Natural Wonders

Yesterday we drove through the Russian River Valley to Armstrong Redwoods State Park. This was an AWESOME park. The trees were so majestic and beautiful, and the camera doesn't do this place justice. We got some good hiking in, including a pretty steep trail thanks to my silly desire to tackle a trail that was labeled as "strenuous". Next time I come up with a bright idea like that, I've instructed Cullen to remind me of this trail. Below are some shots, my favorite is the last one.

After getting our fill of the old redwoods, we grabbed a late lunch in Guerenville and then drove up to Calistoga to see an "Old Faithful" geyser. You're probably familiar with "Old Faithful" in Yellowstone, but something you might not know is that to be called "Old Faithful", a geyser has to errupt on a regular schedule. There are only three Old Faithful geysers in the world. One in Yellowstone, one in New Zealand, and a third in Calistoga, CA. We stopped in Calistoga to watch the geyser, which erupts regularly every 30-40 minutes. We stayed to watch two eruptions, each lasts about 3-5 minutes. We also learned that Old Faithful geysers are used to help predict earthquakes. Hopefully we'll get out of California before another quake hits. Below is one shot of the geyser.