October 6, 2012

Chinook RV Resort, Klamath, CA

(Lady Bird Johnson Grove & Elk Meadow)

After a big breakfast we sat around discussing our plans for the day. Monte wanted to take the bikes to Elk Meadow.  But that was easier said than done.  We transport the bikes on a hitch carrier on the rear of the 5^th wheel.  In order to take the bikes we would have to move the hitch to the pickup truck which requires an adapter plate.  It just sounded like too much work and time.  It was already 10:30 and I didn’t want to waste more of the day so we decided we would just hike today.  I made us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and off we went. 

Our first stop was at Lady Bird Johnson Grove. 

The entrance is on Bald Hills Road 2.5 miles off Highway 101 between Klamath and Orick.  There was only one other car in the parking lot when we arrived leading me to believe the grove was a little known place.  We crossed the foot bridge and followed the trail which climbs gently through a corridor of huckleberry shrubs.  I retrieved a brochure from the display with a sign stating the booklets are to be returned at the end of the hike or a $1.00 donation be placed in the receptacle.  The brochure was very helpful as there were numbered posts along the trail that corresponded to numbered sections in the booklet.  At each post, I read aloud while Monte took pictures.   

 

Redwoods in the grove are a mixture of young and old, large and small.  As we made our way along the trail and gazed up at trees that are well over 200 feet tall, I kept thinking that nothing could be bigger until we came across one that was bigger. 

The redwoods are truly majestic.  The path is far enough away from the main road so the experience is not marred by traffic.  We did encounter a few other people on the trail including a lady who was making notes on a clipboard.  I inquired what she was doing and she told me she was one of many volunteers who come to the park a couple of times a week to note changes in trees, shrubs and wildlife.   Neat!

 

It took us approximately one hour to walk the 1 mile trail and when we returned to the parking lot, it was full.  So much for the grove being a well kept secret.  Instead of turning left out of the parking lot towards Highway 101 we decided to check out what else was on Bald Hills Road.  We traveled another 4-5 miles and came across an overlook that was truly breathtaking.

  We were high above the redwoods and could see the ocean in the far distance.  Despite the chill in the air, we brought our sandwiches with us and ate at the railing as we soaked up the scenery and inhaled fresh air. 

After lunch we continued up Bald Hills Road for another few miles until the “Service engine soon”, light came on in my car.  We stopped at the next pull-over area so I could look in the car manual that instructed to have the car checked at an authorized dealer as soon as possible.  Thanks for nothing.  Not knowing exactly where Bald Hills Road would lead us, we made a u-turn and headed back for Highway 101.  I was concerned because if the car died we wouldn’t be able to call AAA because there was no cell phone service where we were.  We made it down to the highway with no problem.

We were only 2 miles from Elk Meadow so we decided to make a quick stop just on the off chance that we could see some elk.  We had been there a couple of days prior and hadn’t seen any elk.  On the short drive there I made the comment that it was amazing that with all the thousands of acres of forest surrounding us the most wildlife we had seen was birds and a couple of raccoons.  Well all that was about to change as we pulled into the parking lot at Elk Creek and saw several cars and people with cameras and binoculars.  They were taking pictures of not one elk but an entire herd including a bull with what looked like a 14 point antler.  Oh my! 

 

Some of the females were munching on bushes full of ripe berries while others appeared to be sleeping.  The bull elk had his eyes closed but I am sure he was quite aware of his audience. 

After we had our fill of elk watching we took the trail leading to Trillium Falls, a 2.8 mile hike looping through old growth redwoods.  It was only 0.3 miles to the waterfall.  The waterfall was pretty but nothing in comparison to the awesome one we saw at Yellowstone. 

 We had only planned on walking to the waterfall and then returning the same way but we weren’t tired so we continued on the trail because we knew it was ONLY a couple of miles.  What we hadn’t known was that quite a bit of the trail ascends.  I had to stop a few times to catch my breath.  It was worth it but I have to admit I was relieved when we reached the end of the trail.  There was another couple a few yards ahead of us.  We noticed them appear to stop in their tracks.  As we got closer to them we saw the reason they were standing as still as statues.  The herd of elk we had seen earlier was crossing the path directly in front of us.  Monte instructed them to crouch down.  When we had camped at Yellowstone, a ranger had warned that if we ever came too close to elk we should make ourselves appear smaller and thus would not be considered a threat to the elk.  We stayed low to the ground for a good ten minutes until the herd was a safe distance away from us.  Monte and the other couple continued on to the parking lot while I stayed behind to look between two trees at the meadow with my binoculars.   At first I didn’t see anything unusual.  Then I noticed a pair of antlers directly in front of me.  I slowly pulled the binoculars away from my eyes and, OMG, there was a bull elk not 10 feet from where I was standing.  We made eye contact.  I slowly started backing up, praying that I wouldn’t trip over something.  I didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until I was far enough away and felt there was no longer any danger of being rammed. 

I ran back to the parking lot to let Monte know that another bull elk was nearby all by himself.  Monte grabbed his camera and took the other side of the path that loops around so that he came up on the elk behind him.  I watched as the elk sensed Monte behind him and turned around.  Monte crouched down and the elk walked within a couple of feet of Monte.  I was holding my breath during this encounter.  Eventually, the bull elk moved further down the trail and Monte was able to get up and quickly walk away.  We thought our elk encounters were done for the day but we were mistaken as the bull elk turned and walked back towards us.  We were near the parking lot by this time and there were several other cars there.  Monte got closer to the elk again (I guess he hadn’t learned his lesson yet) and again crouched down when he was within 10 feet of the magnificent creature.  The bull didn’t really seem bothered by Monte’s presence until a car pulled into the parking lot and the driver started getting out.  That caught the bull’s attention.  Monte yelled to the driver to please stay in the car because he didn’t want the elk agitated.  But the guy either didn’t hear Monte or didn’t care because he did get out and did get the bull’s attention.  It was a very tense couple of minutes as the elk stared at Monte.  But then the bull just nonchalantly walked away.

 

This time we had definitely had enough elk encounters for one day.  We did stop along the side of the road before leaving Elk Meadow to pick some berries.  We hadn’t had anything to put the berries in the other day when we had been to Elk Meadow but this time Monte came prepared.  He had a plastic bag and some rubber gloves.  When we picked what we judged to be about a pint of berries we got in the car and headed back. 

For part of the return trip we took an alternative route.  The Newton B Drury Scenic Parkway is a nine mile, two lane road through Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.  It was quite beautiful and had several turnoff areas with trail access. 

It was chilly when we got home so we turned on the fireplace and were quite toasty cozy within a few minutes.   After a quick bite to eat and a long hot shower we were very content to watch a couple hours of TV and call it a night.

It had been a most excellent day!

(When we started the car at Elk Meadow, the “Service engine soon”, light did not come on again.  I am hoping it was only a sensor that was triggered by one of the many bumps on the road we encountered driving on Bald Hills Road.)