Our first stop Saturday morning was not very far from our campsite; we drove across the park to the lake. Eel Lake is a lovely little lake, apparently undeveloped except for the park and a fishing dock. Molly waded in the lake, and played with two Golden Retrievers; they fetched a stick from the lake, and she dashed around after them and looked excited. Molly and I walked a little way on a trail that circles the lake while Sandeep sat on the shore and worked on his trip journal.
We made it at least one mile down the road before our next stop: a trail out to the dunes. I had read a few lines about the “famous Oregon dunes” but wasn’t expecting much more than a big beach, so I was amazed to come out of a beautiful wooded path onto something that looked like the Sahara desert. Huge sand dunes with just a few patches of beachy grass stretch two miles out to the ocean. That’s a REALLY big beach! The dry sand blows and makes ripples, and I sat at the top of one dune and slid down the side (and had sand in my pants for the rest of the day). We took Molly off the leash and she ran and ran in big circles, just like she does on the beach. Then she sat on top of a big dune, squinting into the blowing sand. The path to the dunes was remarkable, too; the sign at the trailhead said that all the ground along the trail was atop old sand dunes (and we could see the sand spilling out of areas where the dirt had eroded), but the vegetation was thick, with trees and plants of all kinds. We saw the strangest small trees, with their old grey interior wood mostly covered with bright red bark like a skin.
We followed Highway 101 down the Oregon coast, stopping at a lovely beach to greet, officially, the Pacific Ocean. I greeted it more enthusiastically than I meant to, as a big wave soaked my pant legs and shoes before I could leap out of the way. Molly ran on the beach, lay in the water, and ineffectually stalked the seagulls. Sandeep chased Molly, investigated a big stretch of blue-green rocks, and waved his arms in the wind. I took photographs and tried not to be too jealous of two girls riding their horses, bareback, on the sand. We love the beach!
We crossed into California, and drove through some of Redwood National Park. The amazing trees line both sides of the road, standing so very tall and straight. Tomorrow, we’re going to spend a little time hiking in amongst them. We’re also very impressed with the California wildlife, as it is very compliant with posted signs. We passed a sign saying “Elk Crossing Next 2 Miles” and, about a half mile later, saw two elk, crossing the road. Then, a sign said “Elk Viewing Area in 1/2 Mile” and in a field just a bit down the road, there stood about thirty elk, grazing next to the road. We stopped with many others to watch them, and were treated to an elk melodrama. The big male (Sandeep named him Jim) was busy keeping an eye on his herd, bustling around and snorting at them to behave. Then another male (Mike) approached from the side, casually, as if he were only interested in the grass. Jim made a little dash at him, and Mike veered off towards the woods. Jim continued issuing instructions to his herd, and occasionally posing for photographs in front of the parked cars. Suddenly, Mike came back in a hurry, as if he had suddenly worked up his courage and decided to take a chance. He trotted around the herd, sniffing the females and keeping a wary eye on Jim. Jim made a threatening gesture, and Mike ignored him, keeping the herd between himself and Jim. Then, Jim ran at him, and Mike ran across the road and off into the woods on the other side. Someone in the audience threw Jim an apple. The end!
We watched the sun set over the ocean at a little beach by the side of the road. Now, we’re KAMPED for the night in Eureka, California, and I have had time and wi-fi access to catch up with words and photos while my kind husband cooks dinner. The menu? Rice and beans, of course! Thank you, Sandeep.
No comments:
Post a Comment