2021 Trip Chronicles: Page 4

Prairie Creek Redwoods SP 5/23

For weeks I'd been expecting to make a week-long road trip up to our North Coast redwood parks that I'd last visited in 2013. The Sierra Nevada offered some early-season destinations; however, due to the droughty conditions, my expectations were that wildflowers and greenery would offer below-normal aesthetics. Near May month-end, the NWS weather forecast showed the region would receive some light rain after weeks without rain; thus, I planned my trip to be in the redwoods during that period, as that adds a worthwhile aesthetic to temperate rainforest images. So on Sunday morning, May 23, 2021 I left early before commute traffic peaked on the long drive north. That worked out well as I passed through Marin and Sonoma Counties into Mendocino. The landscape looked exceptionally dry for late May. Further north on US101, greenery increased in the Eel River basin as I made a short stop at Humboldt Redwoods. North into Eureka, landscapes were vibrant green where I stopped for gas, ice, and perishables. Into Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and stopped at the THK Visitor Center, which confirmed rhododendrons were at least 2 weeks late.

Then, given a few hours to explore, I drove up on the Bald Hills Road about 30 miles to where a supposed lupine bloom caused some media reports. I didn't expect that to be as unusual as reported that turned out to be the case. Just beyond the Lady Bird Johnson grove, usual areas of rhododendron only showed a few buds. This is a part of Redwoods National Park, while the three state parks I visited on this trip are also part of the national park. At sunset, I drove into the Elk Prairie and through the campground that, despite a sign showing it was full, had at least a half dozen no-show camp spots. Thus, an issue with the current pandemic recreation dot gov process that I made the most of. As dusk darkened the forest, I did go into the nearby impressive trailhead grove where I worked a couple of dim subjects I never post-processed.

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At sunrise Monday, May 24, 2021, I went back to the same area I visited at dusk and worked 3 more subjects in diffuse blue sky light; however, upon post-processing, I recalled the need to limit framing of any sky. As the sun began shining in the forest, I ended that work and drove down to the Redwood Creek coastal beach where I shot the above close-up of silky beach pea, Lathyrus littoralis, coast sand verbena, Abronia umbellata, beach morning glory, Calystegia soldanella, and a TBD white flower head. Wild beach strawberries were few, though I did find a few to eat. Later that afternoon, I surveyed some familiar areas along the creek I would visit the next day and then drove out to a coastal area. After visiting the camp host, I received a $30 camp spot that once again was used only as a parking spot, sleeping inside the Forester. Early that evening, the minor spring cold front arrived, piddling enjoyable light rain over a few sleepy hours. That also forced numbers of otherwise campfire makers into their tents, replacing their usual evening smoky fires with nicely fresh, clean air.

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Was up again early Tuesday, May 25, 2021, eager to make the most of freshly watered redwood forest landscapes. I went back to a subject above on the West Ridge Trail I'd worked the previous morning in too much early light. Clouds, mist, and fog still enveloped the forest. The wet bark darkened wood colors, including the trail surface, and added glistening water on the many sword ferns, generally saturating color. Coast redwoods, Sequoia sempervernis, are the Earth's tallest trees and one of its most ancient. Old-growth forests in the temperate rainforest are amazingly lush green environments with endless fascinating elements to look at. Dominating the forest floor are western sword fern, Polystuchum muniturn, which are joined with beautifully shaped deer fern, Blechnum spicant, and coastal wood fern, Dryopteris arguta. At trail sides in the foreground are redwood sorrel without blooms and, in places, thimbleberry. The bright trees in the background frame right are bigleaf maples. The dark barkless redwood trunk stump frame right is host to an array of other species growing out of its decaying organic wood, including the red-tinged leaves of huckleberry. The smaller shaded tree frame right is a Sitka spruce.

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A short ways up the Miner's Ridge trail is a bridge over a small stream ravine with the above view upstream showing the root end of a large fallen redwood rolled into the ravine with myriad plants growing out of its nutrients. In the lower right frame, there is a salmonberry bush with some deer fern in the frame corner. Growing atop the root stump is a Sitka spruce covered with hanging lichen, as is the small tree further back just left of center behind the fallen trunk at a diagonal.

Further up the Miner's Ridge Trail beyond the James Irvine Trail junction, with cloud fog moving through the trees, the trail moves through a group of smaller redwoods shown at page top. The plants with white flowers in front of the large redwood at frame right are branched Solomon's seal, Maianthemum racemosum. The brushy trees framing the lower left are a mix of tanbark oak, huckleberry. and thimbleberry. A western trillium flower is at the lower frame edge, mid-left.

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Not far beyond, the trail reaches a ridge top zone with increasing wildflowers. I stopped to take a close-up of a Western trillium, Trillium ovatum, flower above. Note the raindrops from the overnight rain mixed with yellow pollen below the anthers that had been knocked off. Most of that species had bloomed about a month before; however, there were still a few plants with flowers, though only a few had white petals, as most had already changed to purple hues.

After returning from the 4-mile out-and-back hike up the Miner's Ridge Trail, I drove north on US101 across the Klamath River, into Del Norte County. After driving to the Klamath Overlook, I continued north, and north of Wilson Creek, there were significant road delays. Rhododendrons were spotty, less than normal for late May, but there was at least one tree with blooms I had reason to return to work. I continued into Crescent City where I stopped for gas and food. I also text-messaged a forum gal D that lives just north of the city. After looking at numerous possible places to park and sleep overnight, I drove out onto the municipal pier jetty to spend the night, where a few crab fishermen were also out into the wee hours on the adjoining pier.

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At dawn Wednesday, May 26, 2021, I drove off south on US101 into Del Norte Redwoods SP, where I stopped at the one good rhododendron tree; however, as a two-column stitch-blend image, later during post-processing, I found I mistakenly left the A6000 in Manual focus mode, which ruined half that subject. Next, I drove to the Damnation Trail, where there were just a few blooms. A photo group was over the ridgeline where cloud fog enveloped redwoods. My first subject was also ruined while I was still in Manual focus mode. My second subject above was ok though not as strong as the one I muffed.

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Back at the trailhead, drove back north on US101 then east on SR199 into Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. From about a half mile west of the Smith River bridge, a few trees had flowers, and one tree with Pacific rhododendron, Rhododendron macrophyllum, was spectacular. Unfortunately, now mid-morning, under a thin overcast sky deck, there was a minor breeze, and worse, traffic was nearly continuous; with each passage, the subject shook with a woosh. I worked the image for an hour, and the result is above; that took over 20 minutes to process in Zerene Stacker, which was mainly due to misregistration in the redwoods above the flowers that had considerable hanging lichen that was rarely still.

I drove back west and visited Walker Road areas for an hour, working a few modest subjects, and then drove back east and then west along the north side of the River on SR197, where I explored some of the dirt roads down to the river. By late morning I was back south on US101. Had a nice hour-long visit with the noted forum person in their wonderfully green rural world and then continued south back into Crescent City, where, after some fast food lunch, drove down to the Pebble Beach shore areas where I explored some fascinating areas at low tide.

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By 4pm I was on my way up to the blocked Howland Hill Road entrance to Jedediah Smith SP. For several weeks, that park dirt road had been closed for maintenance, though people were allowed to walk in along the road. I explored the Rellim Ridge Trail, which is actually a gravel road through a second-growth forest, for a couple of hours until the sun's altitude was low enough that most of the landscape in the road part of the park would be in shadow. Due to so few visitors on that trail, roadsides were spectacularly pristine. Before walking down the road, I captured a close-up of the above aesthetic symmetry of a deer fern, Blechnum spicant.

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A bulldozer had just smoothed out the road that was rather soft and damp. I soon came to realize blocking the road was actually a benefit to this photographer that would otherwise, as vehicles passed, regularly need to move to the side of the road that has no shoulder. Thus, I could set up my tripod almost anywhere on the road and not expect any vehicles for 10-plus minutes. Additionally, the best redwoods along the several-mile-long road were just along this first mile, an easy walk. Although it was a sunny blue sky day, late afternoon only, the treetops showed no sky or sunny areas that I worked to avoid in frames, as camera sensors don't have the dynamic range in such dim forests. My first subject above shows some of these giants, all over 200 feet tall on a steep slope with an understory of huckleberry, salmonberry, thimbleberry, and sword ferns. Many of these trees that are especially resistant to fires have blackened fire scars.

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And above another group of tall trees. The green, brushy understory would in most places be well over a person's head. I had seen enough good subjects to plan on returning the following day. That evening, I parked overnight above Pebble Beach.

At dawn Thursday, May 27, 2021, I drove back to the rhododendron subject along SR199 hoping to get some shots in before morning commute traffic picked up. Unfortunately, there was more breeze this morning, and I was surprised at all the white work truck service vehicles on this stretch that is an efficient connector between US101, which continues up along the Oregon Coast, and interstate I5 that routes through central Oregon. I managed to get a set of shots in, though again that took over an hour, and it was late enough that I didn't even bother driving back over to Howland Hill Road to wait again till later in the afternoon. Later in post-processing, I chose to process the one worked on Wednesday.

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Back in Crescent City, I worked some modest shore areas east of Pebble Beach, most of which I have yet to process. One close-up subject I did process, as shown above, is this group of damp gray to cyan hued shore smoothed cobbles.

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By 4pm I had returned to the Howland Hill gate where some clouds with intermittent light sprinkles above the ridge kept sunlight muted while I shot in skylight shadows. This first subject was looking down from the road where it routes above the master ravine. Below was one large fallen trunk and 4 other trunks, all so overgrown with vegetation using the decaying redwood nutrients that only 2 of those trunks are obvious. Three standing trees at frame left are actually tilted left, as shown; thus, it is not a lens issue. These enormous trees have shallow surface roots that intertwine with adjacent tree roots for improved support. If one tree begins moving or falls, that can affect nearby trees. Although one might expect these areas to have an abundance of insect life, such is not the case. What is abundant are dark brown millipedes that feed on the decaying wood.

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The next subject above is on the uphill side of the road. Although sword ferns tend to dominate forest floors, some areas do have nice patches of redwood sorrel. Here they are joined by lily of the valley, branched Solomon's seal, and deer ferns.

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My last redwood subject on this trip shows a dark redwood trunk in the near ground with trees in stronger diffuse light in the distance. The open zone in front of the distant trees allowed more skylight illumination. The smaller trees to the side of the dark trunk are Sitka spruce.

NEXT: Page 5 Sonoma Coast
2021 Trip Chronicles: Contents

David Senesac
email: info@davidsenesac.com
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