Calaveras Big Trees State Park

One of the most beautiful things about living in Northern California are its state parks filled with protected redwood trees. We ventured over to the Calaveras Big Trees State Park, located 4 miles northeast of Arnold, California in the middle elevations of the Sierra Nevada. Calaveras became a State Park in 1931 to preserve the North Grove of giant sequoias. On this day, we chose to hike the North grove trail to the Grove Overlook trail and circle back down towards the entrance. The North Grove is quite the popular trail because it includes the 'Discovery Tree'. This tree was noted by Augustus T. Dowd in 1852 and felled in 1853, leaving a giant stump which is the only remainder of its former glory. It measured 24 feet in diameter at its base (wow!) and was determined by ring count to be 1,244 years old when felled. If you're ever in the area, make sure to check it out and learn more about redwood forests, the neighboring wildlife, and the surrounding area's gold-mining history. 

Camp Virgo

Last weekend, my cousin (it was his birthday too!) and a couple of friends headed up the coast to go camping in the little town of Mendocino. Mendocino is located about 3 hours north of San Francisco and the drive takes you on windy roads through Redwood forests and cliff-dropping coastlines. Along the way, we stopped in a cute little town to pick up supplies and then a winery for some free tasting. The weather during the weekend was gorgeous but the nights dipped down as low as in the 40's. Our campsite was located off Caspar beach and we were able to camp in a forested area within walking distance of what seemed like a private beach. Around the area, visitors could go hiking, kayaking, or play some arcade games in the near-by general supply store. I spent the weekend eating a bunch of good food, drinking, listening to ghost stories, and sitting close to the leaping fire for warmth. Sometimes living in San Francisco, I do not really get a chance to view the sky at night to see the stars twinkling bright, but when you're in the middle of nowhere there really is not much fog or city light to compete with.  I had a really great time with fantastic company. I could not have asked for anything more for a birthday weekend. 

Above are some abalone divers getting their kayaks ready. We camped next to a bunch of these divers and they had left-over abalone and eggs to give us for breakfast one morning. It was delicious! These guys were so used to the great outdoors that they had no tents and simply slept on mats at night. They must have laughed at our camp's "glamping" set up. Such amateurs! 

I'm already restless since I've caught the camping bug. I can't wait to set out for another camping adventure.