No. California/Redwood Highway

Friday I drove from Medford, Oregon, which is about 115 miles inland from the Pacific coast, SW on Hwy 199 to Crescent City, CA and then south to my hometown, Eureka, along Hwy. 101. I've traveled this beautiful route many times but will never tire of it...there is so much scenery to see...this was the first time I've been to my hometown during wildflower season since I began photographing wildflowers, and I took my time along this route, stopping in a couple of spots for the first time also...

Just south of a small town called Gasquet, there's a botanical point-of-interest I'd always wondered about...I stopped there for the first time and discovered a small trail loop that leads to Darlingtonia Bog, which was like a large 'pit' of cobra lilies! Can you see where they got their name?!

Also along the trail were these pretty lavender flowers (above), and the very unique-looking zygadene lily (below)...I saw a type of wren flitting about too but couldn't get a photo...

Further along Hwy 199 reaches the Smith River...I took a river access road for the first time, partway, stopping to get some photos of wildflowers and one of the bridges over the river...the flower below looks like it's from the rose family...

Below is fire pink...it was growing on the very edge of the ridge above the river so I was very careful when I took this photo...

Wild cucumber (below) was also growing in this area...it grows in the Black Hills too...

The Redwoods version of a wild tiger lily (below) is different than the one in the Black Hills...

And the same goes for the wild honeysuckle (below)...the Black Hills version is dark yellow...

Below is just a portion of a redwood tree...if you've never seen a redwood forest, you really should...Hwy 199 reaches the redwoods along the Smith River near the coast...

If you look more closely under the redwood canopy, you will find many types of mushrooms...this one has dew drops...

Where I stopped, I also found this pretty white flower with purple veins...

And this neat little star flower that seemed suspended in the air...

Once reaching Crescent City at the coast, I always stop at the beach there and at the Chart Room restaurant on the marina, where I had breakfast (just like last year) and watched the sea lions and harbor seals lounging on a pier...

Life is rough, huh? The harbor seals far outnumber the sea lions...

There were seagulls of course, some hanging out with the seals, some on the rocks below the restaurant, eating crabs left by fishermen...the one below was captured just as it took off...

Free crab...they don't know how good they have it...

After breakfast, I went just down the road to the beach, where I found a few people surfing...if you surf in the Pacific ocean, you need a wetsuit, it's chilly!

It was still foggy...the fog normally burns off after noon this time of year...

Barnacles grow on the rocks on the coast, even on small stones...

Further south of Crescent City, I checked out a turn-out at a pond for the first time, Lagoon Creek it turned out to be...with a hiking/biking trail I'd love to follow some day...the pond by Hwy 101 has pond lilies growing on it right now...I first saw these flowers in Yellowstone last year...

Still further south, I just had to stop to get photos of the foxglove growing wild...

That was my last stop before heading on home...where I was reminded by dad that they have two Steller's jays nesting nearby that like to come visit around the house! One and then both of the pair just showed up in the tree outside the front glass door, so I got some photos thru the glass, then crept outside and took a few more before they flew off...did I finally get a good photo of one??

Anyway, I am now caught up w/ the photos from my trip...I hope to get out w/in two days and check out the bird life in some nearby refuge spots, like last year.