As we approached redwood country I slowed down a bit so we could really take in the awesome sights of the giant trees and maybe catch a glimpse of bigfoot himself! (This area is also known for many a bigfoot sighting! :) ) Every tree we passed seemed bigger than the one before and some were so tall we couldn't see the tops. The expression on Georgia's face at finally seeing the natural wonders of the redwoods was priceless! I only wish Tootie was old enough to appreciate the natural wonders we were enjoying!
I set up the dog pens and got the house cleaned and situated in record time. The kids and I scarfed down the giant subs at cookhouse, hopped in the truck and were off to play redwood tourists in no time. Our first stop was at a little coffee house for a much needed caffeine pick-me-up for me. We sat outside the cafe and had some juice and snacks as we peered down the main drag and tried to decide where to go first. The toy store won out! As we made our way through the foot traffic we noticed quite a few locals walking their pet dogs on leashes, some not. Funny enough, this little town with a population of less than 1,000 was originally named Dogtown before its postmaster James C. Garber renamed it after himself in the late 1800's. We spent about an hour in the toy/gift/novelty store browsing and chatting with the owner who remembered the show well from previous years. There so many unusual goodies the girls and I had a hard time deciding on souvenirs, but we made our selections and continued through town to see what else we could find. Lots of cute shops, coffee stands and art galleries peaked our interests for quite a while. Soon it was time to hit the redwood tourist spots about 8 miles outside of town.
Our first stop was a cute little souvenir stand right off the side of highway 101. It had bigfoot in the name...there was a beautiful fountain right out front and redwood stuff galore! I of course got my much needed souvenir magnets to add to my growing collection. Georgia settled on shark teeth (LOL, too cute!), a rock the had crystals in it when you break it open and a Chinese finger trap. Next stop, the log house!
This little house is made entirely of a redwood tree trunk. It costs $1.00 to enter. The inside reminded Georgia of a travel trailer made for the seven dwarfs. Tiny twin beds, a tiny cupboards, dining table and chairs were attached to the inside of the rounded house. We signed the guest book and make our way through in about 12 paces and headed for a drive through more redwood country.
The Avenue of the Giants is the world's largest remaining old-growth coast redwood forest. We drove through one of the beautiful parks where campers, hikers and site seers were all welcome to enjoy the local scenery. There are trees you can actually drive your vehicle through. The old grandfather tree features a trunk about as wide as the cook house is long. Some trees are thousands of years old and have never been logged. There are recent discoveries recording trees heights over 370 feet tall. That's about 5 stories taller than the Stature of Liberty!There are so many beautiful trails in this area it would take many days to traverse them all and appreciate their natural beauty.We talked about one day coming back to this area and spending more time when we weren't on a work schedule. This is a very laid back part of the country where the locals are very hospitable. To us a dream vacation spot and just one of many special parts of the country we are lucky enough to visit with Culpepper. 
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