Wapiti and wet boots

As I left Santa Rosa, CA this morning, I was expecting a nice day. I spent the entire morning driving north on US Hwy 101 in northern California...better known as The Redwood Highway. There are a lot of opportunities to see the redwood trees along this route, but that wasn't on my agenda. I only had time for one thing...visit Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. When I turned into the road leading to the canyon, I was immediately presented with an obstacle...one of many on this afternoon. Just off the highway, the road was flooded. As I debated driving through the water, I noted a couple of other vehicles parked on the opposite side. The people were observing and taking photos of a small herd of Roosevelt elk...also known as wapiti.

Just then, a small car drove toward me through the standing water. Well, if a car can do it, my Blazer certainly can, too! I slowly crossed the flooded road and made it to the other side. I joined the others admiring the elk, and took a few pics myself. I then continued on my way to Fern Canyon. The paved road soon turned to compacted dirt...then, compacted mud. My Blazer's tires are supposed to be mud and snow tires. They had seen snow, but never mud, so this was a good test. After about four miles of winding through the trees, I was suddenly presented with another challenge...driving through a stream! Now, there were no signs warning that it was not passable, so I held my breath and drove forward. My Blazer rolled down into the water, and I slowly accelerated to the opposite bank...I made it! My euphoria was short-lived because soon after celebrating my first successful stream fording...I came to ANOTHER stream! This one was almost identical to the previous one. With new found confidence, I negotiated the second stream without any problem. The remaining road to the Fern Canyon parking lot was filled with water-filled potholes, which I did my best to avoid.

When I got to the parking lot, there were a few cars there...and a California Department of Corrections vehicle. As I started walking the trail to Fern Canyon, I encountered a number of what I assumed was low risk inmates dressed in orange jumpsuits. They didn't seem to be closely supervised as they worked on trail repair. I found them to be rather pleasant and friendly, talking to them as I passed by. I soon found out my biggest challenge of the day was yet to come. It turned out the normally graveled and fairly dry Fern Canyon trail was currently a wide, gentle flowing stream! I took another trail to the opposite end of Fern Canyon, but discovered in order to see it...I had to walk in the water. I told myself, I wasn't about to drive through the mud, streams and potholes only to be defeated by a little water! I scanned the stream to pick out the best route...then, got my feet wet! My leather hiking boots immediately filled with water, and stayed that way for the length of my hike.

The Fern Canyon trail is about a half mile long, traveling through a canyon with fern-covered walls. It has a prehistoric feel to it, which is the reason it was used as a location for The Lost World: Jurassic Park. But, I'm pretty sure the canyon floor wasn't covered with water for the film like it was now. As I walked through the canyon, the trail would appear here and there. I would alternate slogging through the stream, and climbing over logs and branches. At one point, I miscalculated a branch and tripped over it. I banged my shin good on another branch as I fell down. I was lucky I didn't smash my face on something. With my leg smarting, I continued my ordeal until I reached the end of the trail...if you want to call it that. The canyon was a bit disappointing, not only because of the water, but because the ferns weren't at their peak yet. Still, I got some nice photos. Maybe someday I'll return when things are not quite so wet.

As I walked back to the parking lot, I encountered other people going the other way. At one point, I asked a family if they were planning to see Fern Canyon. They said they were, and I warned them about the water, which like me, they weren't expecting. When I got back to my Blazer, I removed my boots...pouring out the water...and my soaking wet socks. Thankfully, being on a road trip, I had spare dry socks AND more than one pair of extra shoes to wear. After I put my shoes on, I noticed a group of five Japanese girls exiting a mini-van, and looking ready to take a hike. I went up to them, and asked if they were going to Fern Canyon. Like the family I spoke to earlier, the girls were also unaware of the water-filled canyon. After talking among themselves, they asked if one person with rubber boots could walk in the water. When I inquired about the height of the boots...barely mid-calf...I told them that it wasn't high enough for the water. I think they decided just to walk to the nearby beach.

The journey back to the highway was uneventful, but still an adventure. I drove around the potholes, through the two streams, and on the muddy curves. Before going through the final flooded road, I took a few more pics of the elk, which were all leisurely sitting in a field. The bull elk were magnificent with their full racks of antlers. Tomorrow is my last full day of sightseeing. After 18 days on the road, I'm ready to head on home.