As much as I wanted to get closer to this big fella and take detailed photos of him, there were posted signs saying that any disturbance of the wildlife would result in a $10,000 fine. So I kept my distance.
We finally saddled up and headed south for more photo ops...
We meandered our way to a tourist dive -- the Trees of Mystery in Klamath. Now this isn't something Cindy and I would ordinarily be interested in, but the promise of more big trees was too much of a temptation and we paid our fee to enter the park.
Due to the squalls of pouring rain, followed by water dripping off the foliage in copious amounts, I didn't get many photos from our visit there. Suffice to say that it was luxuriously verdant and filled with many worthwhile sights.
Oh, and did I mention that they have a gondola ride through the redwood forest?
Once we got to the very top of the mountain, the fog, clouds and rain burned off enough for me to take some unexpected shots of the nearby Pacific Ocean.
And we saw evidence of snow and/or sleet, which always makes Cindy very happy.
There was also a cathedral tree, which was the result of an immense ancient redwood dying long ago and nine smaller "saplings" springing up out of it's decaying stump. It looks so much like the interior of a church cathedral that they hold Easter services and weddings there.
Once we finished the tour, we did a circuit through the gift shop/museum before leaving. The End of the Trail museum was very much a surprise; it looks like the entrance to a really expensive section of the gift shop, but is actually one of the most complete collections of western native basketry and clothing that I've ever seen. We couldn't exit the place without getting a sample of the fudge made in-house; we picked up a pound of maple nut and a pound of chocolate for everyone to snack on later.
Once we got back on the road, we went looking for a place to have a late lunch/early dinner. And we looked and looked. We finally pulled into the parking lot of an unsavory looking place, but stopped cold when we spotted heavy-duty wire mesh over the windows to keep them from being broken and ominous signs saying that "armed guards were on duty". Seriously. We beat a hasty retreat and decided we'd eat later back at Crescent City.
We did mosey up to a spectacular overlook just to the north of where the Klamath River enters the Pacific, just in time to see more squalls approaching from the sea.
Then it was back in the car to head for our last evening meal along the North Coast of California.
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