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Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk is about 40 minutes from the forest and we usually go there for a day when we are camping. This year I think we picked the hottest day of the year to visit the Boardwalk. It was 100 degrees on the beach....it is never that hot there!!! Heat, not withstanding...we had a great time. We played in the ocean for a bit to cool off. This was nice and relaxing until we had to cross the hot sand to reach the boardwalk. I think the sand was about 200 degrees and on little bare feet...not so nice. By the time the mistake was realized, Michael was too far ahead of us and we couldn't help him. All we could do was watch in horror as our little boy ran as fast as he could across the sand screaming at the top of his lungs. I tried my best to catch him, to no avail. By the time I reached him he had reached the boardwalk and was standing there screaming in agony. Fortunately, there are feet washing stations and the cool water worked wonders for him. He did not have any blisters, thankfully, and was able to put his shoes and socks back on. I have never felt so powerless, as a mom, not being able to help my child in his time of need. It was a horrible feeling and I hope to never experience that again. Cassie fared much better. I helped her put her shoes on midway across the desert, so she was fine. After the cool water rinse and an ice cream cone, we were good to go!!
The kids rode lots of rides....some were scary for them.
Some were fun...
The last ride they did was the log ride and the good soaking they received was very refreshing in the 100 degree heat. We were very happy to get back to camp. It was much cooler in the forest...only 90 degrees!! It may seem like a small difference, but the 10 degrees and all the trees made a huge difference!!!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Fun In the Sun
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The Fairy Ring
Two years ago our favorite aunt passed away the week before our camping trip to the redwoods. She was 92 years old and an incredible lady. Feisty is a great word to describe her. She was also incredibly generous and kind. Our daughter is named after her, we were very close. We decided to hold a special memorial type service for her during our trip. While hiking we found a Fairy Ring (see previous post if you don't know what this is) and fashioned a cross out of twigs and spanish moss. We placed the cross at the base of the largest tree and had an impromptu memorial service for our special Aunt Evelyn. We decided to visit Aunt Evelyn's Fairy Ring this year.
This is my favorite hike and we now call it the Auntie Evelyn Hike. We hike along this creek and at one point we have to cross it.
The foot bridge is now tied down, but there were years when it was missing and we had to carefully, very carefully cross the creek. The rocks can be very slippery and mossy. This year it was almost too easy with the foot bridge, but as I get older, easier is always better!!
As we are hiking I am keeping a lookout for Auntie Evelyn's Fairy Ring. I knew approximately where it was located, and I knew I would immediately recognize it when I saw it. As usual, when I am hiking in the forest, my mind wanders at times and I was afraid that we might have missed it during one of these periods. Just when I was thinking that that indeed had happened Dave suggested we take a water break. It sounded like a great idea, it was a very hot day. We stopped and I took a look at our surroundings. We were standing right in front of the Fairy Ring. (insert Twilight Zone music here) There was definitely fairies at work because I am sure we would have walked right past it!!!
Cassie fashioned a cross and we placed it in the exact same spot as before. We had a little memorial service for our Aunt Evelyn. We remembered her with smiles on our faces. I also said a little prayer for my friend who passed away in April. The spot is a very spiritual place for me. The whole forest is spiritual for me, but fairy rings in particular are spiritual places for me.
There is something mystical and magical about these fairy rings. I always have spirits, or orbs, in the pictures I take while in the rings. I feel a sense of peace and solitude. All my worries and cares are washed away and the power of the forest soothes my soul. No other place does that for me quite like the forest.
After leaving Auntie Evelyn's Fairy Ring our steps were lighter and our spirits were peaceful. The day was incredibly hot but suddenly a nice cool breeze began. The breeze caressed our bodies and dried our sweat. We felt like Auntie Evelyn and Uncle Dave (her husband) were giving us a hug and sending us their love. We thanked them and continued on our way. We now had a carefree jaunt in our step. The breeze stopped but the lightness in our hearts continued.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
A Train Ride Through the Forest
Every year, while camping in the redwoods, we take a steam engine ride through the forest. Each ride, each year we are more enthralled than the previous year. We disembark from the train with a renewed love and respect for the majestic redwoods and for Mother Nature with providing us with such awe inspiring beauty.
This is Dixiana. She is a Shay steam engine and her main purpose is carting millions of people up Bear Mountain. The round trip takes about an hour, but it seems like a lifetime. I feel myself transported back in time, traveling through a virgin forest, seeing nature exactly how Mother Nature intended it to be seen.
This is the view from the train, only the picture does not do it justice. The many shades of green are too numerous to count. The way the sun reflects off the vegetation, a whole new world is opened up. It is a visual orgasm of colors, light and beauty. The forest has not been touched, it a virgin old growth redwood forest. The trees have the right of way, we are only visitors, invited into their home. At one point along the tracks a redwood tree is leaning precariously over the tracks. Every year she leans a bit more and soon the train will not be able to pass. When that happens, they will move the track over, they will not cut the tree down. The tree has the right of way, we must cater to her needs. Wouldn't it be grand if the whole world felt this way towards nature?
As we meandered and chugged our way up the mountain I found myself picturing my surroundings as they looked 200 years ago, before the tracks were laid, before Man set foot in this forest. When the inhabitants of the land were Native Americans, grizzly bears, and wolves. When the land was respected. When what was taken, was taken in need, not greed. I became saddened for our species, and embarrassed to look down and see my white skin. The Native Americans, the grizzly bears, the wolves are gone, extinct. They once roamed this place freely, abundantly. They did not want for food or shelter, the forest provided. Now they are gone and we are in its place. We do not need, but we want, always want. Bigger, better...it is never enough. I am a slave to consumerism as much as my fellow American, don't get me wrong.....but for this moment in time I was transported back to a time when life was simpler, not easier, just simpler.
At the top of the mountain we were able to disembark from the train and had the pleasure of standing in a fairy circle. A Fairy Circle is a ring of redwood trees that appear to be separate trees, but in fact they all share the same root ball complex. A single tree in the center gives root, birth, to a ring of Fairy trees, children. These Fairies may or may not flourish, but no matter...a second, third, or sometimes fourth ring, generation of children, soon are born. In this particular Fairy Ring, the Grandmother is a mere stump now, but her children are alive and well, and flourishing. Look at the picture of my children in the Fairy Ring. See the white spots, or orbs? They are fairies, spirits, visiting with my children. I have numerous pictures of fairies, spirits from this trip. The forest was indeed alive!!
