After a day and a half at the hostel, Joel, Vanessa and I continued our travels south along 101 to Trees of Mystery, a thriving roadside attraction. There, we met Paul Bunyan and Babe the Big Blue Ox (who, funnily enough, has only one giant testicle). Paul winks, shakes his hand, smiles and talks to tourists in a throaty bellow. Lumberjacks! From there we traveled to our next camping destination, the popular Gold Bluff Beach campground in Prairie Creek Redwood State Park. We went off-roading with Betty, my two door hatchback Hyundai Accent, along 6 miles of winding dirt roads down a steep ocean-side bluff. We chose an amazing campsite, pitched our tents, and meandered for several hours down an eerily socked in beach that looked like something out of the movies. We stumbled upon three male elk, bachelors all, among the dunes. They’re massive beasts and apparently unpredictable during mating season. I was sure to keep my distance. It was truly a breathtaking scene.
