Dear Readers, when I left you last week, Rick and I were departing our hotel in San Francisco and crossing the Golden Gate Bridge to head north. We drove the coastal highway all the way up to Fort Bragg, enjoying the scenic ocean views.

Along the way we stopped at Point Reyes National Seashore, to walk to the lighthouse.

We found it to be small in comparison to lighthouses on the East Coast, but what was remarkable was its location on a cliff. Sadly, we couldn’t walk the last few stairs to get to the lighthouse due to gale force winds blowing that day, but it was an interesting side trip for sure. We finished our drive and checked into our new hotel in Fort Bragg, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I’ve watched the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean many times, but now I’d finally have the opportunity to watch the sunset into the ocean for a change.

We really lucked out with weather for our entire trip. It only rained one afternoon, and we decided to use that day to drive to Humboldt State Park (about 2 1/2 hours north). This park is home to the Avenue of the Giants, a 30-mile scenic highway named for the towering redwoods which line the roadway. The overcast skies only made the dark forest floor more ethereal and prehistoricfeeling. Ferns love to grow in a redwood environment, and there were many varieties to see. The overall feeling left me expecting to see a dinosaur emerge from the trees at any moment (happily, though, we did not experience any Jurassic Park surprises). Along the drive there are many places to pull over, explore, and take photos.

We really enjoyed our time here.

Speaking of pulling over, I did not see a single rest stop at all while we were in California. That fact created some, shall we say, *problematic situations* as we drove for hours at a time. In fact, Rick eventually declared that California’s state motto must be “Hold It!” On a more positive note, I also saw no billboard signs along the roads. Did not miss those eyesores a single bit. And I will say that the State Parks all had restroom facilities – thank goodness!

Just south of Fort Bragg is Mendocino Botanical Gardens.

They are the only gardens I’ve ever visited, which overlook the ocean. That view just never gets old! It was from here that we saw a pod of whales in the distance, with the telltale water spouts erupting from their location. And also some very playful seals down by the rocks – I would swear they were putting on a show for onlookers. In the vegetable garden, I saw SO MANY hummingbirds. They zipped in and out of the flowers, chirping and chasing each other. And for a couple of delightful minutes I shared a path with a mated pair of quail, just walking along looking for insects.

We closed the place down that day, and so enjoyed it that we returned a few days later.

We visited other state parks, all with amazing redwoods or ocean views. I remember one beach, where we sat on a large rock and just watched the waves wash over nearby large rocks. Sounds boring, but I assure you it wasn’t. I discovered a small tidal pool and found myself enamored of all the life within. All I had to do was take a few minutes and examine the small ecosystem closely, and I saw all kinds of creatures. So cool. Made me wonder how much in life we miss out on seeing, simply because we don’t take the time to look.

Hmm.

After several days, it was time to head home. We were almost out of clean clothes and food in the fridge. Our kitties (and kitty-sitters) were ready for us to return. We drove back to San Francisco to fly home on the red-eye. Never done that before – and not sure I’d want to do it again! We landed at Dulles about 6 a.m. and were home by 9 a.m. Hallie and Bella were both happy to see us, and also mad that they’d been “abandoned” for so long.

Hallie wanted to be petted nonstop, but then she’d pull away and hiss a few times. Then she’d want more pets.

I know sweetheart – Momma missed you too. But man, California was amazing.

Laura lives in Zion Crossroads with her husband and two cats. She can be reached at hallielaura@ gmail.