When I see something like this rolled up fern head, I have no problem imagining Jurassic Park, Star Wars, or even ET. Parts of all of these movies were filmed in the National and State Redwood Parks of the far northwest coast of California. ET phoned home, the Ewoks celebrated into the night on Endor, and T-Rex stomped through the rainforest of Fern Canyon in search of two-legged morsels. To top it off, even Bigfoot has been sighted in the Redwoods. Several times.A carving of Bigfoot Jr. sat outside the Redwood Carving Gift Shop in the small town of Orick.As the fern head featured above unrolls , it seems even more ancient. In reality, the fern is ancient. It was one of the first plants on earth, dating back to as far as 430 million years ago.The last phase of unrolling. It looks even more primitive.
The six mile road into Fern Canyon from Highway 101, where Jurassic Park, The Lost World, was filmed, was about a mile from where Peggy and I were camped. We had to go! The first four miles or so of the road had not recovered from winter storms. In addition to being one lane, it was full of Jurassic-size potholes. Had we fallen in one, it would have devoured our pickup faster than T-rex.
Fortunately, the road became wider and flattened out when we reached the ocean. Heavy equipment was eliminating pot holes. Gold Bluffs was on our right…And the ocean, on our left, was pounding ashore.Some one had left this neat artwork on the beach. I doubt it was Big Foot.The road came to an end and we started our hike into Fern Canyon. A small herd of elk was resting in the tall grass just off the trail. Had we realized how difficult it would be for us to see elk up close in the park, we would have spent more time with the herd.This sign greeted us as we drove into the small Heart of the Redwoods RV Campground where we stayed. Can you blame us for assuming we would be seeing elk— like out our door!This person’s front yard, about two miles away from our camp, was what we imagined.We reached the beginning of Fern Canyon and thought, “Is this it?” Actually it wasn’t. We would have had to wade a mile up the canyon and we weren’t wearing the right shoes.We lost ‘our once in a blue moon’ opportunity to see dinosaurs. (We took this from our campground. I played a bit with the processing.)We did see lots of ferns, however. And giant clover.On the way back to Highway 101, a trail sign invited us to see Trillium Falls. We like trilliums and we like waterfalls, so off we went. The falls were small, but still, technically, falls. We felt it was an appropriately Jurassic-like scene.Complete with ferns! But no trilliums.We found this one elsewhere in the Park. Trilliums earn their name by having three petals, three sepals, and three leaves.They are whiter when young and become more pink as they age.
AND A WRAP-UP
Peggy and I finished off our visit with a trip up to the Klamath Beach Road on the northern end of the Park. We had visited the beach on a previous trip to the Redwoods and found it covered with colorful small pieces of redwood that had been carved by the ocean. While the road was theoretical paved, it was equally rough to the road into Fern Canyon. Unfortunately, the access road was closed. The beach had been taken over by seals! We drove up to an overlook.
You’ve seen a number of seals so far from our journey up the coast. I’m sure you will see more. These, like the rest, seemed well fed and not particularly interested in physical exercise! That’s reserved for when they are in the water.What was different about these seals was their sheer numbers.California brown pelicans and seagulls backed up the seals.And Peggy spotted a whale out in the ocean, making its way north to Alaska.An old cemetery was next to where we were parked. Rhododendrons were budding in it.And had a unique beauty. With that, I’ll close our posts on the Redwoods. The fabulous sea stacks of Bandon, Oregon, are waiting.Brandon’s famous Face Rock outlined by the setting sun.
28 thoughts on “Dinosaurs, ET, Ewoks— and Bigfoot: They All Roamed (Roam?)through the Redwoods… The Pacific Coast Series #14”
you and peggy(with camera in tow) have a life some of us can only look at with envy(including me)!As with the large amount of seals on display,looks like a “busman’s holiday” to me!What a life!
We love wandering, Peter, and have managed many great escapes over the years. Our trip up the Pacific Coast has been something we have been wanting to do for quite some time. I’ve seen lots of seals down through the years, but never in that concentration! Busman’s holiday indeed. Thanks.
You are just down the road from me now! I love the fern pictures. When my family would take little treks into the woods, my son, age 4, was absolutely wild about dinosaurs so he would always comment on the old ferns being in the same time as the dinosaurs! I think what he really liked were the horsetails. Do you know them? Love all round and smooth action on the beach!
The pioneers were said to have used horsetail ferns for washing out cooking pans, Wendy. We tried it a few time on my backpacking adventures. They worked. 🙂
In August 2021, we saw Bigfoot walking through a meadow near Crescent City at the northern end of the parks. He was wearing a mask against COVID at the time, and I expect if you looked carefully, he would still be in the area.
Fun, Ray. Which just shows how smart he is. The same year I saw a horse statue and a dinosaur statue wearing covid masks. You may recall that both Bone and Eeyore had covid masks as well.
Beautiful. Thank you for taking us along. This part of the coastline used to be home and it’s always nice to see it again. Kellen and Cameron got engaged while on that very Fern Canyon trail ❤
Fun that Kellen and Cameron got engaged on the trail, Crystal. A lovely place to do so! Also, nothing like going home when redwoods, the ocean and beautiful scenery are in super abundance.
Thanks to your whale, now I’ve got “North to Alaska” playing in my mind. Was the town of Ferndale named for the ferns found in the redwoods? I’d never thought about it, because whenever I think about the redwoods’ environment, I always think of the trees rather than any other vegetation. Ferns are fascinating, both for their form and for their history. The tree ferns of New Zealand really take it to another level.
I looked up the answer on Ferndale, Linda. Here’s what it said: “Alice Eldridge, the first school teacher, was the first to call the town Ferndale. She admired the lush green ferns that surrounded the schoolhouse.” Ferns are everywhere in the Redwoods, which seems appropriate. What caught my attention each time has been the giant clover, several times larger than what we normally see. Peggy is always searching for the four-leaf one.
Somewhere, way back when, I had a blog on the South Island of New Zealand that included tree ferns.
That once in a blue moon opportunity was amazing and worth missing the dinosaurs I would say, Curt. I mean you’ve come too far to be eaten and whatever you did with that tweaking of the camera makes the moon come to life. You certainly encountered beauty in every facet of your hike and stellar clicks! Great siting of the whale Peggy with the pelican? leading the way or going the opposite way…. I can’t tell. Thanks for being our tour guide!💓💓💓
The blue moon was fun, Cindy. And it actually was close enough to give me the idea. We have been really impressed with the beauty found in all of the sites we have visited, so far. We knew it was there, since we have been to all of them before. But it is nice to have them reconfirmed. Peggy was quite excited to capture the photo of the whale. The pelican added to the photo, although it may have thought it was photo-bombing. 🤪Thanks.
And a lovely one at that! I love how you take off and see the world so I can live vicariously through you. Bravo and if he lands on your head in your next shot, you can be sure it was photo bombing 😂
Better that he land on my head than do something else, Cindy. Those guys have BIG droppings…😳
Wandering through Time and Place 
you and peggy(with camera in tow) have a life some of us can only look at with envy(including me)!As with the large amount of seals on display,looks like a “busman’s holiday” to me!What a life!
We love wandering, Peter, and have managed many great escapes over the years. Our trip up the Pacific Coast has been something we have been wanting to do for quite some time. I’ve seen lots of seals down through the years, but never in that concentration! Busman’s holiday indeed. Thanks.
Beautiful photos! I love the forest and the wildlife. What a great adventure!
Thanks. It is definitely a bucket list item for Peggy and me.
Ferns, elk, seals, and a whale? Wow, what a variety! Ferns are my favorite plant, so I have a feeling I would enjoy Fern Canyon!
You’d have to do a handstand right in the middle of it, Diana. 😁
Even thought the waterfall might have been small, it’s really beautiful. Great shots as always Curt.
Thanks, Sylvia. The gorgeous green ferns and moss covered rocks really helped.
You are just down the road from me now! I love the fern pictures. When my family would take little treks into the woods, my son, age 4, was absolutely wild about dinosaurs so he would always comment on the old ferns being in the same time as the dinosaurs! I think what he really liked were the horsetails. Do you know them? Love all round and smooth action on the beach!
The pioneers were said to have used horsetail ferns for washing out cooking pans, Wendy. We tried it a few time on my backpacking adventures. They worked. 🙂
In August 2021, we saw Bigfoot walking through a meadow near Crescent City at the northern end of the parks. He was wearing a mask against COVID at the time, and I expect if you looked carefully, he would still be in the area.
Fun, Ray. Which just shows how smart he is. The same year I saw a horse statue and a dinosaur statue wearing covid masks. You may recall that both Bone and Eeyore had covid masks as well.
And Bigfoot had already mastered social distancing.
Spent centuries getting it down. Grin.
Hmmmmm
Grin.
So much diversity. Loved the moon and the miniature falls.
It seemed like every corner had something different to admire, Peggy.
Beautiful. Thank you for taking us along. This part of the coastline used to be home and it’s always nice to see it again. Kellen and Cameron got engaged while on that very Fern Canyon trail ❤
Fun that Kellen and Cameron got engaged on the trail, Crystal. A lovely place to do so! Also, nothing like going home when redwoods, the ocean and beautiful scenery are in super abundance.
It’s always kind of amazing to look at a fern, and realize that they make dinosaurs look like Johnny come latelys. That’s some serious staying power.
Indeed. And it looks the part, Dave. 🙂
Thanks to your whale, now I’ve got “North to Alaska” playing in my mind. Was the town of Ferndale named for the ferns found in the redwoods? I’d never thought about it, because whenever I think about the redwoods’ environment, I always think of the trees rather than any other vegetation. Ferns are fascinating, both for their form and for their history. The tree ferns of New Zealand really take it to another level.
I looked up the answer on Ferndale, Linda. Here’s what it said: “Alice Eldridge, the first school teacher, was the first to call the town Ferndale. She admired the lush green ferns that surrounded the schoolhouse.” Ferns are everywhere in the Redwoods, which seems appropriate. What caught my attention each time has been the giant clover, several times larger than what we normally see. Peggy is always searching for the four-leaf one.
Somewhere, way back when, I had a blog on the South Island of New Zealand that included tree ferns.
That once in a blue moon opportunity was amazing and worth missing the dinosaurs I would say, Curt. I mean you’ve come too far to be eaten and whatever you did with that tweaking of the camera makes the moon come to life. You certainly encountered beauty in every facet of your hike and stellar clicks! Great siting of the whale Peggy with the pelican? leading the way or going the opposite way…. I can’t tell. Thanks for being our tour guide!💓💓💓
The blue moon was fun, Cindy. And it actually was close enough to give me the idea. We have been really impressed with the beauty found in all of the sites we have visited, so far. We knew it was there, since we have been to all of them before. But it is nice to have them reconfirmed. Peggy was quite excited to capture the photo of the whale. The pelican added to the photo, although it may have thought it was photo-bombing. 🤪Thanks.
And a lovely one at that! I love how you take off and see the world so I can live vicariously through you. Bravo and if he lands on your head in your next shot, you can be sure it was photo bombing 😂
Better that he land on my head than do something else, Cindy. Those guys have BIG droppings…😳