Elk Prairie

October 2nd to October 4th 2013

Obama was lambasted by congress on october 1st and couldn't pass his new budget.  We were hoping it would be temporary because Oregon's Redwood state and national state parks was federally run and therefore closed.  Now that we were entering another park, we hoped that the campground was going to be open.  Actually, our thoughts were not so sophisticated as that.  Erin battled the hill.  It was agony.  Slow, long.  Halfway thru, the elderly couple (retired grandparents) passed us going up the hill.  Embarassing.  Erin was full of bile and hatred as the agony makes cycling not beautiful, or fulfilling but rather a torturous wheel ploughing her leg bones into each other.  

The ride back down the hill after all the hills was incredible.  It was a lengthy, serpentine route that required minimal effort.  The redwoods cast such a shadow though that we turned on our lights to be more visible to the many tourists in the park.  The trees are so big as to dward Erin on her bike and cars alike (See photos if they're attached).

I had fun photographing Erin and the trees and the cars while riding down the hill.  Elk Prairie is beautiful enough to warrant a rest day, and so we took one to enjoy the sights.  Erin painted, I cycled down to the coast and hiked the fern canyon, Maggie hiked down to the coast and also up the fern canyon (meeting me there at the precise moment I arrived, as unlikely as that is). Bryan lazed around camp refusing to cycle or hike on his down day.

Chatrelle mushrooms were plentiful in the forest since the rain occurred so shortly ago.  Yum! I am developing a love for foraging for food during our voyages.  I can spot an apple tree now by the silhouette alone without even the colours of ripeness.

Rigel's hike to Fern Canyon