The Northern California Coast is the sixth installment of Finding My Way Home. To view the previous installment, click here. If you wish to start from the beginning, click here. This is the ongoing story of the six years I spent as a vagabond photographer.

Oregon state parks have some of the best campgrounds anywhere. Most have full hookups, great locations, and reasonable prices, but there is a stay limit. I have reached my fourteen day limit at Bullard’s Beach in Bandon and must move on. Harris Beach State Park in Brookings, Oregon is my next destination and it feels like a homecoming of sorts. In my previous life, I vacationed at Harris Beach many times. I know the campground, the trails and the beach well. It’s winter and they aren’t taking reservations, so I show up and drive through, looking for an available campsite that has hookups and is big enough for my rig. Chris has gone back to his permanent home, so it’s just me and Luna for now. It’s still gray and gloomy, as is normal for winter at the coast. I can’t remember the last day it didn’t rain. I find an open space and park, trying to situate my door between the deepest part of the puddles. Luna and I take a walk to the registration booth to pay for our two nights here.

The next morning I awake to what? Is that sunshine streaming through my windows? I haven’t seen a sunny day since October in Pasco. It’s now December and I feel giddy at the sight of the sun. We spend most of the day walking on the beach and gratefully soaking up the precious warm rays. A chance to restock my groceries at the best Fred Meyer store on the planet also lifts my spirits. And just like that, I’m back on the road again. I’m leaving Oregon and will be spending the rest of winter on the Northern California Coast.

I’ve reserved my next monthly stay at a small RV park near Patrick’s Point just north of Trinidad, California. When I arrive, I’m pleasantly surprised to find that my site includes a lovely wooden deck that overlooks a large pond on the property. The place is full of travel trailers, but most of them are unoccupied. It seems that this place is used as a second home or weekend getaway for most of the renters. There are a few park model homes that are occupied, but I seem to be the only temporary resident. I’m starting to notice that each private RV park has its own personality. Most places have things to love and things that aren’t so great. This place is very beautiful and quiet, but it’s rather small and on a busy road, so there isn’t really much of a good place to walk the dog, much less a place to play off-leash. So far, I’ve been really lucky as far as finding places to stay with doggie play areas either on-site or nearby. We will make do here and I will learn to check more closely into the dog friendliness of places in making future reservations.

My first mission in this place is to find an available room or cabin to rent so my children can visit me. The motor home is designed to sleep four, but because of my remodel to make it a comfortable full-time home, it’s just too crowded for guests. Plus, I find a guest house with a bathtub. Of all the things I knew I would miss, I never thought the top of the list would be baths! What a treat to soak in a tub, spend some time with my kids, and cook together in a real kitchen! I know I won’t be able to splurge like this often, but I’m thrilled that I can do it this time. We talk about my emotional melt-down over Christmas, and promise to get together whenever the opportunity presents itself, regardless of the date on the calendar. We spend a precious few days together, including a day trip along California’s beautiful Lost Coast, and then they go back to their own lives and I resume my quest to be a better photographer.

With the Trinidad area as my base, I can visit the Redwoods, both Jedediah Smith and Prairie Creek Parks. I also go to the fabled Fern Canyon for the very first time. This is the location on the coast of Northern California that was used to film some scenes in the movie “Jurrasic Park.” I can see why they chose it. I have never seen any place like it. A canyon scoured by a small creek with ferns covering the walls from top to bottom. It’s a truly unique place and I’m glad to have gone even though I risked damaging my car to get there. There are two creeks which you must drive through to get there, with the depth of the water varying depending on the time of year. Luckily, when I go, there haven’t been any recent rains in the area and the creeks are passable in a small car. As much as I love my little Yaris for it’s dependability and economy, there are certain times when I wish I owned a four-wheel-drive vehicle. This is one of them.

The coastal California redwoods have inspired me since I first set eyes on them. They’ve also been a photographic nemesis ever since I got serious about photography. I adore these incomparably majestic trees with the devotion of a religious fanatic. Yet, their very majesty is what makes them so difficult to photograph. With dizzying heights of up to 379 feet (115 m), the canopy of the sequoia sempervirens blocks most of the sunlight at the floor of the forest, which also happens to be where me and my camera are located. This creates a huge range of light between the bright bits of sky and the deep, dark shadows, which makes proper exposure difficult, if not impossible. The sheer size of them, in addition to their soaring height, requires a wide angle lens, but that creates geometric distortion, which I dislike. Although I find them to be difficult subjects, I cannot stop trying to do them justice. And even if I feel like I could do better with the photos, I am more than satisfied spending time among these extraordinary giants.

While I still love landscape photography, wildlife is garnering more and more of my attention. There’s something thrilling about searching for birds, stalking them and trying to do them justice in a photograph. I find myself searching for refuges and wildlife areas each time I arrive in a new place. In this part of the country, I have many options and the birds are abundant in the winter. I love the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge on the Northern California Coast. I’m learning a lot about what it takes to be a wildlife photographer – mostly through trial and error. Being out there, alone with the birds, is where I want to be. This is on my mind when I start thinking about which direction I want to go for spring.

I’m starting to think about my journey in terms of destinations and routes. I have Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks in mind as destinations. Now, I look at the map and determine a route. Another thing I’m learning is that the actual traveling is not the fun part. Arriving at and exploring new places is fantastic, but getting there is more of a chore. It’s not just the driving, but also the tear down and set up each time, which I have mostly mastered, but is a lot of work for one person. Because of this, my travel is starting to be shorter distances with longer stays. After all, what’s the hurry?