Back in 2007, Ken and I decided to go on a road trip from Northern California to Washington. We didn’t go as far as we liked, but got some great camping in at some beautiful spots, including Mt. St. Helens National Monument. Mt. St. Helens has special meaning for me, because it erupted not long after I was born. I know that’s true for perhaps a thousand other people. But it’s also true that I’ve always been known for bringing the disaster, drama, and horrible weather to any party. 😉

I’ve just got around to sorting and uploading the pics from this trip. Here’s stuff from the first day, when we started out with lunch at Bodega Bay and drove up to Humboldt Redwoods State Park for our first night camping:

By Ken

Don’t let our happy faces fool you– that water is always ice-cold.

This gull was a beak away from stealing Ken’s boots at one point. Nothing but trouble.

We drove up the 101 to get to Humboldt, and it was beautiful. At points it arcs out right over the ocean. This was one of those points where I made Ken stop the car.

By Ken

Finally we arrived at the Avenue of Giants. I don’t think I’d ever seen redwoods before (if I have it was when I was too small to remember), so I was blown away by their size. Here’s some photos for scale purposes:

By Ken

Ken tending our first campfire of the trip. By the end of this week I was definitely no longer a pyrophobe.