The ancient redwood forests in the area I call home are full of enchantment and legend.
Come with me as we explore an area hidden away and not usually seen by travelers to the northern California coast.
Here we are standing in the middle of the old Highway 101 about 100 meters south of Jordan Creek which is approximately 25 miles south of Eureka California and 280 miles north of San Francisco.
You can see in the distance a giant redwood tree has fallen across and blocked the road. To get past we'll have to go into the forest.
The forests here contain some of the largest trees in the world.
The Legend Of The Hermit's Tree
This particular forest is home to the legend of the Hermit's tree. In the 1950's an old hermit lived inside one of these living trees that was hollow at the bottom. He also had climbed to the top and placed flag poles on several of the 300+ foot high trees.
When I was a kid we would hike to the tree which was abandoned by the 1970's.
It had a thick wooden door, a stove for cooking on the inside and two upper levels used for sleeping. Back then you could also see the flag pole at the top.
Decades later when I went into the forest to look for this tree, I couldn't find it. The one pictured below is not the Hermit's tree but it gives you an idea of what it was like. The Hermit's tree was much larger and living.
Back out on the road we can see the Jordan Creek bridge up in the distance. If we were to brush back the leaves, the yellow divider line is still visible on the blacktop.
The mountain roads of Northern California are notorious for getting washed away by sliding mountainsides and raging waters.
These pictures show how the creek is starting to reclaim the road around the bridge.
Built in 1938, I believe the bridge was in service until the 1960's when a more modern 4 lane bridge was built just to the west.
In the 40's and 50's the bridge saw every car and truck that traveled back and forth from the San Francisco Bay area to Eureka, Oregon, Washington and beyond.
Now it's a party destination for the local kids.
The creek is seasonal. When the winter rains come, this area will be covered with deep, fast moving current of water.
The current bridge taking travelers on highway 101 across Jordan Creek.
Thanks for coming along!
I'm Michael and this is my first post on Hive.
I was on Steemit for a short time but left I think for the some of the same reasons Hive was created.
All of these pics were taken with a Pixel 3.
I don't consider myself a photographer but I love to take pictures and have many more of this area with stories to go along so if you'd like to see more please comment and let me know.
🙂 Peace,
Michael