Roadtrip to the Land of Giants

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In the first half of 2024, we took a break from international travel and took a road trip closer to home. I had been wanting to drive down to the southern Oregon coast and visit the California redwoods. The trip ended up being about 1400 miles over seven days, and we stopped at eight state parks, two national parks, a national monument, and a state scenic area.

Our first stop was a campsite in Sunset Bay State Park, where we set up camp and then spent some time hiking along the beach.

Sunset Bay beach at low tide (photo/Jason Rafal)

A giant culvert to the beach (photo/Jason Rafal)

There are a lot of interesting transcontinental journeys that began or ended in Oregon (photo/Jason Rafal)

Giant leaves on the edge of the forest (photo/Jason Rafal)

Mud obstacle course (photo/Jason Rafal)

Cape Arago Lighthouse (photo/Jason Rafal)

In the morning, we hiked down toward Cape Arago, where I had heard we could find some sea lions. The hike started with plants, birds, and a surprise deer on the beach.

A pretty coastal flower (photo/Jason Rafal)

A deer ran across the beach on our morning hike (photo/Jason Rafal)

A cute Swainson’s Thrush (photo/Jason Rafal)

We heard them before we saw them, and once we got to the Simpson Reef lookout, we could see dozens of sea lions lounging on the beach. We could also see a lot of them swimming around the area.

Sea lions lounging on the beach at Simpson Reef (photo/Jason Rafal)

Lots of sea lions playing and lounging (photo/Jason Rafal)

We were looking for sea lions, but we also had a great view of lots of birds (we saw a crazy number of bald eagles during this trip) and some very sleepy harbor seals.

A bald eagle flies over sleeping harbor seals (photo/Jason Rafal)

After our morning hike, we packed up and headed down the coast to a room we rented for the night in Brookings, Oregon. On the way, we made a few stops for short hikes and pretty coastal views.

Afternoon sun at Natural Bridges - you can see a person on top of the left one if you squint (photo/Jason Rafal)

Our VRBO was very close to Harris Beach State Park, which has a beautiful rocky beach.

On Harris Beach (photo/Jason Rafal)

The house we were staying at had amazing views of the ocean, and we spent a lot of time that evening watching the orange sunset over the rocks and water.

Sunset views at our place (photo/Jason Rafal)

Sunset from our VRBO (photo/Jason Rafal)

Watching pelicans from our deck (photo/Jason Rafal)

We spent a beautiful morning at the beach before driving to California. The plants and animals that live among the rocks are so fun to watch.

The lovely Secret Beach (photo/Jason Rafal)

Morning light on a very vegetation-covered rock (photo/Jason Rafal)

Pigeon guillemots perched on a rock face (photo/Jason Rafal)

By the afternoon, we were hiking among giants in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. I love hanging out with these trees; their sheer size and the amount that has happened during their lifetimes is both amazing and comforting to me. They’re very difficult to photograph, but looking up is a good way to convey the feeling of being so very small.

Looking up at the giant redwoods (photo/Jason Rafal)

A very large tree (photo/Jason Rafal)

A very cool plant tunnel next to a fallen redwood (photo/Jason Rafal)

We spent the next couple of nights camping in Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, with very little service and lots of big trees.

Very large trees (photo/Jason Rafal)

A delicate flower in the forest (photo/Jason Rafal)

A cute little squirrel (photo/Jason Rafal)

I love how many plants a fallen tree in the forest can support (photo/Jason Rafal)

In my happy place (photo/Jason Rafal)

A banana slug with a leaf hat (photo/Jason Rafal)

When we were driving to the beach to have lunch on the second day, we saw a sign for a skunk cabbage trail. I love skunk cabbage; there’s a ton of it where I grew up in Crested Butte during the summer, and I’ve never seen a large quantity outside of that. We didn’t see as much as we’d hoped for, but it was still a beautiful trail covered with ferns.

Looking at the ferns and skunk cabbage (photo/Jason Rafal)

A plant growing through the leaves of another plant (photo/Jason Rafal)

The next day, we drove to central Oregon, stopping at Crater Lake on the way. There was still quite a bit of snow, and the Rim Road isn’t open until July, but we drove to Discovery Point and walked around a bit to take some pictures. I didn’t have a lot of expectations, but the lake was really cool, with its absurdly deep blue water and snowy ridges on all sides.

A sunny day at a snowy Crater Lake (photo/Jason Rafal)

We kept an eye out for the Clark’s Nutcracker, which lives at Crater Lake, and we saw them pretty quickly. They’re very loud, fluffy birds with big black beaks.

A Clark's nutcracker perched on a dead tree (photo/Jason Rafal)

The nutcrackers, while larger than I expected, were adorable and fluffy (photo/Jason Rafal)

Our next couple of days were spent in Bend, where Jason worked some and we did some small afternoon hikes at Smith Rock and Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

Dramatic views at Smith Rock State Park (photo/Jason Rafal)

More beautiful views (photo/Jason Rafal)

We liked seeing the chalk from climbers on the sides of the rock face (photo/Jason Rafal)

Our last day in central Oregon was also very clear, and we had great views of the snow-capped peaks of the Sisters, Broken Top, and Bachelor. We went out to the Lava Butte lookout, where we hiked around the very apocalyptic-looking lava flow area.

The view from the trail at the Lava Butte lookout, with the Sisters in the background (photo/Jason Rafal)

The apocalyptic scene from the caldera (photo/Jason Rafal)

Little lava plants (photo/Jason Rafal)

A little black lava lizard (photo/Jason Rafal)

Overall it was a great trip, with a variety of beautiful landscapes and a lot of lovely hikes. It was fun to get to explore more of the Pacific Northwest, and to hang out with some very old, very large trees.

2022 in Review

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We did a lot in 2022, from traveling to attending weddings to seeing friends. These photos from the year aren’t from one of our large trips, but they encompass more of what made the year special overall.

One of the best views of Seattle is from the Bainbridge ferry (photo/Jason Rafal)

We spent most of the spring in the Seattle area, where we hiked and enjoyed the views as the days got longer.

In March, we got together with Jason’s family for the GOES-T launch in Cocoa Beach. Between the launch, visiting the Kennedy Space Center, and spending time at the beach, we all enjoyed ourselves. Jason rented a big lens just for the occasion.

Since we were on the East Coast anyway, we flew up to Virginia to spend some time with Jason’s family and visit a whole lot of baby animals. I always love an excuse to cuddle with baby goats.

In August, we went to a wedding at Lake Tahoe. I had never been and was really excited, and it didn’t disappoint. There were parts of the area that felt surprisingly similar to Colorado, but the giant, beautiful lake is really one of a kind. We’d love to go back.

Jason took lots of beautiful pictures of plants and flowers over the year.

Jason also took a lot of photos of animals, from pets to wild birds (he’s getting increasingly into birding).

We spent some time in the summer camping, hiking, and exploring. It was nice to see friends and get the Jeep dirty.

We also got a little drone, and we took some pretty shots from above our house.

Our house is near the Seattle Zoo, so we got memberships to add it to our walking options around our place. Jason enjoyed practicing his wildlife photography, particularly once the birds were let out again after the avian flu quarantine.

As always, Seattle is beautiful and we feel lucky to live here. We’ll see where 2023 takes us.

Sailors at sunset from Golden Gardens park (photo/Jason Rafal)

Otter Sight, Otter Mind

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Story by Nicole

On Thursday, we explored Monterey County. We started by driving up the PCH. We drove through Carmel-by-the-Sea, decided we did not need to stop and hang out, and continued on to Monterey. In Monterey, we walked around the strangely empty but still adorable town. We walked out to the dock and spent several minutes watching the sea lions attempt to fit as many individuals as possible on a tiny rowboat. One of them had been curled up on the bow with another, and then decided it was too uncomfortable and bailed, and then wanted back on the boat, and this really upset the sea lion that had been on the bow the whole time. We were so entertained by the sea lions that we were late for kayaking.

Sea lions struggle for room on the boat (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A seagull takes off from Jason’s car as we approach (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We drove out to the Elkhorn Slough to meet Ron, Eric’s friend and old coworker. He spends a lot of time studying sea otters; we were very lucky to be kayaking with an enthusiastic expert. Ron helped us get situated in our kayaks, and then we headed out into the water.

There was marine wildlife everywhere. There were many types of birds, including cormorants, egrets, brown pelicans, and a massive white pelican. There were dozens of crabs in the mud, and they scuttled away as soon as they felt the water vibrations caused by our paddles. There were harbor seals, which poked their eyes and noses out of the water and followed us around, watching curiously. My favorite part, though, was seeing dozens of endangered sea otters.

There are around a hundred happy sea otters living in the slough, and we saw males, females, and even pups, which cried when their mothers stayed under the water longer than they did. We spent a couple of hours kayaking around with the animals and asking endless questions of Ron.

Students catch and measure sharks on their regular rounds (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole watches a sea otter (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Ron watches as a flock of birds takes off (Photo/Jason Rafal)

For lunch, we all headed to Phil’s, a famous fish shop in Moss Landing. Phil’s is right on the beach in the midst of Monterey marine labs. The fish and the atmosphere were both great. After lunch, we drove back through Monterey and Pacific Grove, both of which are beautiful. Jason was disappointed that we weren’t able to visit the aquarium, but we decided that we had to save something for next time.

A view of the Big Sur coastline, including the Bixby bridge (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Is This Poison Oak?

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Story by Nicole

The goal of Wednesday was to explore the Big Sur area. We began by visiting Andrew Molera State Park. The bridge over the creek at the beginning of the trail was washed out, so we removed our shoes and socks and waded across. Once on the other side, we re-donned shoes and walked to the Molera beach. Jason was not pleased about getting his feet wet.

Nicole and Eric wade across the creek (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Jason’s reaction to crossing the creek (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

The beach was, of course, stunning. We hung out for a few minutes and watched a sea otter.

Windblown flowers (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Eric celebrates successfully balancing small rocks (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Eric contemplates the ocean (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole watches a sea otter (Photo/Jason Rafal)

For the next couple of hours, we hiked along the bluff, followed constantly by strong winds. Nicole’s grandfather, Eric, pointed out native and non-native plants along the trail. After he pointed out poison oak, Nicole was constantly concerned about accidentally touching it (pro tip for those who have not been trained to recognize poison oak: it has three leaves grouped together, like a berry, but it has smooth stems). We continued for a couple of miles before turning back toward the car.

A view of the ocean (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The hills above the Big Sur coastline (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Eric leads the way on the trail (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Next, we decided to return to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and walk the famed waterfall trail, which we had not had time to visit the previous day. It was very easy and touristy walk, but the view of a thin waterfall falling directly onto the sand in a turquoise bay surrounded by huge rocks was definitely beautiful and worth putting up with the tourists. We have been seeing a lot of selfie sticks, which we had first seen in Italy. It’s amusing how it seemed to follow us back to the states.

The waterfall view (it’s a located on the left side, and falls onto the beach near the ocean) (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Another coastal view from Julia Burns Pfeiffer State Park (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After the waterfall walk, we headed to Nepenthe for lunch. This restaurant has been in Big Sur for generations and is famous for the amazing views of Big Sur visible from its balcony. Since our day pass got us into all of the state parks in the area, we went to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park to wrap up the day, and then headed home.

Lack of internet and phone service means that I’ve been writing these blogs in bulk to post when I feel like going down to the check in and grocery cabin to use the wifi. It’s not the ideal way to blog, but it works.

Nicole types blog posts in the cabin (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The Pacific Coast Highway

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Story by Nicole

The drive from Los Angeles to Big Sur was the shortest drive we’d had yet in the trip, so we were a little more leisurely in our schedule. From Venice Beach, we drove through Santa Monica and Malibu north to San Luis Obispo, where we had lunch at a local pizza and Mediterranean place. After eating more pizza than was strictly necessary, we began the classic Pacific Coast Highway drive.

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Saying goodbye to our cottage (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Jason and his car were delightfully happy to be driving the PCH. We made a game of stopping to take pictures and then waiting for a decent stretch between cars before getting back on the road so that Jason could speed through the tight corners. No one really kept up, except for a very ambitious white Toyota Yaris that was probably driven by Mario Andretti. That tiny car actually passed us on a small straight stretch and sped away.

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The Big Sur coastline (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A word about the central coast and Big Sur area, for those who have not been there: it’s stunning. There’s the Pacific Ocean, stretching out as far as the eye can see until it joins with the sky in a haze of blue. There are the jagged cliffs, which stretch out into the water in never-ending layers. There are the forests of redwoods and oak trees, which conceal beautiful creeks and surprisingly steep canyon trails. It all comes together in a very unusual and striking beauty.

On our way to the cabin we rented in Big Sur, we stopped at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to do the Ewolden hike, which was a 5-mile trek that included a steep trail up the creek within a redwood canopy, a gently meandering trail through an oak grove, and an impressive view of the ocean. After the hike, we drove the 20 minutes to our cabin, which was just beyond Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park (a lot of the park names here sound the same, mostly because there were only a few families who had key roles in developing the area).

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Redwood canopy (Photo/Jason Rafal)

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Nicole stands under a giant redwood (Photo/Jason Rafal)

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Ocean views from the mountainside (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Our cabin is both very adorable and very large, with two bedrooms, a large living room, and a complete kitchen. It manages to be both rustic and easily livable, which is nice in a cabin. It’s very old-style Big Sur.

We’re Just Not Beach People

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Story by Nicole

After spending 5 hours playing the game Desert Bus in real life, we arrived in the greater Los Angeles area. We were cutting the timing a bit close; we had meant to get to Venice Beach by 3 to beat some of the more horrendous traffic, but because I was messing with blog photos in the morning (did you see they got bigger?) we were hoping to just get to our airbnb by 4. That being said, it only took us two hours to get through LA to the beach, which is pretty good. We pulled up to the house at 3:45.

Our room is absolutely adorable. It’s basically a stand-alone studio apartment with a screened off bathroom. The family lives in the house that’s on the property, and they have apparently been there forever and have a few generations in the house. It’s about a block from the beach.

We like Venice Beach, but we’re not enthralled. I think part of the issue is that I love mountains and Jason is not fond of sand. But, it’s pretty and has good seafood. I have no real complaints. The city is rather delightfully weird, which we appreciate as people who have lived in Boulder.

Perspective on a dreidel (Photo/Jason Rafal)

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A somewhat patiently waiting dog (Photo/Jason Rafal)

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An enticing offer (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We spent a lot of time walking along the beach. Jason tried to climb one of the ropes at Muscle Beach, which did not go as well as it could have. After dinner, when a lot of people had left the beach, it was a mix of calm ocean and random nightlife. There were a few people who had spent a considerable amount of time adding lights to their bikes.

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Santa Monica Pier (Photo/Jason Rafal)

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Jason attempts to climb the rope (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

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Evening beach colors (Photo/Jason Rafal)

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Silhouettes and a lighted bike (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Next stop is the PCF and Big Sur. We’re excited.