If you ever have a chance to travel to the Redwoods, take it. These giants are among the most unique organisms to ever grace the earth, and we as humans are lucky enough that it is during our time on this planet. To me, these trees are a beautiful reminder of our impermanence and it was amazing to spend time in their presence. Our extended weekend started in a stressful, challenging way (all relative), but things turned around once we found ourselves in the presence of the forest. We strolled, relaxed, and took in all the sites the Redwoods had to offer during the quieter wet season.

Ben and I took a 4-day weekend to visit Redwood National and State Parks. The Redwoods parks are unique in that they are a system of state parks that make up a national park. Campgrounds and day use areas are within each state park, spread out along the California coast. The National Park Service app offers an awesome list of things to do in the park, along with full-day and half-day itineraries. It gives you information on hikes, including accessibility, permitting, distance, road conditions, and more. We found this to be very useful during our time there!

On Thursday evening after work, our journey began with excitement and anticipation. I did some research and found free camping just outside of Crater Lake National Park along our route to the Redwoods. But, unbeknownst to me, and due to a large winter storm passing through, the roads near and around Crater Lake were much worse than we anticipated. Plus, the campsite I thought was open all season was snowed in until spring. It was dark, it was snowing, roads were slippery, we had no cell service, and we were hungry and tired. With this combination for disaster, tensions were high and we were questioning where to safely stay for the night.

We decided to pull off on the side of the road in a large turnaround area to make dinner and potentially stay for the night. After dinner and discussions of what to do next, we heard a plow truck drive by, turn around, come to a stop, and next, the opening of a door. Not long after we heard the drive yell “Hey! Anyone in there? I hope you’re not stuck!”. The driver warned us we was about to plow this area and if we didn’t move, we’d be stuck until spring. He was very kind and recommended that we keep driving on until we reach Diamond Lake and camp there for the night. We found relief pulling into Diamond Lake, seeing lots of RVs with snow mobiles. There was plenty of parking and we found a spot to park for the night with ease. Our exhaustion was warranted, and with uncertainty about what the next day held, we went to bed as snow softly piled up outside.

We awoke to at least 5 fresh inches of snow. After reassessing our options of turning to go home or continuing our journey, we decided to go for it. But first, we thought we should fuel up. Luckily there was a gas station at the campground to top off at before driving the long way to our next campsite. But that’s where our luck ran dry. We, of course, got stuck in the snow in the parking lot. Really stuck. Nothing seemed to be going our way! After what felt like hours of trying to dig our way out, Ben caved into buying chains, and thankfully the gas station had the size needed for his tires. We probably should have had them already, but lesson learned.

Finally, we were on our way. However, once again, the universe had other plans for us. As soon as the weather changed from snow to rain, the truck’s check engine light turned on. After more stops and detours trying to solve this new problem, we were way off the original itinerary I had planned. Rather than spending the night at the campsite I had planned for Friday, we ended up at Panther Flat Campground. Despite the fact that this was not the plan, this campground was amazing!

Panther Flat was right along the Smith River. It was well-maintained, there were plenty of sites, flush toilets, and potable water. We also saw a ton of kayakers! The water on the Smith was raging, and it was great to be able to walk down to the river right from our campsite. After another exhausting day, it was nice to have a warm, dry bed to rest in as the rain pitter pattered outside.

We awoke Saturday with positivity that today would be our day! And it did not disappoint. Originally, we had plans to go climbing along the coast, but the weather (and other issues) didn’t allow it. At this point, I accepted the fact that nothing was going according to plan, so it was best to just roll with the punches and make the most of the trip!

To be continued…