Today was spent exploring the Del Norte coastal area with a forest hike, beach walk, and dining out.

Saddler Skyline and Hobb’s Wall Trails

There is a nice long trail available right from our campground that we hiked today. Long, gentle climbs took us out of the valley and up towards the 101 through an amazing forest. The forest would have been even better had it not been cleared of all the old-growth redwoods long ago. Correction, there were a few remaining, but the oldest of them were merely stumps left by the loggers. Notches could be seen on the remaining stumps where the loggers placed their spring boards while felling the giant trees. There is some remaining old growth forest closer to the 101.

The good news is that there are lots of young redwoods surrounding most of the stumps (all clones grown from the roots), so the forest should be majestic again in another thousand years or so. Ferns are numerous here as well, providing a carpeted undergrowth. Mushrooms and moss thrive on any deadwood left behind.

It’s very interesting that redwood logs were used to fill a depression under Highway 101. This forms the “wall” that we saw on the Hobbs Wall trail. As hikers, we could see the ends of the stacked trunks, with the 101 high above us. Drivers have no idea they are driving over a huge pile of redwoods. The timber company that supplied this “wall” is the Hobbs, Wall & Co. Very apropos!

We didn’t see a lot of wildlife here, except for lots of creepy-crawlies on the forest floor. Naturally, Lisa had to stop, examine, and photograph each and every one.

Note from Lisa: Catnip and I saw a cute bird that we did not capture with a picture or otherwise. It’s a Pacific Wren, a little round brown bird that sticks its short, stubby tail straight up.

Crescent Beach

In the afternoon we took a drive up out the campground to walk Crescent Beach. Unlike Agate Beach at Sue-Meg, this one is sandy. Its unique feature is the abundance of sand dollars, specifically, the large Pacific variety (aka Eccentric Sand Dollar).

SeaQuake Brewing

For dinner we decided it was a time for a night to eat out. I was in the mood to try some local seafood and we found a place called SeaQuake Brewing in nearby Crescent City that served both seafood and vegetarian fare. I had the fish and chips made with fish caught right off the coast here (so good!) and Lisa had the avocado veggie tacos.