Natural Wonders Abound

Just outside of Eureka, I drove past Stone Lagoon - a natural lagoon with a stunning ocean view:

There was a really neat piece of driftwood on the beach, too:

Close up:

Soon I was at the southern entrance to Redwood National & State Parks, where I encountered these fellas having a little lunch:

At Prairie Creek, I entered the actual forest:

And despite some very rainy weather most of the day, my drive through the forest was well-timed, as I had just a few drops to contend with when shooting photos like these:

I even managed to use my timer to get a pic of myself with "Big Tree" (it was once thought to be the largest tree, but has since been bested by a couple of new finds in the southern forest):

The forest is also filled with ferns and moss-covered trees:

And the obligatory "drive thru tree":

I even stopped at Trees of Mystery and rode the SkyTrail:

From the top, I could see down the other side of the mountain:

And beyond the tram, even a glimpse of the ocean:

And here I am safely back at the bottom:

It was still drippy, but not raining:

Then it was back to the highway and a bit of a stormy day at sea:

Following a sudden downpour of both rain and hail which lasted just 5 minutes or so, I rolled into Gold Beach to a real treat - a double-rainbow!

Although only the inner bow was a complete arch:

It started getting dark, so I drove the rest of the way to Coos Bay, then on advice from several folks, asked the front desk about the light show at Shore Acres, so I grabbed a quick bite of dinner, then headed out to Cape Arago where they transform the Botanical Gardens into a lit wonderland for the holidays:

What a great ending to a fantastic day!