The tiny hamlet of Weott was our first stop. Our friend, Fern's, parents moved there in the 40's to be lumber people. I have read about what a great town it use to be before the flood.
There is much talk here about the flood of 1964. Riverside towns like Myers Flat (where we're camped) and Weott, were decimated.
At the top of the pole, where Steve is pointing, is where the river crested... such devastation!
On a happier note, again we embarked on the Avenue of the Giants, the world-famous scenic drive that is a 31-mile portion of old Highway 101. This Avenue is surrounded by Humboldt Redwoods State Park which has the largest remaining stand of virgin redwoods in the world. Breathtaking!
One of the largest and oldest volunteer organizations in the world is the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, whose California chapter was so impressed by the beauty and size of the redwoods, that in 1923 the members decided to help save these trees by purchasing an old-growth redwood grove. They hired my favorite architect, Julia Morgan, to design a memorial. Miss Morgan designed the “Hearthstone,” four stone fireplaces united with a common chimney. Above each fireplace is engraved with one line of this poem:
“For lo in the forest comes contentment
peace and the sweet companionship of nature.”
“Oldest of living things what wisdom forests teach stirring men’s heart
to thought deeper than speech.”
“Would that we were great as these and
men were brotherly as trees.”
“These are the oldest of all living things.”
We knew we wanted to spend time in this special grove, dedicated to the founders of the Save-the-Redwoods League (1917). Upon entering, we picked up a pamphlet that guided us with fantastic information. As we walked further into the forest, each stop revealed another part of the story of the ancient trees. We learned so much while gaining a deep appreciation for these Giants.
This knobby growth is called a burl, most commonly seen at base of some coast redwoods. This one was found higher in the canopy. Burl is a woody material full of unsprouted bud tissue. It serves as a storage compartment for the genetic code of the parent tree. If the redwood falls or is damaged, the burl may sprout another redwood tree known as a clone. Once we knew about burls, we found ourselves on a hunt for them.
I am barely visible in the bottom left of this photo amongst the roots. The Dyerville Giant, which stood here for perhaps as long as 1600 years, was taller, larger and older than any other tree around it. It seemed to be of another age and very few of these ancients relics still remain. This "Champion" tree fell in 1991. It was at least 362 feet tall, 17 feet in diameter and 52 in circumference. Incredible.
Continuing our Highway 101 explore, we found ourselves in the town of Scotia. The Town of Scotia had a rich history as one of America's longest surviving "company towns." These towns, once common throughout the country, were entirely owned and operated by the companies. In the 1880's, Pacific Lumber Company started logging operations in Humboldt County and needed housing for the loggers.
Street after street of well manicured homes, identical to one another, displayed the fact that this was a Company town. It was interesting to see.
In 1923, the "Mowatoc Hotel" was built with 135 rooms. We toured the Scotia Inn (its current name) and were impressed with the beauty and history of it.
Lunch in the town park, seemed a pretty perfect locale for a picnic. Just recently, the town of Scotia became owned and operated by the people of Scotia, no longer the company. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for these hardworking folks.
Our last stop was kitsch at its finest at Chapman's Gem & Mineral Shop & Museum. Buzz and Charlotte worked side-by-side both collecting and finishing stones (beginning in 1950). In the early years most of their collecting was done in the western United States. But since the 1970's they traveled throughout the world in search of new specimens in Central America, South America, Australia, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Europe.
This museum had everything from fossilized dinosaur eggs to pre-Mesopotamian Terracotta figurines. Truly something for everyone and worth the stop.
When thinking of our travels, Robert Frost had it right, "Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
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1 comments:
I always wondered what caused burls - thought the tree grew them to recover from a local injury. Bud storagE is cool. i hope all the burl coffee tables, etc weren't harvested from live trees Without check.
We loved hiking in the redwoods, magnificant.
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