Picture
Homestead Trail, Rockefeller Forest
Picture
    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.

Picture
California Poppies in a breeze, Old Town
Picture
Trilliums in bloom, Sequoia Park
Picture
Redwood Sorrel, Sequoia Park
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.
Picture
Sea Fig, Manila Dunes
Picture
Azalea flowers, Ladybird Johnson Grove
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.
Picture
Visualize Whirled Peas
Picture
The Roadkill Cafe had an entourage of skunks with their entrails hanging out the front of their costumes
Picture
Betty's Peace Crane was made and powered by high school students with respect for Betty Chinn, who is a local hero around here
Picture
Here the entourage of Betty's Peace Crane sing and dance to "Peace Train", changing the words accordingly
Picture
"Gone Squatchin" reads the cap of the giant paper maché figure, a member of the Bigfoot sculpture team
Picture
Kingfisher
Picture
A fire ant that spouts fire from its rear
Picture
Under the Rainbow... and proud of it!
 
    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.
Picture
The average redwood is taller then the statue of liberty
Picture
A back road connecting the trails we took
Picture
This fallen limb is nicknamed a "widow-maker"
Picture
This was one of the fattest salamanders I've ever seen!
Picture
South fork Eel River
Picture
Sundown lit up this fallen tree and made our shadows pop out
 
    Founder's Grove is a breath of fresh air and offers reprieve to the weary traveler looking for a nice quick loop to stretch their legs after a long journey, which is almost always what driving on the 101 entails. It has everything from huge trees, hollow trees to walk inside, massive root systems from felled trees, and the best part is that the ground cover is a lush carpet of redwood sorrels and ferns. It is the perfect example of a redwood grove in its prime.
 
    For the solar eclipse last Sunday, Carolyna and I headed up to the summit of Kneeland where hundreds of others had already gathered to watch the spectacular "ring of fire" show. Of course, the whole shebang ended up being a typical Humboldt moment when big gray clouds rolled in to ruin the fun. The spot on top of Kneeland was beautiful though with green pastures and a birds-eye-view of the trees below. Somehow I managed to snap one shot of the eclipse, although not a spectacular one. Then on the way down Kneeland hill, which is a gnarly, windy road, my engine shut off sporadically, causing my steering wheel and brakes to freeze up. It took a lot of effort to bring my car to a crashing halt at a turn-out, which was miraculously there right when I needed it. The whole event reminded me of Janet's astrological prediction that the eclipse brings devastation and she even told me specifically "do not drive", but alas, I am an astronomy nerd and I couldn't resist the opportunity to see a full eclipse. When it happens again in the next 40 years I will be more prepared. 
 
Here are some pictures of the tall trees from Tall Trees Grove...
 
    Yesterday I hiked Tall Trees Grove for the first time with Stephen and Eric. First we had to get a Free Day Pass from the Forest Headquarters in Orick and the password to the gate code, since only a limited number of people hike Tall Trees in a given day. Heading towards the grove, we passed a scenic overlook which is the photograph above. Then once we passed the gate, a thin dirt road winds its way to the entrance where the hike begins with a steady decline down a cliff, Giants shooting up from below. At the ground level is a beautiful loop through a grove of Big-leafed Maples among a thick carpet of sword ferns and of course Giants around every turn. The path is lined with a nearby river where camping is allowed. The hike back to the top was a pretty steep elevation change but it was well worth it. The hike leaves you with a feeling of victory.
There are many felled trees along the path that have been sawed across for the hiker's sake. It's always a trip to walk past these split open trunks and lazily run your fingers across the thousands of rings.
A beautiful turquoise river runs beside Tall Trees Grove and it's a wonderful spot for camping or taking a refreshing dip before the hike back up.
We met a couple girls from southern Germany who were driving from San Fran to Vancouver, seeing the sights along the way, and they decided to hike Tall Trees Grove. We spotted for them the infamous banana slug, the 2nd largest mollusk in the world, several times over and they were amazed they hadn't seen it on their own.
The Big Leaf Maple trees caused the light coming through the canopy to scatter along the trail in majestic rays.
Eric and I in Tall Trees Grove