while exploring this place, and two of my nights were in the single digits. One being only 4 degrees Fahrenheit (before factoring in the wind-chill). Imagine waking up in the morning, and trying to get out of your vehicle, only to find that you are FROZEN in.
I don’t like to idle my car, but these couple mornings I didn’t know what else to do to get to a manageable temperature other than to run some heat.
Would I do it again? Heck yeah! Would I probably complain about the freaking cold temperatures again? Heck yeah.
“…only you”
Back on the west coast highway, and down to lower elevations.. “Now we’re grooving!”
Windows down, music up, and holy ******* ****! These trees are dumb tall!
(My bad, Mom.)
Redwoods National Park, California
200-250 feet tall is the average height of a mature Coastal Redwood tree. Pardon my previous use of French, but when you are in a forest of trees that average the same height as a 25-story building, I can promise you, your grandmother would even be slipping some question vocabulary.
“The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always. No one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable. From them comes silence and awe. It’s not only their unbelievable stature, nor the color which seems to shift and vary under your eyes, no, they are not like any trees we know, they are ambassadors from another time
John Steinbeck
Thanks, John. I don’t think I could format anything near that other than feeling insignificantly small when standing amongst these giants.
Everything in this dang park does a fantastic job of separating you from reality. I spent hours (literally) with my head fully cocked back, staring into what would be the sky, but just a massive canopy being supported by some of the most magnificent trees I could have ever imagined.
Just when I thought the Redwoods have shown me all they have to offer..
Camping in the Coastal Redwood Forests of California was by far one of the coolest experiences I have had. Ever.
Not only was I able to pull up onto a beach right off the west coast highway, overlook the Pacific Ocean to one side and mountain full of gigantic Redwoods to the other, but I was also greeted by one of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen to date. Not to mention that the weather in the Redwood National and State Parks was absolutely incredible for the time of year. During the day I was hiking around in just a t-shirt, and when the sun went down, it was a comfortable camping temperature somewhere in the 50s range.
PS: I know I like to talk about Jurassic Park, and compare things to the imaginary, but this time was the real deal! That last picture up there. All the way on the right. That is Fern Canyon, located in Redwoods National Park, California. It is a real film site for Jurassic Park: the Lost World. And I got to spend an entire day hiking through it, and imagining myself among the prehistoric beasts!
“Adam, what’s your favorite dinosaur?”
… I don’t know how exactly this relates to me traveling.. Thanks for interrupting. But for the sake of not leaving you hanging, I can honestly say that I don’t think any one particular dinosaur stands above the others in my opinion. I mean sheesh, I never even got to meet one to judge it.
That being said though, the Ankylosaurus and Mosasaurus are pretty sweet.
But wait! There is more!
After spending a few days meandering around the nation’s 2nd capital for fishing and kayaking (Redding, California), I made my way east towards a lesser-known national park…
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Located on the eastern side of California, this smaller park sits in a glacial canyon and is home to some of the same features one might find at Yellowstone National Park (which I wrote about here). A bit underwhelmed with what Lassen Volcanic National Park has to offer, probably due to the season, it was still a cool opportunity to re-visit some of the unique qualities I saw in Yellowstone.
Boiling mud pots, geysers, hot springs, and fumaroles are dispersed across this still active volcanic area. On top of that, it’s even listed as one of the most volcanically active areas of the world!
I will say though, Lassen is pretty easy to explore (especially if the roads are open when you visit). I was a bit worried about if I would be able to find anywhere to stay nearby, giving me easy access to and from the park while I spent my days doing some exploring. But, Lassen Volcanic National Park camping is by far the easiest I have yet to encounter. During the off-season (Labor Day – Memorial Day), the park service lets you stay overnight at their main visitor center.. for free! That’s a huge bonus for those who don’t mind hunkering down in their vehicle.
Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed my time at this park, and had a blast wandering through what might be considered the most dangerous place I have visited yet. Given the right circumstances, I would probably come back as well. Afterall, it is home to some environmental features that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world.
Cheers?
