Redwoods Vacation!

I've wanted to see the Redwoods for a long time now.  With the increase in wildfires as of late, I worried that the trees would burn down in a raging inferno before I ever crossed that item off my bucket list.

So we decided to go the Redwoods on vacation this year.  I'm crowd-adverse so I didn't want to go in the height of tourist season.  We scheduled our adventure for the last week in September and anxiously awaited our trip.

Here's the thing I didn't know about the Redwoods.  It isn't just one specific place where you go and see "The Redwoods."  It's actually a large-spanning forested area in northern California where you show up and see what you can find. We weren't sure where to go or what to do or how to maximize our Redwoods experience.  From that standpoint, it was a strange trip.  But, we did manage to see some enormous trees and made some lasting memories along the way.

And that's the point of vacation.  

I admit that we also hit some bumps during our journey.  Kitty was sick our first couple of days on the road and graciously passed it on to Booney.  There's something magical about paying for a hotel room and a family experience, only to be laying in bed coughing and wanting to die for part of it. We also hit a bump when we tried to ride dune buggies and the guys informed us they weren't taking any more buggies out for the day, even though we arrived BEFORE their advertised closing time.  I also spilled an entire cup of lemonade onto the floor of the car.  

It rained like Noah had just set sail in his ark as we attempted to hike around the Trees of Mystery, but boy was it breathtaking.  And we were all alone because of the storm.

There were no sea lions waiting for us in the Sea Lion caves, and we paid $10 to drive through a tree that looked like Jed Clampett was maintaining. Our Prius could barely squeeze through.  

 

BUT - in spite of it all, our fun times far outweighed the bumps.  

We saw loads of animals at Wildlife Safari park and Great Cats World Park, and experienced a hurricane in a tube. Kitty still talks about the hot dog she ate at the Wildlife Safari park.  We ate lunch overlooking the lemurs and it was all very magical.  Apparently it ranks as the best hot dog she's ever eaten.  

We got to pet a tiger shark, see a seal show, and hold starfish at Ocean World.  We also went ziplining through the tree tops, where Kitty faced her fears and came out the victor. 

We were amazed and intrigued at Ripley's Believe or Not museum, where Kitty stuffed her entire body into a small box.  We also found a secluded trail and enjoyed a hike through a forest of enormous trees. 

And to top it all off, we defied the laws of nature at the Oregon Vortex and House of Mystery.

What a great vacation we had!  "Visit the Redwoods" is officially crossed off the bucket list.