Don't feed the animals!

When I looked out my hotel window this morning in Eureka, CA, it was very foggy. But, by the time I left and continued my travels south on U.S. Hwy 101, the fog was gone. Today was Day Two of walking among the redwoods because you really can't get enough redwoods. The first redwoods I visited today was called the Grieg-French-Bell Grove, which is notable for its abundant ground cover of redwood sorrel. It was beautiful and the redwoods weren't bad either!

Of course, only one redwood grove will not suffice...I visited a second one. While I pretty much had the first grove to myself, the second one was a little more popular. But really, the whole redwood park system is so vast, it's easy for people to spread out and avoid the crowds. The Founders' Grove was nothing special, but it was still nice to walk among the giants. Oh, there was a fallen redwood with huge splinters resembling cut lumber!

The most tiring exercise I did today was driving the winding stretch of Hwy 1 from Leggett to the coast known as the Shoreline Highway. But, the reward was relaxation enjoying the ocean views at MacKerricher State Park.

There was a nice boardwalk loop that allowed visitors to view the shoreline easily. Up to this point, I haven't really seen many animals out in the wild except a few seagulls. But, this park had many friendly Columbian ground squirrels begging for a handout. Despite the signs advising people to not feed the wildlife, it was pretty obvious the signs were ignored. I was glad to see the squirrels looking for their natural food among the ice plants, though.

I ended my day by checking out Glass Beach at Noyo Headlands Park in Fort Bragg. There really isn't much of a beach at this park, but the weathered pieces of glass on the pebbly area is interesting.

Tomorrow, will be my last day spent on the northern California coast. In the following days, I'll be returning to civilization, so to speak. Bigger cities, more people, more traffic...and better food options!