in an order to break up a 24 day trip between visiting my parents in sacramento and kevins parents in seattle, we decided to take an intentional two day pit stop through the califonria redwoods to recharge as a family.
vacations are nice and visiting family is one of our favorite getaways, but after any length of time, being out of our routine and in a space other than our home, we are all in need of a few minutes to re-focus and re-connect.
does this ever happen to you? needing a vacation from your vacation?
being in someone else’s home, especially for me as a mother of young children, sometimes adds a level of stress and anxiety that can take away the fun of vacation.
even in my parents or in-laws homes, places i know we are welcome and have lots of help, i can easily get overwhelmed with the lack of routine and structure.
some will argue that grandparents houses and summer vacations are all about late nights, sugar highs and partying, and trust me, i LOVE participating in all of those things to, but i also know it is important, especially for young kids, and mom’s sanity, for a re-focus/back to reality minute.
this summer, that minute came during our two day trip through the redwood forest between california and washington.
one of our favorite things to do as a family is to be outside. whether we’re chasing the chickens around the backyard, going for a walk around the neighborhood, spending a day at the lake or camping, being outside, exploring the big beautiful world is something we love best. taking the family to the redwoods has been on our bucket list of family travel places for years since it’s right in between our parents homes, and since this was a driving trip instead of a flying trip, it worked out perfectly to spend two days driving up the coast through the beautiful redwood national park.
being outside is one of our favorite spots to be mindful. it’s a great place to clear our thoughts and focus on being in the moment as we explore every piece of dirt, bug, rock or leaf we find.
the redwoods are absolutely beautiful.
i remember going there as a child with my family and being in pure awe how these majestic trees ever got so tall.
returning as an adult i felt similar excitement as my children stood wide eyed gazing up at these giants. i loved how they each came up with theories on how these tree’s could have possibly gotten so big.
hayden exclaimed that they must have been put here by god since he’s way up there in the sky and is the only one who could probably hold a tree that big. to which of course her older brother scoffed and explained that they didn’t always used to be that big and that maybe these trees had special food that made them grow so tall.
isn’t it amazing to watch little brains work and problem solve?
i absolutely love the things my kids come up with when their minds have the opportunity to explore.
we spent one whole day driving through the forest.
a favorite stop for the kids was chandelier drive thru tree. this tall coast redwood tree in leggett stands over 300 feet tall and 21 feet wide. since 1937 the tree has been giving tourist the opportunity to drive through the tree in their car.
what a fun experience to be inside a tree, in your car.
the children also loved going on a beautiful nature hike and riding a gondola to the top of a mountain through the famous trees of mystery forest attraction. greeted by statues of paul bunyan (who actually talks to the guest) and his sidekick blue ox babe, trees of mystery is well worth the money we paid to spend a few hours in nature.
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