Day 29-34 (6/24-6/29): Miles traveled: ~ 237

Location: ending at the top of a mountain in Blue Lake, CA

Science: air quality measurements in back yard of mountain house (we had a short-lived campfire the last night there, otherwise only influences would be smoke from the newly-started wildfires nearby and some fog in the mornings)

I was reunited with my family (Rosie and Hannah (my daughters, 8 and 12) and Ilana (my partner) today, when Mai-Stella and I met up with them and D near Santa Rosa for brunch. Beautiful day, and lots of hugs and smiles. 

The drive from Guerneville to our next stop was a relatively easy one, but only after a harrowing half-hour of backing the trailer down the steep roads to get to a spot where I could actually turn around......the key was patience, ignoring the creaks and groans and loud scrapings of the trailer and the hitch bottoming out (yikes!), and the help of Mai-Stella and my partner Ilana....phew! 

To get to Blue Lake, CA, where we would be meeting up with our chosen family/friends (Catherine, Kim, Steph, and in spirit/zoom Erin) from our Brooklyn co-op days, we traveled through iconic redwood tourist territory. It seemed really familiar to me, and then I realized this was the same route I had biked down in my 30's (I biked from Seattle to Santa Rosa on a recumbent with a tiny trailer of its own). Such a different perspective when you are cruising by 1.5 feet from the ground, hugging the edge of the asphalt as massive logging trucks pass by so close the static electricity from their massive tires makes the hair on your arms stand up.......! I really am not sure how I survived that trip.....:)....

The house in Blue Lake was magical -- on a mountain-top, breath-taking views, perfect for measuring air quality and for observing what appeared to be a light haze on everything......I did not know it at the time, but this was the first indication of wildfires nearby affecting the atmosphere. 

There was a big firepit near the air quality sensor, but not a lot of interest during our stay in adding to what the wildfires across the West were already doing to air quality. We did have a tiny fire the last night there, though, since the kids were really craving s'mores and the haze did not seem to be making it up to where we were........a moment of weakness........but we are all human and sometimes this happens......right?

Blue Lake is near the best Redwood and Northern CA coastline around. We spent time admiring the tallest trees and their ultra-green surroundings, including Lady Bird Johnson Grove, Prairie Creek, and the aptly named Fern Canyon:

We found the cutest tiniest banana slug I have ever seen -- 

And saw a large red/black fox run across a fallen tree spanning the canyon top with a newly-caught ground squirrel in its jaws. It was an incredible sighting -- making it seem like the people in the canyon were creating traffic that the fox needed to use a Redwood log overpass to escape. 

Trinidad, CA was, well, perfect. As always. The coastline is stunning. 

Rosie and Hannah loved the surf and the fog/mist that constantly threatened to cover the beach as we sat there.