Another beautiful day in the redwoods.

Spent the day meandering through the trails of the redwoods. It would be hard to say that these forests aren't incredibly breathtaking. The enormity of the trees is mind boggling. And their ability to survive is inspiring.

We also took a trip to the eternal forest where a small group of people I habit homes made out of trees some about 20 ft in diameter.

We finished the day with a trip back to the eel riverside although in a different location this time we took about a mile hike or more through the forest the the river where we encountered a banana slug:). The river was quite shallow and warms and there were a ton of baby trout swimming around our feet. It was truly beautiful and hard to remember that we were on the river. Elliot spent much of his time skipping rocks and Grace found some sand which made her very happy.

We enjoyed foil dinners in the evening which is always a highlight.

It was yet another day of enjoying each others company and this beautiful world.

Grace prayed for dinner last night and thanked God for family vacation and a mom and dad. I couldn't help but smile in thankfulness as well this has been a trip of many memories:)

Walking through the redwoods and the eel river

Yesterday morning I woke up violently ill. It took me a better part of the morning to feel better. This don't stop us from having fun though:). And I must add no one else got sick so that's pretty great:)

We Started the morning with a nature hike followed by jr. Rangers. Grace has become quite fond of this particular ranger as she is a girl and has a natural liking for kids. It was interesting she could really pull Grace out of her shell.

It was really warm yesterday so we took advantage and spent a chunk of time lazing by the river which was actually quite warm. And it was double nice to be out of our jeans and sweatshirts that have become our uniform for the trip:)
Later in the day we drove our car through a giant tree in Myers Flat and explored some two store treehouses made out of old tree stumps. Elliot saw a six foot long chainsaw blade and was quite impressed.

For dinner we indulged in chili in a fritz chip bag. Surprisingly it was a crowd pleaser and I think it will becoming a camping must have for future trips.

Our kids have stolen the funny papers that lines the cabinets of our trailer and have been reading them constantly. Who would of thought they could provide so much entertainment.

Tomorrow we will head back to Oregon and although the redwoods have been nice Oregon has been our favorite. So off to the dunes we will go.

Driving to the redwoods.

Yesterday was another driving day. We headed from humbug mt. to humboldt county CA to the campground referred as hidden spring along the avenue of the redwoods. The trip was to take about 4 hours but as we have come to learn it usually takes a bit longer to get from a to b on the open road. So it took about 6 hours to get to our newest address.

We finished the evening with a ranger led campfire program complete with trivia on the park and a bit of silly singing.

I have come to love road trippin. It's whole bunches of fun. The kids continue to be good sports. Yesterday we may have gotten lost and I like to start up a game of "next person who sees something awesome gets a high five.". It passes the time and everyone's version of awesome is something different:)

Today when we were on a ranger tour though the forest Grace turned around declared,"I need a high five.". Turned out she did as we saw a giant redwood that had been uprooted...it was awesome:)

Battle Rock

What a fun day. We traveled into town-port orford- to is it a tiny farmers market, do some more beach combing and explore a bit more. The Kids built a bridge and grace and I built a sand city with a rocky road.

In the evening we went for a beach hike with the ranger and learned about the food chain in the ocean. We like to learn I have found we are big nerds.

The kids also went to junior rangers and got their gold badges. They have so much fun with that.

We finished the evening with games at the table inside... Lots of giggling and joshin around.

Beach day.

Yesterday we spent the day exploring the beach. There's a beach a short walk from our campground we call it Humbug beach. It was a lot of fun to run around and play in the sand. However the waves here are not to e messed with or frolicked in sneaker waves are a big threat so we played I the surf if it came way up and watched the harbor seals bob in the waves. Grace ran around with her arms spread wide like an eagle she was in her own world dancing and singing and occasionally rolling in the sand. It was like a scene from the sound of music. The beach is her heartbeat:)

We spent the afternoon riding bikes- Elliot had a huge wipeout - and lazing around reading books painting nails and playing games.

The camp host is staying next to us an turned us in to a local beach called agate beach where you can find to a of just that agates. This was so fun and much like a treasure hunt. Elliot loved the challenge and found much joy in this activity with comments of, " isn't this fun mom.". This is always a sign of happiness with my kids.

The kids have also enjoyed being a part of the junior ranger program - something my siblings and I did as kids when we were young- and are working very hard at earning their badges which they should receive tomorrow. The park also has evening programs where the teach about subjects pertaining to the area. Last night was how to tell the difference between a harbor seal, elephant seal, California sea lion and a stellar sea lion, we all found it very interesting.

I am constantly reminded how important our summer vacations are.. It is so nice to be away from it all. And the fun of exploring together and seeing new things is invaluable.