We woke up in Fort Bragg State Park under the golden, green glow of the treetops. We had a nice, easy morning organizing and re-arranging Baby Kia, and let our groggy morning minds wander of the adventures ahead. Up until this point, we had planned everything out to the day - Literally, we had followed our itinerary like a timeline with specific days plotted, reservations made, and bullet points with "things to see & do." This morning was the first morning we had woken up to a blank slate, an open atlas, and an even more open road. Ahhhhhh, the freedom!!!
Once we reconfigured our little traveling abode, we hopped back on Highway 1 and cruised North. We were soon led to the cute, quaint little seaside town of Mendocino Headlands. This town consisted of a grid about 4 streets wide and 4 streets deep, with one long winding road that led all the way to the edge of the coast. I stepped out, stood there for a moment, and was completely blown away. The rocks and boulders anchored the land as the wind swept over the water and into my face. With arms outstretched and heart wide open, a reckless feeling of abandon captured me in that moment. There is never a time I have felt more free ~
This precarious feeling of freedom swelled like a wave that morning and carried us through the rest of the day. We enjoyed some blueberry coffee cake & iced coffee next to the old, weathered homes of Mendocino and let the flourishing feelings carry us on.
We continued north and stumbled upon the beautiful, enchanting, mysteriously untouched Lost Coast. We were like adventurers, philosophers, discovering the undiscovered and making pacts and promises, spending our days planning our whole future within each and every fleeting moment and chasing that tenacious, spellbound revelation of feeling lost then found. We decided we would live in the harbors of Sausalito, with a cabin in the forest just north to retreat to and then move to a farm just north of there to raise a family. We would live off the land and sail the open seas and surf the virgin waves of the Northern Pacific!
We made a pit stop at the Eel River Brewing Company and had a beer sampler (followed by a kick-ass kung-fu salad and a melty, drippy, messy reuben) before we truly entered our next scouted destination: the beloved and long awaited Humboldt Red Wood Forest!
~ Brad ~
*love @ first sight*
The beauty of these trees . . . The splendor quietly surrounding their space . . . It was an ancient present experience, coming to know these beautiful creatures that have stood tall and raw on this earth for so long before us. If only trees could speak ~ We meandered the Avenue of the Giants - a world famous scenic drive that runs 31 miles in slight alignment with Highway 1, but with even more awe-inspiring moments of adventure. There were portions of the road that even Baby Kia could barely squeeze through, and I felt like the road was made just for us to find. We only encountered one or two other travelers along the way, and for 31 slow, powerfully awestruck miles, I felt only the essence of the pure, raw magic of the Redwoods. The colors were penetrating and shapes were sky scraping. This road is a MUST TRAVEL for any and all adventurers out there. The mystical forest twinkled and came alive as the sun started to set on our most glorious day, and the colors grew richest and brightest right before dimming into the dusk and resting for the night to come.
We wound up at Elk Prairie Campground, wherever the hell that is, and drove in as 27 elk (yes - there were 27 - I counted them twice!) were feeding in the twilight. Great big animals, so quiet and withdrawn and regal, chilling in the tall grassy field looking as content and satisfied as can be. I rolled out my yoga mat at campsite 60, a great little spot tucked away from the rest, as Brad blazed a fire and I spent savasana under the sweet serenity of the treetops. My toes wiggled happy and humored as I quietly acknowledged that this moment I'd dreamt of was right here before me. The bed of the Redwood forest nestled me as I rested, body and breath, in an emotional moment of dreams believed, captured and received.
Powerfully overcoming, silently alluring, California's Redwood Forest came alive in my heart and mind that day. If only I knew then what wild Redwood adventures were awaiting . . .
Stay tuned. ;)
xoxo, Tent Girl
No comments:
Post a Comment