Known as the tallest and amongst the largest and most ancient trees in the world, the Redwoods of California were just begging to be hugged... And what better way to see them than in the Redwood National and State forests, which contain around half of California's Redwoods! They also happened to be directly on our route from Oregon and proved a great introduction to California's natural beauty. Due to the US government shut down over the past month, our biggest concern was whether or not the parks would even be open...

'Obamacare' is the latest health care bill proposed by Obama. The aim is to ensure all US citizens will have access to health care. Many constitutionalists and right wing politicians, however, feel that the implementation of this Act impinges on their rights as Capitalists. This led to a stalemate in congress and with the new budget, and a shut down on all non-emergency government services. Not having a bold governor general like Australia had with Whitlam, Obama could not simply be dismissed. The country has been going through a lot of debate and campaigning, and for us, it meant all the national parks have been closed.

Wondering what this meant for our visit to the Redwoods we popped into the Visitors Centre as soon as we crossed into California. Overnight, it seemed that the government came to some form of agreement and non-essential services were back on the payroll! This was perfect timing for us, though we are not really sure what it means for the health bill at this point...

So with the green light, we drove straight out towards Jebediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Getting on dusk, we sought out and found a fantastic campsite absolutely surrounded by Coastal Redwoods! It was surreal to wake up the next morning and look up, and up, and up, and up to see the new day trying to squeeze in between the gigantic limbs of these awe-inspiring trees. After a morning nature walk around the campground we set off for the Howland Hill Road. This 10 mile, unpaved scenic road curves around these giant trees belittling everything in their shadows. It was a fantastic way to see these trees up close and we definitely felt a little smaller!

We saved our energy for a bike ride when we got to Prairie Creek State Park, where we camped another night amongst these fantastic trees. We biked through the redwood forest to the coast along an awesomely wild and isolated trail. When we got out of the trees, the familiar thick fog we began to associate with Oregon started rising from the sea and up the cliffs. Despite hearing the ocean, and walking on the sand, we could barely see the water! It was a nice bike ride all the same and a great lasting memory of these incredible ancient forests.

Thanks to the US government co-operating with our travel plans, we are now able and willing to head inland to explore some more of the great national parks that America has to offer. Next stop, Yosemite!