On the third day, we drove from the Bay Area up to Eureka, California, making a bee line for the Redwoods. This day was mostly driving along 101 (which alternated between freeway-type road and very narrow, very winding, very slow mountain road), but at the end we drove through Avenue of the Giants before arriving at our Eureka hotel.

Avenue of the Giants was my favorite part of the Redwoods. I highly recommend it. It’s 31.5 miles of road, parallel to the main drag south of Eureka, that’s easy to fit in to your trip. There are a lot of pull-offs to pull over and gawk at the sheer magnitude of the trees. I was overcome with wonder and the smell was amazing. The air was cool and humid, and it felt like I was home. This is not hyperbole. I had some kind of visceral reaction to being there. We probably got lucky with the weather, being the perfect temperature and everything. But other areas of the Redwoods didn’t speak to me like this area did. I was joyous. I wish I could exist in that state always.

Here are some photos.

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