Fall

Fall is when the air gets crisp

Fall is when the sun sets low

Fall is when the rains come ‘round

And the leaves Fall like rain

From trees on fire with leaves of orange red

view all our fall photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/teamredwood/FallAtRedwoodAdventures#

Cool, Clean & Crisp

Hello Team Redwood Friends,

Cool, Crisp & Clean.  3 words that perfectly describe our fall air  at Redwood Adventures Vacation Village.   The arrival of the latest season brings a refreshing crispness to the air here on California’s North Coast.

While most of our vegetation stays predominantly green, year round, we are still blessed with a few pops of colorful trees here and there.  It is always pleasing to look up at the surrounding forests and see the bright orange leaves of a deciduous tree mixed in with the evergreens.

Our past week at Redwood Adventures has lent us some of the best weather so far this year; which made it possible for me to capture this photo of our stunning, large maple that anchors our drive here at Valley Green Camp Road.

 

Enjoy the fall colors and I hope that you’ll  come join us here in the fall sometime soon.

Happy Trails,

Berry Season at Redwood Adventures

Hello Redwood Adventure friends.  It’s berry season here on the North Coast and at the Redwood Adventures Vacation Village we have a bumper crop of berries this year!  Our mild year round climate must provide the perfect climate for the Himalaya berry as each year our berry patch becomes loaded with juicy black berries.

 

One of my favorite uses for the Himalaya Berry is pie making.  The large black berries are perfect for pies; and here is a good recipe:

 

9” Pie Pan

Pie crust for top and bottom

6 cups Himalaya Berries

½ cup sugar

½ cup flour

4 Tbsp butter, divided into 4 pieces

Line pie pan with bottom crust, mix berries, sugar and flour together and pour into prepared pie pan.  Place 1 Tbsp chunks of butter randomly over berries.  Cover with top pie crust.  Pinch crust pieces together at edge of pie pan.  Use knife to cut small slits in pie crust to for vent holes.  Brush top crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 400° for 15 minutes.  Reduce temp to 350° and bake for an additional 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Let cool and then enjoy!  The warm pie is great with vanilla ice cream.

Another great use for the blackberry is making homemade Jam.  Never made jam before?  No problem.   A good useful website is www.PickYourOwn.org.  This website provides detailed instructions for jam making and also provides a list of farms across the country that offer ‘pick your own’ crops.

Now it’s off to the berry patch.

Happy Pickins’ from TeamRedwood

TV Tokyo Scouts the Redwoods

I just started my new job as one of our public service representatives for the Elk Meadow Cabins at Redwood Adventures’ Village. Early in the morning on my second day at the cabins I got an interesting phone call… It was from Maiko at the Robyn / Tani Media Factory in Venice. She was arranging for a television show to come film the ancient redwoods of Redwood National Park. As the head of Robyn / Tani told me, “it’s a must” for them to feature some of the amazing things that can be found here and nowhere else.

As you might imagine, I gladly and excitedly obliged! We quickly arranged for one of our expert guides, naturalist and photographer Lowell Cottle, to take them around the parks and show them some of the sights.

In order to get a bigger picture of the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, the scouting crew drove up scenic Highway 1, which winds along the California coast line on one of California’s oldest highways. They passed through Wine Country towns like Napa and Sonoma before getting to the “Redwood Curtain”, which one hits around the “Avenue of the Giants”, where you really feel like you have entered the redwood ecosystem. It is an epic drive, perhaps one of the most beautiful drives in the world. For those with time restrictions, Highway 101 is much faster and very beautiful as well, and takes you through Humboldt Redwood State Park.

We met them Friday morning at Lady Bird Johnson Grove. They were drawn to this trail due to its historical significance and popularity. The air was fresh and crisp. We took them to the dedication plaque where U.S. presidents Nixon and Johnson dedicated the grove to First Lady “Lady Bird” Johnson. No event has ever brought more U.S. presidents, past and future, to one place than the dedication of Lady Bird Johnson Grove.

The Japanese Film crew appreciated the historical importance of the Lady Bird trail, but they were particularly looking for the amazing nature that can be found here. We talked about how redwoods are part of a system that perpetually creates new life from the old. For example, the “fairy rings” that redwoods make when a mother tree drops seeds onto herself. Those seeds give birth to new redwoods that fuse their root systems with the mother tree. Over time an impressive ring of trees forms. Though there are many trunks, because the root systems are all interconnected, it exists as “one tree”.

Our friends from the East were on the hunt for what we call “nursery logs”… A nursery log is a tree stump or log that is no longer living, but is providing a fertile home for new life. Trees literally growing on other trees!

After we left Lady Bird Johnson we went to Prairie Creek State Park, with some of the most amazing phenomena of the redwood ecosystem all easily accessible.

There is so much that our friends did not get to see, such as our amazing Roosevelt elk that can be found on our properties almost every day. But in just a few hours we had given them a feast for their senses. From trees so large they could hold a meeting inside, to the youngest new growth coming from an old nursery tree, we know they saw enough to make a television show!

Satisfied that there would be no problem filming an episode about the redwoods our Japanese friends hopped back in their car and headed back up the coast with hardly a moment to spare. Their next stop was the pristine waters of Crater Lake, yet another one of the wonders that can be found here in the Pacific Northwest. We are thrilled that the crew found everything they came looking for, and so much more.

Those that have been here know this is a spectacular place. But it is always a thrill to show someone new around. Special thanks to Mas and Maiko for making this happen… The crew will be back to film mid May. Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming episode of Chikyu Kaidu, TV Tokyo, 10:30 PM, for the special episode featuring a famous Japanese Pop star enjoying Redwood National park with a guided tour by Redwood Adventures!

Enjoy our photo gallery with a few of the best photos from that day…

~ Elk Meadow Joey, Signing Out ~

View Album

Get your own

Hunting for the Calypso Orchid (Calypso bulbosa)

4/10/08 Grant Roden

Hunting for the Calypso Orchid (Calypso bulbosa)

We patiently waited in our car for the Roosevelt Elk (Cervus elaphus) to cross the drive way at the Elk Meadow Cabin Complex, in Redwood National Park, Orick, Ca. As we waited, we planned our route to find California’s native orchid, the Calypso Orchid (Calypso bulbosa). According to the book “ Plants Of The Coast Redwood Region “ we purchased at the Elk Meadow Gift Shop, the Calypso Orchid blooms for a short period between March and April. The plant stands approximately 5-7 inches, the flower is the classic “lady slipper” style of orchid and is a beautiful purple color with white stripes and yellow dots. The flower lasts approximately one week after bloom. The Calypso Orchid is found in the Coastal Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchenis) forests and occasionally in the Old Growth Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) Groves.

Being a sunny spring afternoon, we decided to head out to find the elusive Calypso Orchid. After the 25 or so Roosevelt Elk lazily moved out of our way, we headed south on HWY 101, the Redwood Coast Highway, to a stand of Sitka Spruce trees found at Big Lagoon County Park. As we drove through the majestic Old Growth Redwood Trees, past Redwood Creek and into the town of Orick, my wife reminded me that hunting Orchids on an empty stomach would be a mistake.

I smiled at her and admitted that while she was soaking in the hot tub at the Elk Meadow Cabin Complex, I had bought some local beef jerky, a jar of organic wild huckleberry jam, some organic trail mix and a few bottles of water.

“Let’s get some bread, and our picnic will be complete.” she said.

Before she could talk again, knowing what she would say,

I blurted out,”I got some chocolate at the Elk Meadow Gift Shop as well.”

“Enough for two?” she said.

“Enough for four” I replied.

After a quick stop for bread and gas at the local gas sstation we left the beautiful Orick Valley behind. No sooner than you can say “Where the Redwoods Meet the Sea”, we were driving next to the Pacific Ocean. The ocean looked calm and the only people I saw on the beach were a family carrying fishing poles and sand castle building supplies.

As we continued south, we passed two coastal lagoons, with several boats full of fisherman angling for the famous North Coast Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and ocean run Coastal Cuthroat Trout(Oncorhynchus clarki). My wife looked at me and said,”We are hunting for Orchids today; you can fish in the morning.”

About 6 mi south of Orick, after passing another herd of Roosevelt Elk near the historic Stone Lagoon Red School House, we arrived at the east side of Big Lagoon.

Big Lagoon is a ‘lake’, fed by Maple Creek, and separated from the Pacific Ocean by a berm of sand on the west shore. Two to three times a year the lagoon gets so full that it breaches and flushes out into the Pacific Ocean. This has not happened and the lagoon is full, brimming and ready to breech.

We parked our car and headed out to find the Calypso Orchid. Like all orchids, the Calypso Orchid doesn’t live in the soil like most plants. It lives in the layer of duff above the soil allowing plenty of air and water for its roots.

We headed up a hill side looking in the duff of fallen branches and spruce needles for the Calypso Orchid. As we hiked up the trail, we begin to see all sorts of other plants that are starting to flower. We see white and purple Trillium Flowers (Trillium ovatum), several dozen different types of Mushrooms, the little yellow Monkey Paw (Mimulus aurantiacus) and a Western Azalea (Rhododendron occidentale) starting to bud. We come upon a clearing overlooking Big Lagoon, the Pacific Ocean and Patrick’s Point State Park.

We both stand there in silence looking at the view when my wife says,”Don’t move.”

I immediately start thinking the worst. Poison Oak? No, there is very little on the coast here. A snake? No, no poisonous snakes on the coast either. A Bear? Deer?

“Look by your left foot. She said as she bent over.

I looked down and there was a Calypso Orchid. So small and so dainty. I probably would have walked right by it, or worse, right on it. The plant was approximately 5 inches tall with three green leaves, a skinny stem protruding up and a “lady slipper” flower on top. We both got on our knees to get a closer look. Once we were at flower level, I suddenly noticed about a dozen more scattered around the forest floor. Each Calypso Orchid was at a different stage of flowering. A few were withering, two were in the bud stage and the rest were in full bloom. Each flower was a slightly different color of purple, ranging from a deep purple to soft lavender.

We spread out our picnic blanket, careful not to smash a banana slug (Ariolimax columbianus) crawling by, and enjoyed our lunch. Feeling content with our Calypso Orchid encounter, we hiked back to the car and headed back to Orick.

As we were driving back, I looked at my wife and before I could say a word, she said. “Yes we can stop at La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant for a taco and a beer.”

The perfect end, to a perfect day.

I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE

Hello all, it’s Team Redwood here.  Since I last wrote, I haven’t found my binoculars, but I did find my bird book guide and I’ve been busy trying to identify the many birds that call Redwood National Park home.  Many different kinds of birds live here in the surroundings and within Redwood National Park and sometimes identifying them can be quite tricky as one needs a good set of binoculars, a good reference book and even then, sometimes, one needs an expert on hand to accurately identify the fluttering creatures.  Now, as I’m no expert, I’ve done my best to accurately identify just a few of the birds that I’ve seen out here at the Redwood Adventures Vacation Village and a few that I’ve seen in my travels out here to the village.  And as for the rest of the birds, I’ll let you come here and spot some for yourself.

The first bird I spotted here at the Vacation Village was a Great Blue Heron.  I was surprised to see it here as they tend to frequent marshes and swamps.  Nevertheless, he was here looking for food out in the ditch near the highway.  These birds are fairly easy to spot as they stand about 4’ tall when their long legs and long necks are stretched out.

The next birds spotted weren’t so easy to identify and I won’t be surprised if I’m off a bit in my judgment.  One morning lined up on the telephone wires were numerous swallows:  barn swallows, cliff swallows and a few purple martin swallows.  A little farther down the road we also saw a little white crowned sparrow and lastly we spotted some Great Egrets sharing the pasture with a few jersey cows.  The Great Egrets are also easy to spot as this bird stands about 38” tall and is pure white except for their yellow bills.

Yet another day we were able to spot a variety of ducks trolling about on our nearby waterways.  The Mallards are out in full force right now and I’m quite sure we also spotted a Merganser duck out with her little ones in tow.

Then just this morning I spotted a pair of Canada Geese floating about in one of the farmers fields.

Well that’s it for now.  I’m leaving it up to you all now to look up these birds I just mentioned to see what they look like so you know what to look for when you come and visit us here at Redwood Adventures Vacation Village located in the heart of Redwood National Park.

Teamredwood out,

Happy Trails

The Sun is Shining

Hello All! Just another beautiful day out here at the Elk Meadow Vacation Village. The sun has been shining all day, the flowers are blooming, the grass is growing and the elk are moseying around accross the way there at Elk Meadow in Redwood National Park. It is very peaceful out here today also as all the cabins are empty today. Late winter is usually a great time of year for us up here on the California Coast. The wet weather usually gives us a break this time of year and the sun then begins to show her face a little more. The days get longer and with that it brings the signs of spring. Birds are starting to make their way back up here to Orick too. We are beginning to hear them singing their songs through out the day. Teamredwood is going to have to start packing their binoculars around so we can give a full and accurate report of what’s beginning to show back up here around Redwood National Park. So it’s off to find my binoculars to report back another day.
Teamredwood out for the day,
Happy Trails

Redwood Adventures Goes to New York

Teamredwood here has some exciting news coming out of the Redwood National Park area. In late 2007 Redwood Adventures launched it’s Entertainment division with the creation of the Redwood Adventures TV show. Redwood Adventures TV is a half hour show dedicated to bringing it’s viewers news, activites and information from within Redwood National Park. Our first episodes have been viewed on our local cable CBS channel 6. Getting great feedback from the first viewings Redwood Adventures entered the show into the New York International Independant Film and Video Festival. Since being entered, our show, Redwood Adventues TV has come up for nomination under Best TV Pilot category; the screening is scheduled to be held March 6, 2008 in the ImaginAsial Theater.

Redwood Adventures TV series is being produced and directed by Emmy award winning Dave Losko. In the pilot episodes, hosts John “Johnny Redwood” Russavage, Haley Becksted and Kristina Combs take their viewiers on a fun and informative tour thru parts of Redwood National Park.

It’s Teamredwood out for the day; hope you’ll catch up with us again,
Happy Trails

Just another day in the Redwood Paradise

Today happened to be another one of our wonderful winter days.   With the sun peeking out from behind the clouds our temperatures soared into the hig 50’s!  Out at the Elk Meadow Vacation Village today, the Roosevelt Elk were wandering to and from, here and there, finally settling in this evening over at our saw mill site.  

This time of year, getting a sunny day is always pleasant.  The crisp, cool, clean air is refreshing and taking a deep breath can be empowering.    The traffic flows tend to be much lower here in the winter time which means that this could arguably be the best time of year to visit the redwood forest here in Redwood National Park.   The Elk Meadow Cabins out at the Redwood Adventures Village are

Winter in the Redwoods

Winter in the Redwoods;  winter up here in the redwood forest, to be frank, is quite wet, and today was no exception.  We started our day out here with the water spout turned on full steam.  Yet, by early afternoon, the sun was out and showing some of the pretties blue sky a person will ever see. 

 Rain is one of the many elements that keep our redwood forests looking the way they do; which by the way, happens to be, green!   Up here in Orick, California the average yearly rainfall can average anywhere between 75 to 100 inches of rain.  Our beautiful old growth redwoods love that precipitation and literally soak it up!

 So, now that you know what the weathers like, today, it’s team redwood out for the day.

Be sure to check back later, as I’ll be keeping you up to date.