Summer 1997 - Yukon to California
Journals - 12 August 1997
Day 33
12 August 1997 (foggy or sunny and cool, bad wind; mileage = 29.4; Elk
Prairie State Park) -- X - We woke up a bit late in our fabulous Redwoods
campsite, since we were a bit tired from yesterday's exertions. We enjoyed
breakfast there and left by 9:30. The path was as magnificent as before. We
found a big Redwood with its middle burned out (common) and we climbed in
for a picture. Very neat. We also found a monument that was dated 1925 and
presented by the "Save the Redwood League." Very neat. Too soon, our secret
road popped out onto 101 and the normal circus. We had a big descent and
came to the head of the next trail. We thought (OK, I did) that this was
more abandoned old highway. Wrong! It was a 4-mile hiking trail of a
mountain. It was very choppy with much up and then down. We hardly rode at
all. It was a real Sherpa project. We encountered things like stairs and
gulleys and roots. April fell over at one point into ferns which was lucky,
since they kept her from falling down the bluff and most of the plants in
these areas were sticker bushes. I slipped on a root while dragging a bike
up a staircase-like gulley. I slammed my right calf into the pedal. Ouch!
We did hear seal lions barking, but we couldn't see much due to the heavy
fog. Towards where we thought the end was, the trail split. I checked the
steep path and, incredibly!, it went to a baseball field!! What the heck?
So onward we went along the bluff. We found an overlook-looking spot and
ate lunch there and April read her book (finished it). We then did a really
steep bit to get to the trail head parking lot. Whew! Since we climbed the
mountain on the trail (no fun), we raced down on the access road. We
crossed the Klamath River with the gold grizzly bears on the bridge. We
started climbing right away and climbing and climbing. We turned off onto
the scenic highway for yet more climbing. When we started seeing Redwoods,
we leveled off and started descending. We descended through a magnificent
Redwood forest for a very long way (~5 miles maybe, wow!). Quite nice. We
eventually got to the Elk Prairie State Park. We set up, had coffee, and I
called my dad and tried Dennis. No home. We then went and took decent
showers (for 50 cents). Oh ya. I did have to go hunting for quarters. What
a drag. Then we made stuffing, pb&j, and a fine Knorr alfredo sauce and
pasta. The Canadian liked my atlas. I talked to them a bit while April put
all of our food stuff in (totally overkill) bear boxes. Now for some good
sleeping. Oh ya, while on the phone, the elk did come out onto the
elk-spronking field.
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