Then we did this

The next morning dawned bright and clear as well, but this time we headed into the woods. First stop, the Smith River.

 This is the very last free flowing river in California (no dams) which means the Salmon really like it. Caleb knew that the spawn was happening soon and that the fishing would be epic... but he left his gear at home. On purpose. "Because this is a family trip, not a Me trip."

Love that guy.

 Amelia, again, wanted to be in the water.

Caleb spotted this little guy trying frantically to burrow into the mud before getting caught. He wasn't fast enough.

We were very gentle, and loved him dearly. Then we set him free again, of course!

Even Claire held him for a minute, which is big news! Millie would have eaten him, given the opportunity. She wasn't given it.

After we had explored the river banks for a while, we took to the trails.

 This trail was only supposed to be a half mile, but we ended up hiking nearly two miles. The kids were troopers! They hiked the whole way!

And we saw some seriously cool stuff.

A tree house, a free house,
A secret you and me house,
A high up in the leafy branches
Cozy as can be house.

Name the author!

 We hiked in to Stout Grove in Redwood State Park, which runs along the border of the National Park. All the maps and information centers are for both National and State parks, which is cool. They work together to protect all of this, and I appreciate it.

Part of the magic, for me, was watching my kids enter the grove. The whole hike is beautiful, but it's different when you enter where these Giant trees live. The light was perfect, there were only a few other people there, and it was beautiful.
When we first walked into the grove, the kids stopped talking and skipping and walked a little slower. They were quiet, and smiling, and just looking and looking. It felt reverent, is what, and they were feeling it, too.

They eventually started talking again, and we started exploring.

Tree tunnel!

 They all had to try it. Lots of times.

 Some of the trees in here are really big. Really really big. 360 feet tall Big.

 As in there was no way my camera could capture it. You'll just have to see it for yourself, if you haven't before. If you have, then you know what I'm talking about.

Worth 14 hours in the car? Yes. I'd definitely do it again.