State Bliss Blog — outdoors

If you're a fan of being outdoors or love nature and you haven't taken the time to visit the California Redwoods, then this needs to be your next vacation destination. You will not only find some of the tallest trees on Earth, but a beautiful mix of prairie land,  rocky coastlines, and an abundance of wildlife. There are beautiful rivers and swimming areas as well as fantastic hiking and biking trails lined with lush greens all resting in the shade of the magnificent California Redwoods.

If these descriptions haven't already convinced you to plan your next vacation to Northern California, then maybe these 4 reasons why you should visit the California Redwoods will.

4 Reasons You Should Visit the California Redwoods

Flickr-renedrivers

1) The beauty of it all

As Sylvia Plath said in The Bell Jar, 

“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, "This is what it is to be happy.”

You will have this same experience the minute you step from your car and enter into the beauty of the California Redwoods. The smell of the forest is unlike anything you've experienced before - fresh, clean, cool. The best case to make for visiting the California Redwoods is the fact that you will be able to enjoy the beauty of nature without the distractions of every day life.

2) Perfect for camping and hiking

Flickr-Steven Fong Whether you like to rough it or prefer an RV, you can find something to suit you in the various state campgrounds located in the heart of the California Redwoods. The Redwood National State Park is located in Humboldt County in Northern California, close to the coast line. It stretches from Trinidad all the way to (and past) the California/Oregon boarder.   World For Travel

There are four main camp grounds to choose from:

Jedediah Smith: This is a beautiful campground located near the banks of the Smith River in the midst of old-growth redwoods. Campground actives include swimming, hiking trails, fishing, and seasonal programs hosted by the campground staff. This campground is open all year and does fill up very quickly for the summer. If you're thinking of vacationing there you should plan to call with plenty of advanced notice. Mill Creek: Located 7 miles south of Crescent City, Mill Creek offers a range of programs led by camp rangers and miles of trails to hike! There is a mix of redwoods as well as maple and alder trees that add diversity to the natural surroundings. This camp is only open from May to September so plan accordingly! Elk Prairie: Another great, year-round option especially for those of  you who are bike enthusiasts. There are over 70 miles of biking and hiking trails surrounding this camp ground. Gold Bluffs Beach: Part of the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Gold Bluffs Beach is just that - a campground near the beach with the benefits of towering redwoods, gorgeous coastline, and a variety of hiking and biking trails. There are no reservations here so it's first-come, first-serve.

3) You could drive through a tree

Flickr-David Dugan Yes, you read that right. Only in the beautiful California Redwoods could you actually drive through a tree! Dating back to the 1930s a hole was cut through this tree (picture above) to allow cars to drive through. Today, guests can visit the park where the tree is located and drive through for $5. A small price to pay for bragging rights and a snapshot or two to prove you, in fact, drove through a tree!

4) Less expensive than staying in a hotel

Let's face it. Everyone is on a tight budget these days, which means vacations are becoming harder to plan and execute. When you visit the California Redwoods you won't need to break the bank. Average cost for camping is $35 per vehicle ($8 for an additional vehicle) or $5 per hiker or biker per night. What a steal! The listed campgrounds (above) all offer RV and tent sites in addition to the hiker/biker campsites so you can pick your level of 'roughing it'. DWrappers-Ricky These reasons are just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to all that the California Redwoods have to offer. A trip to these beautiful forests crowded with towering trees and lush underbrush will remind you of the sheer beauty of nature. Paired with crystal clear rivers and an abundance of wildlife, you'll never want to leave. World For Travel

 

 Source: National Park Servic Cover photo from Deviant Art by nmsmith

They say that one man's trash is another man's treasure. In this instance, treasure from trash is an understatement. For residents and tourists of Fort Bragg, California, the trash that used to occupy what is now known as Glass Beach has definitely turned into treasure. The small town of Fort Bragg, located just twenty minutes north of Mendocino, is a destination worth adding to your road trip list. If you're coming from San Fransisco, it will take a little over three hours, while those coming down from Eureka will experience a beautiful two and a half hour drive. No matter the distance though, you'll be met with an incredible sight. Flickr-John K

The History of Glass Beach

From 1943-1949, the beaches near Fort Bragg were used as dumping grounds for local trash. Following the devastation from the San Francisco earth quake in 1906, it became common practice to toss anything you didn't want into the ocean. The residents of Fort Bragg didn't have access to a trash service so they did the next best thing - they tossed their trash off the cliffs. Everything from car parts and glass bottles to household machinery was tossed over the cliffs to The Dumps, as they started calling it, without a second thought to what impact it would have on the environment. Little did the towns folk realize that they were the catalyst to something beautiful. Fort Brag Webpage When the locals became more earth-conscious in the late 60s, they began a renovation project for the The Dumps. Hauling away all of the remaining trash, they were shocked to discover something almost magical beneath the surface clutter. Time, and more importantly the relentless waves, had beaten the trash into beautiful, smooth glass pebbles replacing the old name with a new, more fitting one: Glass Beach.

Visit Glass Beach

It's not hard to see why you'd want to visit Glass Beach. Now part of the California State Parks System and MacKerricher State Park, Glass Beach is a thriving testament to something incredible coming from something destructive. Visitors to the beach now share in the popular past time of searching out lovely, multicolored pieces of glass worn by the waves over time. Flickr-John K Each pebble has a story to tell. The periwinkle blue stones are said to be remnants from apothecary bottles while the red stones are most likely from broken glass tail lights. The green stones are likely from old soda or beer bottles discarded with the rest of the trash in The Dumps. If you're going to visit Glass Beach today, there are a few things to note:  

• The best picnic spot is on the cliffs overlooking Glass Beach #3 which is the beach farthest north
• Bring your walking shoes, you'll have to hike down to the beach
• Inside the State Park you cannot take the sea glass with you - outside of the State Park lines its OK - so make sure to bring a camera
• There is a Sea Glass Museum you can visit

It's easy to get caught up in the horror of what Glass Beach could have become, but finding beauty in the broken things is what makes this story even more amazing. It's recycling at it's finest. Flickr-John K Check out this fun video for more info about Glass Beach: YouTube: VisitFortBraggCA Source Fort Bragg City Website Cover Photo from Flickr by John K

What is there to do in Yosemite National Park? The question is, what isn't there to do? With it's breathtaking scenery and abundance of outdoor activities year round, once you visit Yosemite you will wonder why you don't make it a regular trip. Whether you're from out of the state, or live a few hours away, it is more than worth it to take a trek to this protected land for almost 1,200 miles of play room. Check out the Sequoias nestled in the valleys, the wildlife prancing around the meadows, hike up a a few majestic waterfalls, camp before backpacking to Half Dome, or climb El Capitan if you have the guts. But one thing is for sure, do not miss out on taking in this beautiful display of nature at least once in your life!

Yosemite HD II from Project Yosemite on Vimeo.

So everybody knows that you can go both surfing and snowboarding all in one day in California. But did you know that you could also throw in Desert boarding? You definitely would need a few extra toys to get the job done, but check out how these guys did some shredding on the dunes of Glamis. Source: Network A Youtube Channel

With the wintry and biting cold-ish weather coming to an end, it won’t be long before the sidewalks, the parks, the shorelines, and the off-road trails are teeming with members of California’s considerably active running community. And whether you’re gearing up for an easy-peasy 5K, an ambitious 10K, a what-was-I-thinking half-marathon (that’s 13.1 miles!), or the goal of all goals, the big kahuna, the distance reserved only for the disciplined and determined also known as the marathon* (26.2 miles), you will need all the help you can get to psych yourself up for the training prior to race day. And what better way to get the party started than with awesome tunage? Creating an effective soundtrack for running is a science – you have to have the right balance of old hits and new, with a fair mix of slow songs (so you still have some beats when you’re catching your breath) and up-tempo tracks (when you’re ready to show your fellow runners what your legs are made of). It’s also part math: You need to make sure your entire playlist is long enough time-wise to carry you to the finish line. Lastly, it’s an art – not only do you want your songs to have a catchy beat, you want them to have a lyric or a phrase with a message of sorts, one that makes you want to go and hit the ground running. Without further ado, here are 20 awesome anthems to get you properly amped for your run (Total Running Time: 1 hour, 14 minutes): *ultra-marathons are actually longer than marathons, in case you wanted to liquefy your legs ;-)