Day 13- 9/07/15 California Redwoods

Today we drove to California to see the Redwoods. When we crossed the border from Oregon to California we had to stop at an inspection station where they asked us if we had any fresh fruit on board. Tom told them no and they motioned us on. He didn't know that I had put grapes in our cooler! I checked Google to find out why and found out they check agricultural commodities to make sure they are free from any exotic invasive species that may be hitch hiking along!

It was a mountainous, curvy drive to get to Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park where we drove a few miles on a narrow and twisting dirt road through the Redwoods to Stout Grove. Located on a small floodplain at the junction of two rivers, Stout Grove has an openness and cathedral-like majesty combined with a lush lawn-like ground cover. The beautiful trees are all redwoods with no understory of tanoak or other small trees to obscure the view. The redwoods are densely packed and a plush layer of ferns and redwood sorrel carpets the ground.