Vacation - Day 8

Today was a big day as we took in the sights of Crescent City and its surroundings.

After a quick breakfast, we headed down Highway 101 to the Trees of Mystery. Out front were huge statues of Paul Bunyan and his ox Babe. (Sherry and I remembered his ox's name as being Blue, you know, on account of he's blue. No. It's Babe.) The rest of the attraction included a short hike passing many huge and unusual redwoods, followed by a sky ride to the top of the mountain.

A little farther south on 101 we hit the Tour Thru Tree, a giant redwood that you can drive your car through (perhaps so named because there's already a Drive Thru Tree). Not a bad deal for the owners; they collect your five bucks and you drive through their tree.

Next we headed back north and ate lunch at a seafood restaurant called The Beachcomber. What a great place: a small, casual, older restaurant, right on the beach, with a nautical motif. Something you might expect in New England (if you're like me and have never been to New England).

It was time for the kids to burn off some energy, so we headed to Kidtown, a large, all-wooden playground in the middle of the city. Sherry and I agreed it was one of the best (if not the best) playgrounds we'd ever seen. David and Charlie had fun of course.

Afterwards, we headed back to camp to rest (first making a quick stop to buy fireworks). Then we hopped back in the car and drove to the Battery Point Lighthouse; we had to wait until low tide because the walk across to the lighthouse is covered in water the rest of the time. The kids were more interested in the tide pools than anything else. David and Charlie picked up sea stars and hunted for crabs.

Back at the campground, David and Charlie attended an ice cream social. Then it was fast asleep after a busy day.