Park 17: Redwood National Park, CA: We were greeted today with our first overcast and rain of the trip.  It dampened any desire for extensive hikes as we visited the giant redwoods. 

To say it simply, we stood among giants today.  Few words can describe these tall, ramrod straight trees.  Groves of redwoods block out any sunlight that tries to get through and you find yourself among these trees in a quietness that's hard to describe.  Our one short hike took us into the Lady Bird Johnson Grove of redwoods.

The national park intermingles with numerous California state parks and campgrounds with Highway 101 running through its middle as it traverses up the coastline for about 40 miles.

We exited the park at its north entrance to make the drive towards our next stop.  This route took us through Grants Pass in Oregon before turning back south towards California as we drove through our first snowfall.

Driving through the redwoods
with inches to spare

Redwoods in Lady Bird Johnson Grove

Odometer: 7,738 miles.