The next morning I was awake when I started to hear robins, then Swainson's thrushes, then other birds like Steller's jays. Amazing how loud birds can be in the middle of the woods in the early morning. I loved it. We wanted to get up early so we could pack up and get to Stout Memorial Grove before the parking area got too filled up.
When we left the campground we did see a deer. It was fun to see something other than mule deer like we get in Utah. It's ears were so small.
After checking to make sure everyone had their jackets/hoodies before we left Oregon, we realized the one person who didn't have one was me. It was back at my parents' house. When we packed up in Utah, we left Jr.'s jacket behind but my parents had an extra one they gave him.
We got creative with me. We recently got a couple of car blankets and I was able to wrap one around me under my vest. We thought with how it fit it made me look like a character on Endor in The Return of the Jedi, which was appropriate because that was filmed in the Redwoods.
When I visited the Redwoods as a child, I remember looking up and thinking, "Wow. These trees are so tall." It was the same this time. Wow. Those trees were so tall.
Banana slugs! You saw my shirt, right?
The Redwoods are awesome.
We celebrated National Camera Day on June 29.
Have I mentioned the Redwoods are awesome?
It was a good thing we did go early because when we left, the parking lot was completely full and cars were parked all over along the roadway. We managed to get out, though, and drove up along the Oregon Coast on the way back to my parents' house, stopping at several places along the way.
There was a Western Gull that on the car next to us when we pulled up and just stayed there for quite a while. Later, it flew off and the car left then it decided it was our van's turn. We had some fun before it flew off again.
We also stopped for some nostalgia for me. Growing up, one of the places we liked to visit along the coast was Bandon. When cousins came to visit we would often go to the cheese factory there to get ice cream and squeaky cheese (cheese curds). The cheese factory is now Face Rock Creamery but we stopped to get ice cream and squeaky cheese. We found a flavor of cheese we like- Vampire Slayer and it's good as cheese curds as well. Since it was National Waffle Iron Day, we let the kids get their ice cream in waffle cones.
When I was younger we would also go to the beach at Face Rock in Bandon. It was tradition to get pictures of us facing up like the rock. This trip I shared with my family the legend behind Face Rock. Then I made my kids face up like we would with cousins growing up. Ah, family history.
Walking like crabs.
Don't you just love the ocean?
We eventually made it to our final destination of my parents' house again and we were exhausted after such a long but wonderful day.
I'll share more of our wonderful vacation later.
