The Land of Giants and Danger Signs

From Steve: Danger Signs

Today I took a shower in the redwood forest. The showerhead was only 3 foot high and was used for filling up water jugs. I squatted under the cold water and it poured over my head and naked body like a waterfall. Too early for anyone to be up! I begin to look around and see and feel the beauty of this sanctuary. Our little camp chairs tilt upward and we take in the sunlight. The road is Avenue of the Giants and the hidden treasure is Humboldt State Park in northern California.

The morning mosquitoes have set in so I need to write fast. Why is there so much bear talk in all these campgrounds. I have Imagined hundreds of black bears and grizzly‘s coming out of nowhere to scare the living crap out of me. Yesterday we bought a bear horn and bells for ankles and still no bears yet.  I have seen millions of mosquitoes why not huge signs and warnings about mosquitoes,THE REAL MENACE OF THE WOODS. In Oregon on almost every Cove we saw signs warning us of tsunami‘s,……..REALLY.  My understanding of tsunami‘s is by the time you see one it’s all over. As we went into the Pacific in south Oregon there were numerous signs to watch for sneaker waves. I couldn’t help but imagine a wave with sneakers on. 👟👟 

I would like to see signs that say 

DANGER : HUMAN BEINGS IN THE AREA

And as you drive into town, WATCH OUT FOR CAPITALISTS

Or at nearly every intersection, DANGER FAST FOOD!

In super markets, CAUTION : WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO THIS FOOD

Anyway it’s fun being dwarfed in this land of Giants. The redwoods feel like parents watching us over us. Reminding us to slow down and not be in a hurry to get anywhere. After all they say, we’ve been here for 150 years, what’s the rush to see new places, it’s quiet here, enjoy the sunshine.

Sometime during the day I have a hankering for home, missing home, wanting to be home. Sort of a paradox, we left a week ago and we are only 400 miles down the road. Driving just doesn’t appeal much. Sitting does.

Did you see the DAILY NEWS SPECIAL. COUPLE TRAPPED IN REDWOOD FOREST FOR 60 years

Still had plenty of food and shelter! 

“We wanted to go home but it was too far to walk and we decided to wait until we felt like driving.” Steve Erickson claimed to be 134 years old and his wife Debbie Good was 128. When asked about their longevity, they replied “”it’s not unusual, seems like everything lives this long out here!

And from DEBBIE The Land of Giants

What luxury. 2 nights along the Rogue River at Lobster Creek. 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Kayak on the river in the morning and swim in the ocean in the evening. Time to cook a great meal and even put out the tablecloth. Fine dining for sure. A campfire perfect for reflecting in the day’s travel and dreams of what’s next. 

This southern jaunt down 101 is so easy and so beautiful. But there are merits to beginning to head west too. Whatever; there is joy and beauty and mystery everywhere. We can’t possibly take it all in so why worry about missing something? 

Two nights in a row we met really awesome couples from California. One of them sleeping in the back of their Prius (super clever set-up) The other had a really cool Little Guy Teardrop. Each couple were travelers and dreamers. I would love to get to know them better. The first couple were therapist/social workers. They spoke our emotional language. The second couple were teardrop adventurers who traveled with 4 rescue pups. They spoke our compassionate adventurers language. We seem to speak many languages. These languages cross many borders. Age, race, socio-economic, faith, pop culture, music, medicinals…well, lots of crossings. Isn’t that wonderful? I feel so multi-lingual. And no apps required. Just a healthy dose of consciousness.

We’re at Lobster Creek on the Rogue River. Lobsters? Really? Suspend disbelief Debbie. How can there be a lobster in a creek?  But hey, our neighbor saw a seal yesterday while kayaking so why not a lobster 🦞 

Well, we exchanged contact information with both couples and invited them to visit in North Carolina. In parting both couples suggested we visit in the Redwood Forest. So that’s what we’ll do. A full day of hiking. Hooray!

At this point I have stopped thinking we are lucky. This is just the way it is. We found our campsite at Lobster Creek because we stopped to admire that teardrop. While chatting the folks next door said they were leaving soon. Would we like their spot?  Hell yeah, I want your spot! After hiking in the most amazing place we had no idea where we would sleep. We saw a sign for Hidden Springs Campground. Fits our theme, right?  So we made the turn and found ourselves on a scenic by-way of a scenic by-way. Who knew you could double-up on by-way beauty. Anyway, after a couple of u-turns (Steve’s specialty) we drove in absolute awe down the Avenue of the Giants to Hidden Springs. 

We hiked with the Giants. Slept with the Giants. Sat quietly with the Giants. This Treasure Hunt is amazing.