Solar Living by Day- Redwoods Sleeping by Night

Mural at the Solar Living Center.

Sunday, May 27, 2007
We figured traffic would be bad due to the 3-day weekend and left Sunday for our vacation to Oregon (finally).

We stopped for a lunch in Healdsburg,CA just under the bridge. Kai had a great time trying out his aquaboots and braved running into the waters.

Just south of Willits, we stopped at the Solar Living Center- a not-for-profit attraction focused on promoting recycling and solar-power energy to grow plants and pump water.

This is the world's only "solar-powered" carousel.

Kai appears to get a bit sick this time and wants off.

Heart-shaped pond with Koi fish and tame duck that followed Kai everywhere.

Biodiesel bus that gets 25 miles to a gallon! It uses shortening, fat, and some other chemistry to make it run. This guy sells cappucinos and tie-dyed t-shirts, wow! an all-around entreprenuer!


Grassoline tank (get it?). Slightly more expensive than regular gas (9-10 cents more) but worth the clean air. Stuff like this really gets Greg thinking about another project to do using energy-saving techniques.

Notice the bathroom walls. It is adorned with toilet basin covers!

Kai running through an underground tunnel (is this the well-known escape from the south- The Underground?)

Running through a pyramid of bamboo.

We make it into Willits. When entering this little town, one reads, "Gateway to the Redwoods" and on exiting, the "Heart of Mendocino County."

This archway was the original sign that once illuminated Virginia Street in Reno, Nevada to welcome visitors from 1964-1987.

Remember the slogan "The Biggest Little City In The World"?

This was Greg and I in 2002 when we were still DINKS (double income, no kids). What a bunch of tree-huggers, aye?

We had driven our motorcycles all the way to the Redwoods. Greg on his BMW and me on my Harley. But now with the new investment...here comes along Kai.

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Kai clapping his hands in delight. He just loves the outdoors!

Alas! We spend the night at Richardson Grove State Park off Hwy 101 near the coast. This park is over 1,500 acres in size and consists of Redwood giants that are more than 1,000 years old and quite a few are more than 300 feet tall. Kai enjoys bunkering down on a fallen redwood. It's a cold night and we are nevertheless enjoying it. My only concern is that a black bear or mountain lion doesn't take off with Kai, since he loves to venture far from us.