Day 1 - Saturday, September 26, 2026

This trip started a little different, we traveled in pairs to Eureka California.  Brenda and Peggy left at 5:45 AM and arrived in Eureka at 12 o’clock.  Lisa L and Julie left at 7 AM and arrived in Eureka at 1 o’clock.  Connie and Lisa R plan to arrive the next day.

We are staying at a house in McKinleyville, but couldn't  get in until 4pm.  So we stopped for lunch at Joe’s Green Barn. It had a nice little cozy hometown feel to it with big portions. After lunch we picked up a few groceries and by then it was 4 o’clock and time to go to our new home.

We were all pretty tired and since we had a late big lunch, we decided to snack rather than make dinner.  We had our first unofficial toasting time with chips, salsa and hummus while we caught up with each other and checked out the house. 

After lunch we headed for Clam Beach for our first view of the Pacific Ocean..  In amazing BVE fashion the sun finally came out of the clouds and we took a 2 1/2 mile walk on the beach. 

Our next stop was the world's largest totem pole according to the sign.  We were not impressed.  If was not that ornate.  And it was in the parking lot of the Safeway store.  So we picked up a few groceries before heading home.

Our next stop is Lady Bird Johnson Grove. Redwood became a National Park in 1968 during the Johnson Administration.  In 1969, President Nixon dedicated the Lady Bird Johnson Grove for her part in preserving this area. 

Took lots of pictures of giant Redwoods along the way.

By then is was 12:30, so we stopped for lunch at Trillium Falls picnic area.  After lunch we hiked to the falls.  The falls seemed small after seeing the large trees, but it was still beautiful and gave us a chance to climb on some rocks.  In this old growth forest we saw lots of downed trees and were amazed at the size of the trees and how they become nurse trees and continue the circle of life.

Back in the car, Brenda spotted a scenic vista to the ocean and pulled over. It was a great place for some group shots and to watch and listen to the ocean waves.  We met a young man who was living in a van that he and his father had tricked out.  He is going to college and working on a documentary about his mountain climbing.

Followed by a beautiful sun set!

We arrived home at 7:30. Started taking showers and getting dinner ready. Everyone was pretty tired so after dinner, we only spent a little time looking at pictures before going to bed at 10 o’clock.

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

The early birds got up around 7:30 and started making breakfast. Another delicious bowl of oatmeal with all the toppings.  Breakfast was served at 8am followed by our morning stretches.  We were in the car by 9am heading south to Humboldt County State Park.

This is also where we saw a rare albino Redwood,  Notice the white needles in the picture to the right.  There were also many trees that had been burned with large holes in the tree, yet they were still alive and thriving above the burn scars.

Humboldt Redwoods State Park has the largest remaining contiguous ancient coastal redwood forest on earth.  It has 53,000 acres and contains some of the tallest and largest trees.  We noticed the downed trees that we thought were huge earlier, were small compared to the ones we saw on this hike. 

We stopped for lunch at the picnic area at Rockefeller Forest.  We met a young couple there who's young son Noah like Peggy's cheetos.

Drove back to the house at McKinleyville and got there at six. Perfect time to sit on the deck in the sun and have toasting time together.

Then we started making leftover dinner to clean out the fridge before we leave in the morning for Redding.

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Today we travel from McKinleyville to Redding.  We had breakfast at 8:30, packed up the van, then we we were led  in our Yoga stretching by Lisa R. before getting in the car and heading to Redding and our new house.  

And that is what we did.  We had lunch at the Straw House Café looking out at the Trinity River. Cute little place with delicious food. The view of the river was gorgeous.  We were back on the road at 1 o’clock.

Next up Weaverville. It was a quaint little town with Red and White store fronts.  They were ready for Halloween and had skeletons on all the street lights. We went through a few stores and arts shops, but didn't stay long.   

Brenda did an excellent job driving once again and arrived at the house in Reading at 3:30.  It is much warmer here than it had been in McKinleyville.  While we got used to the climate, we settled in and then went for groceries and to gas up the car.

Once the chores were done, we enjoyed toasting time on the deck followed by dinner of spaghetti, salad and garlic bread.

After dinner we learned a new card game called Swoop.  We played cards until it was time to call it a night around 10pm. 

We found the sign right before we got to the park entrance.  Brenda did an excellent job of pulling over and parking the car so we could use the hood to set up the camera for the official group shot.



Next stop was the visitor center and museum near Manzanita Lake.  Just as we got there 2 bus loads of kids arrived.  This was not our first rodeo, so we headed to the bathroom first to get ahead of the masses.  Then we went into the Visitor Center to get hike recommendations from a ranger. 

We even caught this bird doing its morning stretches.  Notice the open chest and head moving side to side.

Towards the end of the trail we met a couple from the Arcata–Eureka area.  This was one of the few times we gave our card to someone on this trip.  They had traveled and hiked extensively and had lots of ideas and recommendations.  Unfortunately we only have one day left.

Next we had a picnic lunch at the Devasted Area.  All the tables were in the sun and near the bathrooms so we chose a nice shady spot with some rocks to sit on. 

Then we hiked to Boiling Lake. The trail was a mile and a half hike with a steep climb at the very beginning.  When we got there we would have missed it had it not been for a sign.  It was only a small puddle boiling.

The destination was disappointing but, it was a nice hike.  Some of it was through a fire damage area.  We have driven through these areas, but this was the first time we were up close and hiked through one. 

Next stop was the Sulfur Works, where we saw more boiling liquids with steam coming off of them. The smell was quite pungent.  We did not stick around long enough for a group picture here.

We stopped at the visitor center and did a little shopping, filled our water bottles, and used the restrooms before heading back to Redding. Brenda found a shortcut that knocked over 40 minutes off the drive and we experienced a part of California that not many tourists get to see.  She is an excellent driver.

Back at the house at 5:41 for a quick toasting.  Everyone got cleaned up and then we had Shepard's Pie for dinner. After dinner, we went to the Sundial Bridge. The Sundial Bridge is a footbridge over the Sacramento River and is part of Redding's award winning trail system.  It cost $24 million, took 11 years to build and the deck is lit with 219 lights.

Returned to the house around 9 o’clock. We played a couple games of Swoop and had a Bailey’s nightcap before heading to bed.

Then we drove to the Upper Falls parking lot.  We saw Upper Falls which really only had one view point and you couldn't get too close.  The hike from Upper Falls to Middle Falls was beautiful with all the fall colors.   

Saturday, October 3, 2026

Lisa R. had a 5:45 AM flight. Brenda and Connie took her to the airport at 4:30. The rest of us got up for a quick hug goodbye and then went back to bed.