Crescent City and Seals
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On our second day in Redwood National Park, we headed back to Crescent City in search of the seals and sea lions I’d heard lived along the coast there. We started at the jetty by Battery Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse is only reachable during low tide, which it was not at present, so we had to enjoy it from afar.
Squatch near the Battery Point Lighthouse
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As we walked down the jetty, the air carried with it a chorus of “Arf! Arf! Arf!” from across the bay — sea lions! We knew where we were headed next. On the way back, we stopped to watch a pair of Black Turnstones working the rocks. Right then, a small group of sea lions popped up to fish just off the jetty, putting on a quick show before heading off.
Still wanting more sea life action, we headed to the other side of the bay. We grabbed lunch at Fisherman’s Restaurant by the marina. We enjoyed some tasty lingcod fish before wandering over to the marina just as a festival was packing up. Danny stopped to admire an old timey car of one of the vendors, and apparently the car talk was good enough that the owner rewarded him with chocolate chip cookies. Not bad for parking lot chit chat.
Down by the boats, I spotted a belted kingfisher on one of the tall pilings before it bolted off in a flash. A few seals were lollygagging in the water, their heads bobbing like buoys. A chunky California ground squirrel waddled over clearly expecting snacks, but all we had were those cookies, and he wasn’t getting them. I thanked him for the photo op instead, as he was kinda cute.
Eventually we tracked down the source of all that “arf arf” commotion at Crescent City Harbor: dozens of sea lions piled onto floating planks, barking and bickering over space. Right in the middle was a lone harbor seal, looking content hanging out with the noisy crowd.
To keep the wildlife theme going, we drove out to Tolowa Dunes State Park to check out Tolowa Lake. I read online it was a good bird watching spot. The fog rolled in thick as we approached. We made a quick stop by the nearby beach, and then headed to the lake. All we saw were a few cormorants and one shy Great Egret who took off the second he saw us. After all that backroad driving, it felt like a bust. On the way back to the car, a Savannah Sparrow struck a perfect pose, like he knew we needed the save.
Back at the Jebediah Smith Campground, we headed over to the foot bridge to cross the Smith River to Stout Grove. This grove was different than Grove of the Titans. Quite a few big redwoods were toppled from past floods. The Redwoods mixed in with cedar and maple, giving it more variety. One of the toppled giants made the perfect walkway, and we couldn’t resist climbing up and wandering along its enormous trunk.
After our hike, we stopped at a ranger talk that was all about banana slugs. To kick things off, the ranger had us singing the Banana Slug Song to the tune of “Twist and Shout”, complete with finger slug antennas and a wiggle routine. (Slugs don’t really wiggle, they scoot, but we made it work.) We learned these slimy celebrities feast on mushrooms, leaf litter, and seeds—though not redwood seeds—and in return they leave behind nutrient rich poop that feeds the forest. Raccoons enjoy them as a snack, but to handle that thick slime they roll them in dirt first before digging in. We wrapped things up with slug bingo. We didn't win, no sticker prize for us this time, but it was still a hilarious end to a day.
Still wanting more sea life action, we headed to the other side of the bay. We grabbed lunch at Fisherman’s Restaurant by the marina. We enjoyed some tasty lingcod fish before wandering over to the marina just as a festival was packing up. Danny stopped to admire an old timey car of one of the vendors, and apparently the car talk was good enough that the owner rewarded him with chocolate chip cookies. Not bad for parking lot chit chat.
Down by the boats, I spotted a belted kingfisher on one of the tall pilings before it bolted off in a flash. A few seals were lollygagging in the water, their heads bobbing like buoys. A chunky California ground squirrel waddled over clearly expecting snacks, but all we had were those cookies, and he wasn’t getting them. I thanked him for the photo op instead, as he was kinda cute.
Eventually we tracked down the source of all that “arf arf” commotion at Crescent City Harbor: dozens of sea lions piled onto floating planks, barking and bickering over space. Right in the middle was a lone harbor seal, looking content hanging out with the noisy crowd.
To keep the wildlife theme going, we drove out to Tolowa Dunes State Park to check out Tolowa Lake. I read online it was a good bird watching spot. The fog rolled in thick as we approached. We made a quick stop by the nearby beach, and then headed to the lake. All we saw were a few cormorants and one shy Great Egret who took off the second he saw us. After all that backroad driving, it felt like a bust. On the way back to the car, a Savannah Sparrow struck a perfect pose, like he knew we needed the save.
Back at the Jebediah Smith Campground, we headed over to the foot bridge to cross the Smith River to Stout Grove. This grove was different than Grove of the Titans. Quite a few big redwoods were toppled from past floods. The Redwoods mixed in with cedar and maple, giving it more variety. One of the toppled giants made the perfect walkway, and we couldn’t resist climbing up and wandering along its enormous trunk.
After our hike, we stopped at a ranger talk that was all about banana slugs. To kick things off, the ranger had us singing the Banana Slug Song to the tune of “Twist and Shout”, complete with finger slug antennas and a wiggle routine. (Slugs don’t really wiggle, they scoot, but we made it work.) We learned these slimy celebrities feast on mushrooms, leaf litter, and seeds—though not redwood seeds—and in return they leave behind nutrient rich poop that feeds the forest. Raccoons enjoy them as a snack, but to handle that thick slime they roll them in dirt first before digging in. We wrapped things up with slug bingo. We didn't win, no sticker prize for us this time, but it was still a hilarious end to a day.