While two humungous statues of Paul Bunyan next to Babe, his blue ox, may seem hokey enough, there are more surprises once you enter the "Trees of Mystery" of highway 101. The first is that Paul Bunyan is actually animatronic, so he blinks, waves, and speaks specifically to the people below. The next is that Babe has balls the size of a Volkswagen. WHY??!

The Sky Trail takes you up into the forest canopy for a fresh perspective of the Giants.

A clever idea to attract a chipmunk, while making it work for it's meal.

A lone worker's glove floats in Humboldt Bay next to the pier.
Although a bit eerie, it stirs the imagination.

    The Douglas Iris ranges from light to dark purplish blue, though the yellow and white colors can sometimes become prominent. The Douglas Iris is one of many beautiful varieties of wildflower that can be found in the Humboldt region. A few more of my favorites can be found below.

Redwood sorrel is found in moist forests and requires a low level of ambient lighting so it is perfectly suited for the Douglas-fir and Coast Redwood forest. When the sun shines directly onto sorrel, it folds its leaves downward like an umbrella in a matter of minutes, so one could actually see the movement. Flowers bloom throughout spring and summer from purple to white.

Rhododendrons, often called "Rhoddies", are found in redwood groves like Sequoia Park and Ladybird Johnson, and offer a burst of color, from dark red to white, amid the usual green waves of sorrel and sword fern.

    Yesterday I watched the procession take place as each sculpture splashed into the bay and peddled their hearts out. Some easily made it to the other side without sinking an inch, but others slowly and painfully filled up with water, much to the chagrin of the roaring crowd. Watching this uniquely Humboldt experience unfold was a glorious way to spend a Sunday morning. At the very end a rainbow lit up the sky behind the event.

       It all began in Humboldt. The first Kinetic Sculpture Race, or "Triathlon of the Art World", took place right here and now it is a growing sensation that has spread across the nation. The race has recently taken the title of "Kinetic Grand Championship" and people travel from all over to participate. In this three day competition the goal is that your man-powered vehicle (which you have all year to create) has to traverse highways, sand, treacherous hills (including Dead Man's Drop), and finally water (both river and ocean). The main objective, however, is to bring the community together for a bit of lighthearted fun, albeit hard-work for the cyclists. Each sculpture has a group of a dozen or so supporters who travel with them throughout the race, either on foot or bicycle, and their costumes are an essential part of the pageantry. I've seen people dress up as mushrooms, Bigfoot, gypsies, giraffes, roadkill, the undead, and once an entire group waltzed around in naked suits. The race begins on Memorial Day weekend with the sound of the tsunami warning bell at noon in the Arcata plaza and from there the sculptures make their way to Samoa beach for the trek through the Manila dunes and they end in Old Town, Eureka. On the second day the sculptures float (or sink, depending) in Humboldt Bay and then have to traverse land again at Hookton Hill. On the third and final day the racers begin at the mouth of Eel River and cross the finish line on Ferndale's historic main-street. This year was my third year attending the Kinetic Sculpture Race and I am always amazed at the incredible energy of the crowd which never fails to pump me up. I have never seen Arcata Plaza so teeming with people and I doubt it could've physically held many more. This uniquely Humboldt tradition is still going strong after 44 years and there is no sign of slowing down.

    Eric and I explored Rockefeller Forest yesterday and did an amazing hike that we found on one of our favorite websites: http://redwoodhikes.com/  We took the Addie Johnson Trail and followed it to Homestead trail (full of history when in the 1870s people homesteaded this area), and we eventually ended up at Big Trees Trail. We saw the famed Giant which is a coast redwood 53 feet in circumference and 363 feet high. It was a phenomenal hike with mild elevation change that ended up paralleling Eel river. Even though we spent all day exploring and had been there once before, we still haven't seen all the trails that this forest offers but we were so impressed that we promised ourselves we'd return soon.