Month: October 2020

The relatively small fire in Willow Creek, due east of Jedediah Smith SP are the cause of poor air quality in the redwoods. We arrive in Benbow fairly early in the afternoon and have time to sit out and relax. I do my 3 mile walk, circling the campground 6 times, which becomes a conversation topic. We get many questions about Cali alto as well, she is much admired. I chat with fellow campers, all distanced. Being out has been a relief- people are friendly, smile and wave. I had reservations about being in some small towns, worried that there might be animosity toward Asians but that was not so. I try to be as friendly as possible.

All in all it has been a successful and positive trip. I’m glad we ventured out. We hope to fo a few more before the nights drop below freezing in the higher elevations.

Thick fog blanketed the skies all day as we traversed the mouth of the Rogue River along with 12-20 other boats. Our guide Greg is skilled and never disappoints. We caught some nice chinooks, threw back some wild silvers that cannot be kept, and also lost a couple off the hook. All in all a nice day.

Greg told us that Gold Beach shut down in march and april but has since gone back to business with precautions. There have been only a few cases, mainly prison employees. He said none of the guides have had covid and he dies not know anyone who has. His daughter is a nurse in Medford and they have only had a few cases there as well. Being in town gave us a feeling of normalcy as well, cautiously venturing to the local grocery store and Jot’s for ice. It made us wonder if we have been too extreme in our behavior, or maybe the media has played it up too much?

Hearing Greg talk has given us a perspective on how middle America thinks. Greg is hard working and self employed. Health insurance for him and his wife is $1,800. He is saying why should people who don’t work or those who have never worked here, get free health care. He doesn’t get free care if he goes to Mexico or Canada. He says people who are destroying property and looting need to be punished. He thinks it is shameful that arsonists started the fires near Medford where over 2400 homes were lost leaving Talent and Phoenix ghost towns. He complains about power companies being held accountable for fires when they are not permitted to cut trees down, and Fish and Wildlife not releasing more hatchery fish in order to get the wild population numbers up. I asked if there were a lot of environmentalists in the area and he said no, it is the board members in Portland. It is the covid numbers in Portland keeping their schools closed. So there you have it, small town resident feeling like they get screwed because of all that goes on in major cities.

The biggest outstanding task has been to complete our trailer registration. At the dmv in Los Gatos a year ago, we had completed all the paperwork and gotten a plate, only to find out months later that this plate was temporary, and that we would not receive a title until we brought the trailer in to be seen. Well then covid and the fires hit and our plans to take it to Fall River Mills in the spring didn’t work out. Fall River Mills is where we go to fish, and the small dmv has no wait time and ample space to park. So we decided to complete this task in Crescent City this week. Lo and behold, there was no line, the agent took care of everything outside and we were out of there in 15 min. Kudos to the Crescent City DMV!!

Going through Brookings, we pass our all time favorite burger pub which sadly has closed.

Onward to Gold Beach, the KOA is decent. We set up and tried some fishing on the Rogue River by Lobster Creek campground. The smoke from the Napa fires have blown in this direction so we did not stay long. We have an early start tomorrow so spent time getting ourselves organized.

Intending to hike in Prairie Creek Redwoods SP, we made our way south down the Drury Scenic Parkway, which runs the length of the park. The air quality deteriorated quickly and we turned back, hiking the Damnation Trail again. The setting today was completely different, much less dramatic without the fog. We hiked north on the coastal trail which descended into an area with much underbrush and smaller redwoods. We considered ourselves fortunate to have seen the mystical beauty of yesterday.

Back in Crescent City we practiced casting in the Smith river. Using yarn instead of bait, we pretended to fish and were in compliance with fishing regulations, no fishing due to low flow.

We are pleased to have tried our shower for the first time. It works well and we are grateful we can avoid using the campground facilities.

I was on a mission to seek out fog in the redwoods today but got a late start so the skies above Jedediah SP were already clear. Our next stop was Mill Creek Campground but that was closing for the season. This 40-square-mile property was purchased from Stinson Lumber Company in 2002 to protect Jedediah Smith Redwoods from the detrimental effects of upstream logging. The area was almost entirely clearcut in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s and only a few small old-growth fragments remain. Continuing our search, we made our way south along 101, the long strip of Del Norte SP. Perched on a steep hillside above the Pacific Ocean, Del Norte Coast Redwoods is perfectly positioned to catch the summer fog as it streams off the ocean. Because the higher slopes get more fog (and because redwoods don’t like salt spray), the trees get bigger toward the top of the hill. There are no formal public access points and we ended up stopping at a pull out and walking up an unmarked trail. Lucky for us, it led deep into the redwoods all the way down to the coastal trail, and eventually out to the ocean. What a visual feast as the fog rolled in and out, and the sun cast streams of light through the trees. It was a photographer’s dream and I relished every moment. It has been 6 months since I have attempted any photography and today erased those 6 months from memory.

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is the last in a long string of redwood parks that stretch up Northern California’s coast. It contains seven percent of all the old-growth redwoods left in the world.

The park was named for Jedediah Strong Smith, who in the 1820s became the first white man to explore the interior of northern California.

We ended our day by walking along the Smith River, the last major undammed river in California, and even though fishing was closed for the season, just being by the river was rejuvenating for Ray. All in all a good day.

The day started out pretty ordinary as we leisurely got ourselves and Cali-alto ready for the next leg of our trip. Heavy smoke turned to fog and smoke as we left Garberville. Suddenly, rounding the bend near Ferndale, we ended up behind a few slow moving pick up trucks and to our surprise Trump banners were flying in the breeze. Before long we were amidst a Trump caravan of around a hundred truck cabs and pick ups that wound all the way to Eureka. Some supporters lined the street and others honked in support. This was quite an eye opening experience.

I love being in this part of the state where the redwoods are shrouded in fog , creating a calm and mystical setting. There are very few visitors and as we walk the damp trails in Jedediah State Park and I feel a sense of solitude and peace. We stop here every year and the size, resiliency, and strength of these trees never ceases to amaze me. Seeing their burned out cores gives me hope for the ones burned in the Santa Cruz fires. The Redwoods NP system consists of a partnership between Prairie Creek Redwoods SP, Del Norte SP, and Jedediah Smith SP. The four parks, together, protect 45% of all remaining coast redwood old-growth forests, totaling at least 38,982 acres. The trees are the tallest, among the oldest, and one of the most massive tree species on Earth. In the next 3 days and will have a chance to explore this area more thoroughly. Being out here is renourishing my soul.

Our annual salmon fishing trip – scheduled far in advance with Greg, a great guide we have fished with for almost 20 years. Could we get there this fall? We’ve never taken a trailer up there but it is the only way to travel right now. It has been so long since we have been anywhere, I wasn’t sure we even know how get Cali-alto out of hiding, much less tow it. We planned an 8 day trip, stopping in the redwoods and on the coast along the way. All was iffy with the fires – is it safe driving through Santa Rosa? Would there be evacuation traffic? Would there be gusts, ash? With AQI so bad, should we leave a day later? We decided we’ve been cowering at home long enough – must be bold and go for it!

The skies were very, very smokey and temps very hot but we did not see any evidence of fire, traffic was fine, no fire engines in sight…

So here we are, at the KOA campground in Benbow. The air has cleared and it will drop to 54 degrees tonight. The campground is pretty full but our little capsule feels safe. We have a weeks worth of food, our own toilet and shower, a full tank of water and full hook ups. It feels good to be anywhere…at times it feels so normal, I have to keep remembering about masks, hand sanitizers and keeping distance. I suppose it is the new normal.

I have a hard time believing it has been 4 months since my last entry. So much has happened personally, covid-wise, and in this country. The so called “reopening” I referred to, has come in blips and bursts with only outdoor dining and recreation permitted. Furthermore at the end of May, Ray pulled his back so with that and overcrowded campgrounds, Cali-alto, our lovely trailer has seen no action except for the two nights I pretended to camp by sleeping in our driveway.

We’ve watched as Ray’s friends have boldly gone fishing and returned just fine. We observed neighbors going to grocery stores with no ill consequences. Perhaps we are too cautious? My safe haven is Summerwinds where I can wander and roam safely outside. I’ve limited myself to buying one plant or the garden is going to resemble a haphazard nursery by years end.

In the month of June, Robert’s family stayed sheltered in order for us to see the kids. I treasured the cuddling snd hours of play. In early July, with a carload of food and kids, they made the move to Vancouver, and after quarantining for 2 weeks are living a good life. I had daily facetime sessions with Zoe, make-believe adventures with memoji characters we created, and now that she is in school, with Kira several times a day. We play with finger puppets and virtual hide and seek. With the US border closed, it is as close as we can get.

With weekly baking, I have surpassed 60 loaves of sourdough bread. I’ve settled into a comfortable retirement routine, sitting out front with coffee, newspaper and my raisin toast after my morning exercise. Although my walks are no longer quiet and void of traffic, it is enjoyable to wave and chat with the same familiar faces day after day. The garden is looking great, the vegetables plentiful and a winter crop is growing well.

The latter part of summer has been very hot and lightning started so many fires, it seems like the west coast is burning up. The smoke and heat has trapped us indoors with Purple Air as our constant companion. It is a sad climate future we face in addition to the angst about the election.

The resilience of my mom has been nothing short of incredible. She continues to greet each day with spunk and hope. We are grateful that Jen has been able to remain in CA and build a life with Czarek complete with chickens and dog.