Send off Biker style from our accommodation at Motel 6 in Eureka.
The early morning fog coming in from the sea has us running through a mystical landscape - with farmhouses ... or cows ... appearing out of nowhere.
Chintamani and Harita are having fun driving through the sizeable "lakes" on the road. (Suhasini didn't have as much fun running through them ;)
The people we meet on the road are genuinely touched by the spirit and simple message of the Peace Run: that each one of us can find peace within our hearts and transform the world with it!
"There shall come a time when this world of ours will be flooded with peace. Who is going to bring about this radical change? It will be you, you and your brothers and sisters. You and your oneness-heart will spread peace throughout the length and breadth of the world." Sri Chinmoy
After a delightful picnic lunch next to our RV we take the time to walk Trillium Falls trail all together - including new/returning team member Pujari from San Diego.
Can't get enough of tall trees! (Redwoods often exceed 300 feet in height, with the tallest known individual towering more than 367 feet - the world's tallest trees!)
"How old are you?" - "I was three, but now I'm already four!!" - "Know how old these trees are?" - "Giants!" (They have a lifespan of up to 2000 years!)
Little blue ants winding their way through the towering forest.
At the cascade.
What fun to cover our next running stretch together as a group, over soft forrest paths through scented trees!
Here we emerge from the woods ...
... to be greeted by the Pattersons who had pulled over and started chatting with the rest of the team. New friends made!
Since we are travelling through Elk valley, we really wished to see some and asked Pujari jokingly to "invoke them" ... sure enough, ten minutes later there they were, peacefully grazing the meadow!
More exploring of the beautiful trails through the Redwoods ...
... one enters a universe entirely of itself and is humbled by those giants of unparalleled character.
The Redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always...from them comes silence and awe...they are not like any trees we know, they are ambassadors from another time. The most irreverent of men, in the presence of the redwoods, goes under a spell of wonder and respect." John Steinbeck
The Save-the-Redwoods League was established to protect these green giants. Today a mere 4% of the original Redwood remains.
We made our way to a "big tree".
... there would be many, many more big trees to explore along the trails ... but it's time to get some more miles done along the Redwood Highway of Giants, direction north.
First conceived in 1909, the Redwood Highway extends from San Francisco's Golden Gate to Grants Pass, Oregon. That's where we'll be heading tomorrow, leaving California behind, but carrying the power and majesty of its primeval landscape in our hearts!
Our last night in California we'll spend in Klamath. Golden bears are guarding the bridge across the mighty Klamath river.
Humboldt County was originally inhabited by the Yurok Tribe considered the largest tribe in California with over 6,000 members. In their language, Klamath River is Hehlkeek 'We-Roy.
In the Klamath Visitor Center, the team gains some insight into the century-old culture. The river is "home, church, garden, highway, counselor, friend, brother and provider" to them. (Barry Wayne McCovey Jr., Yurok Tribal Member.)
Skue-yen' 'we-nas-chey-wen! (Good night!)
