The rain let up briefly around sunrise, and there was a brief period of sun around 2PM, as we came north, but otherwise it’s been a consistent downpour, with blustery winds on the coast. We went out for a brief hike from out campsite after breakfast, along a swollen river, crossing two bouncy suspension bridges. The forests here continue to amaze us. California forests are beautiful, but they are ecologically almost desert-like in their sparsity. These are tropical forests and jungles. Ferns, tree ferns, vines, trees, lichens, and shrubs are all a vibrant (and shiny, from the rain) green. Every town we pass through has a water conservation sign on it, with a dial from blue to red. Given how much rain we’ve seen, this seems oxymoronic, but it seems like they don’t have large reservoirs like we do, and I suppose they have rainy summers. 

Our thought had been to either do a gold rush hike through tunnels and timber tracks, or a hike to see two Kauri trees. Unfortunately both involve some steep climbs, which in the rain, with Aleko in a carrier, can be precarious. Plus if he times out when we’re at the end, making him sit soaked through another 90 minutes of rain seems like a bad idea. He lasted about 25 minutes in the morning hike rain. Unfortunately, given the weather, there’s not much to do. We swung by Hot Water Beach (geothermally active beach so at low tide you can dig holes that fill with wonderfully warm water), but low tide was at7:15 and that’s a bit late – night falling as the roaring surf comes in sounds a bit tricky to manage with the Captain. We stopped by a small art and crafts store and bought some gifts as well as a new car for the Captain, a Kiwi bird with wheels and a pull string. So we’ve driven up to a camping spot above Cathedral Cove and are gazing out at the roaring sea as it breaks on the rocks, playing with the Captain, a warm dinner in our bellies. We’ll either spend the night up here or head down to a car park campground in an hour or so. 

– The Professor