{Northwest Coast Road Trip} Day 2: Humboldt County Redwoods

The time gain when travelling to the west coast is always a bit of a treat, and it worked out especially well when we were able to sleep in on Sunday and still be up by 9am. Now that the sun had risen, we could finally take in the sights surrounding our cozy little cabin, #9 at Redcrest Resort.

Adorable, right? Oh, and hello, giant Redwoods. Not too shabby a backdrop. We packed our trusty French Press so that we could enjoy the crisp morning on the porch right proper. We also brought some disposable to-go cups, allowing us to bring along our brew as we played on the property's swings, flung some horseshoes and smacked around the tetherball. (No, you cannot see those photos. Oh, the gracefulness...)

The playground antics worked up our appetites, so off we headed to Eureka, CA (a brief drive north of Redcrest up the 101) for some breakfast. We discovered the website for Golden Harvest Cafe while researching good eats in Humboldt County, and we simply couldn't resist trying out this unassuming cafe that caters to veggies and meat-eaters alike.

Y'all! So. Nom. The fresh squeezed mimosa should have tipped me off that I was about to experience a straight up party in my mouth, but there was just no preparing for the out-of-bounds tofu scramble, breakfast potatoes and biscuits and gravy. I wanted to absolutely roll around in it. If you're ever in the area, you want to go to there. (Hippies included at no charge.)

Bellies full with a delicious breakfast, we headed into the woods. Our necks were sore after a few minutes because you simply can't help but look up, open-mouthed, starting at the gorgeous giants that are the Redwoods. Photos can't do it justice. But here's an idea of our view:

I'm pretty sure they go up forever. And the loveliness just goes on for days, trees as far as the eye can see in every direction! But there were a few "celebrity" trees to which we were directed to by the Redcrest Resort folks, and we so enjoyed getting up close and personal with some particularly amazing specimens.

The Giant Tree (below). Y'all, this beauty was truly awe-inspiring. I had a hard time keeping my composure, to be honest. This tree is majestic. Being in its presence feels  like a gift, and I felt truly ministered to in beholding such a sight. I felt so small, so young, and it drew me straight to the Lord in thanks and amazement. I could've stayed there, seated on its intricate roots, for days. Examining its bark, I felt like I had read a thousand stories without resting my eyes on a single word.

And then we proceeded to get lost in the wilderness at dark. No joke, I was about to record my parting words with what little battery life we had left on our video camera, Blair Witch style. But then M led us back to the trail and out of the woods, and buckled safely into our rental car, my mind quickly became preoccupied with food. Which was a whole other adventure seeing as there is no food in the vicinity and everything closes early on Sundays in surrounding towns. But we managed. And I learned a valuable lesson: the unexpected adventures are really what you remember and what make a vacation special.

Next: Portland or bust!