Lost My Identity- Kai's Ma'ma: Drive-Through Tree, Samoa Cookhouse, Trinidad Beach Hike, and the Redwood National Parks

Monday May 28, 2007 //Memorial's Day

Still continuing along the coast and parallel to Hwy North 101 , we drive via The Avenue of the Giants. The Avenue of the Giants has attractions such as the Grandfather Tree, the Chimney Tree, and The Loghouse Tree, just to name a few.

We make a quick stop at Myers Flat to see the Largest Living Drive-Through Tree (in the world). Unfortunately, the Vanagon is to top-heavy to pass, so we walk through it instead.

This tree was cut down by axe and cross-cut saw in the 1800's. The beam you see in this picture, is where wedges were cut into the tree base to secure "springer boards"that held loggers while cutting the tree.

Entering the Children's Step-Through Stump.

This drive-through Redwood, the Shrine Tree, is actually 3/4 dead. The other quarter is still thriving and refuses to to die. Although cable are holding this tree up, as it is at a dangerous tilt, green leaves and branches continue to grow.

Greg drives "Vanny" up the Balance Tree.

A carved out bookshelf with books!

Who was to ever guess? Trees really do grow limbs after all!

We continue our drive along The Avenue and stop at the Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitor Center as our road was closed due to a mudslide. We turn around and get back on Hwy 101.

A pretty view off The Avenue at the visitor center.

Tree rings and the time in history that it lived through. (Click to see in larger format.)

The external part of this truck is made entirely of Redwood!

The weather rock.

This rock is the perfect weather indicator, it never fails. It is more accurate than your local weather person. This rock is the living word and is 100% correct.

This is how it works:
a dry rock means fair weather.

a wet rock means it's raining.

a dusty rock means a dust storm.

a swaying rock means it's windy.

a shadow under the rock means it's sunny.

a white rock means it's snowing.
if the rock is jumping up and down, an earthquake is upon us.

if the bottom of the rock is under water it's a flood.
most beautiful of all, though the rock is not attached to its' existence,

it doesn't mind which of the above is happening.

Today's forecast? Dry rock- fair weather. YIPEE!

Drive across the bridge from Eureka to Samoa in search of the Somoa Cookhouse I read about in a guide.

We are famished! The Samoa Cookhouse is in our reach (and Kai's).

The Samoa Cookhouse is the last of its kind in the West, dating from 1893, served the mill men and longshoremen who chowed down on three hot meals before, during, and after their 12-hour workday.

We eat a hearty lunch consisting of salad and beans, homemade bread, minestrone soup, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn and finished by apple pie. We never eat that much (usually)! But it was served to us family style and that was their set menu.

Kai runs the place by running in between tables with daddy chasing after him.

In the adjoining room are some antiques to browse and several pictures of loggers cutting down big redwoods. This was also where Kai received his first kiss from a 3-year old girl from Oregon. She held his head with both hands and kissed him on the forehead. As a surprise to all of us, and to the restaurant owner just as well, Kai raised his arms overhead and squealed in delight, smiling and running about like a madman.

Not only do we allow Kai to play with a hot stove...

...but we let him play around dangerous and sharp equipment also!

Anchors away! Found at the Maritime Museum next door to the cookhouse.

Kai in hiding from daddy...again.

Kai holds upright a buoy. Yup, he eats his spinach alright!

We continue on to Trinidad. Absolutely beautiful, makes me think of the Mediterranean lifestyle. And to work off our full bellies, we hike down hundreds of feet to the beach below the lighthouse. Kai happily sits in his backpack until we let him loose to pick rocks, and throw sand at us.