We’ve been having too much fun and are so exhausted at the end of the day! Yesterday we drove hwy 199 south from Grants Pass, OR to Crescent City, CA. It was a nice drive the whole way but it got amazing when we entered California. The trees got bigger and the sun got brighter and it felt like we’d entered another land.

The 199 follows the Smith River and I found a great little guide online to the Smith River national recreation area that listed places to stop.

We saw carnivorous pitcher plants the size of my forearm growing thick in a swamp, hiked a trail lined with native rhodies and azalea that must be gorgeous in bloom, and just oohed at the scenery.

The Smith River is a surreal turquoise color due to minerals in the water. We picnicked next to the river and had the place all to ourselves, yay for January vacay!

We arrived in Crescent City in time to watch the sun set at the Battery Point Lighthouse, which sits on a rocky little island accessible only during low tide.

I saw a couple sitting on the beach sifting through the small rocks and since I’m nosy that way I asked what they were looking for. Agates. They were so friendly and happy I was interested, and they showed me the different types they’d found and how to identify them. That added agate hunting to my list!