Crossing into California

Today was an earlier morning with a 7:15am wake up and breakfast so that we could have some exploring along the way to the Jedediah Redwood State Park.  We headed out first toward the Cape Blanco lighthouse inside the Cape Blanco State Park. Along the way, we found 3 geocaches within the park and one hidden inside an Irish Pioneer cemetery. The lighthouse was scenic and the kids explored a path along the beach together while Charles and I stayed up top taking pictures and breathing in the fresh air. The rocky coastline is fascinating and I am constantly surprised at just how large the rocks are. After leaving the park, we got our local coffee fix for the day and tried out the Battle Rock Coffee company. The best part of the coffee was the chocolate covered coffee bean they added to the top of each drink. We love exploring local coffee shops wherever we go. Next up was stopping in Harbor Bay just outside of Brookings, OR at the the Fat Irish Kitchen on the bay. The rueben sandwiches were delicious. A short drive later we arrived in the Redwood Forest inside of Jedediah State Park. We did a 1.3 mile round trip loop which was perfect with a good path for crutches and opportunities to climb the trees and immerse yourself in God's beauty. The sun came through the trees in a few places and we could feel the warmth and hear the trees blowing above, very relaxing! Caelin especially enjoyed climbing the trees and into the river bed. Cade's favorite part was the pleasant weather and seeing the trees for the first time. It was the perfect break before we hoped back in the car heading to Trinidad for the Trinidad Trail Head. The hike was aprox 1.5 miles and went along the coastline with views of the Pacific Ocean and lighthouse. The hike itself was actually very steep and I was surprised Charles was able to complete the whole thing. I know he must be tired, but kept on going. After taking in the amazing views, we decided to drive into town to a Japanese restaurant called Kome.  By the time we reached our hotel it was 9pm, but we were well fed and happy. We even were able to get a load of laundry completed while everyone took turns taking showers. I am looking forward to the Avenue of the Giants tomorrow as we continue heading south toward Sonoma.