It was a gorgeous day, and I was really excited to show Mark the majestic redwood trees. I love the redwoods tree; the way they jut right up into the sky so you can't even see the tops of them, and the quiet forest path below. I love how they are so big they actually block out the sunlight, and I love the mysterious, dark lighting the forest takes on as a result. I also love the raised bark along the trees, the way it twists and rises in long, circular patterns, creating little wooden valleys and ridges all along the trees.
But most of all, I love the serenity, that calm, soothing feeling you get when walking among these giant trees. It's humbling to be among nature, especially when its hundred of years old, and towers above you. There's nothing as tranquil as being part of the forest, silent except for the birds, the squirrels, the sound of nature all around. The quiet, the solitude of it all just speaks to me.
However, there's one sure-fire way to ruin all that within moments; bring your 12-year-old hyper son on the day you skipped his ADD medication.
I knew I was in trouble as soon as we started down the path. Tim and Kim had gone to the car for jackets, and I had Mark, Nic and Hannah with me. Hannah and Nic wanted to show me a piece of the oldest tree, but Mark just wanted to bounce around.
"Look up at the trees, Mark," I said, in awe. He just snorted and kept running.
"What's so great about trees?" he shouted back over his shoulder. "I've seen trees before in Big Bear."
"Not redwoods!" I clarified.
"Whatever!" he said. "Trees are trees." And then I heard a new sound in the forest--my heart breaking.
Kim had mentioned that we might see another famous local--banana slugs. Mark had never seen those either, so I was eager to find some and point them out.
"You think they'll really be out?" I asked Kim.
She nodded. "This is the weather they like--cold and damp."
Nic spotted the first one two minutes later. "Banana slug!" he yelled, pointing to a long yellow slug on the ground.
"Hey, look up at the trees!" Tim yelled at them. He turned and said to me, "I brought them here to see the redwoods, and they're running through the forest looking at the ground." Yeah, pretty much on par for those two boys.
Besides slugs, we also saw a couple deer grazing in the forest, and some trees with amazing gold-colored leaves that looked like they were lit up and glowing. The trees reached through the openings between the redwood trunks, reaching up for the patches of sunlight streaming through. Hannah and I tried taking pictures, but couldn't capture the beauty in our tiny little phones.
We rounded a corner in the path, and came across a guy playing a funny little guitar and singing train songs from the 1800s. In the distance, we could hear an actual train, with its horn blaring and the steam engine puffing. It almost sounded fake, the ch-ch-ch-ing of the wheels on the track as the guy sang along.
The giant tree had a slight opening, which the kids dove into. Hannah climbed in first, followed by Nic and Mark, and pretty son, all three of them were inside the humongous tree. They were having a blast in there, swallowed up by the tree. I couldn't see them, but I could hear their giggles.
The kids clambered out of the tree, and we finished our hike. We heard the train again, but never actually saw it. At one point, it was puffing, setting off these loud clanging noises, and Mark stood in the forest, pretending to be shot with each loud bang. Even in the middle of the most beautiful place, he's crazy.
We came to the end of the path, where I tried unsuccessfully to steer Mark into the visitor's center.
"I didn't come here to learn," he said, dismissively.
"You asked what's so great about the redwoods," I said. "Go in there, and you'll find out." He ran off instead.
We passed by the gift shop, which he was interested in. I didn't buy anything, but was sorely tempted when I saw a great t-shirt bearing the phrase "May the forest be with you."
But we weren't finished yet; we sill had another appointment, at the Mystery Spot. None of us were actually sure what that even was, but I'd seen bumper stickers forever, and I'd always been curious. Kim was equally excited; she'd grown up in San Jose, and had never been. It was a first for all of us!
We waited in the tiny courtyard for our tour to start. There was also a gift store here, but I held off on buying anything, although there were approximately one million yellow and black souvenirs advertising the Mystery Spot.
"You didn't buy anything?" Tim asked.
I shook my head no. "I'm gonna wait till after," I said. "Until I know what the Mystery Spot actually is. Because what if I buy something and then I end up hating the Mystery Spot?"
Eventually, our tour was called, and our tour guide, Prema, introduced himself. He was maybe 16 or 17 years old, but had a great personality and was super funny. We laughed the first 10 minutes of the tour, and we hadn't even moved from our starting point.
Prema lead us up to the spot, which turned out to be a slanted house much like the one I'd seen in Calico. "Uh oh," my brain said, because that hadn't turned out so well. But I gave it my best shot, watching Prema use his level to prove the house was straight, even though it slanted in every direction. He rolled a pool ball up a board, and then Kim's Chapstick, and even some water. It was a trip.
We went inside the house, and that's when the trouble really started--my brain went lopsided, and upside down, and eventually a little nauseous. I watched everyone lean the exact opposite way they should have, and it just messed with my head. Prema encouraged me to walk down the sloping floor toward him, but I declined. Instead, I ended up shoving my way out toward the exit, past the next tour group, gasping for air. Yes, it was a little melodramatic, but the sloping house seriously made me carsick! It was weird...
But I could still hear Prema and his jokes outside. I could hear Mark and Nic laughing, and I knew they were all having a good time. Kim eventually made her way toward me; the house was messing with her head, too.
So I spent most of my time outside the mystery zone, but that was fine. The jokes were funny, Prema was funny, and I knew the kids were having a good time. And hey, I even got a free bumper sticker at the end.
Our tour ended, and we headed out to the car, pretty much spent. It was a busy day--Bigfoot museum, redwoods, and Mystery Spot, and we still had a 30 minute drive back home. But it was a good day, and we returned exhausted, happy, laughing and grateful for the fun times we spent with our family.
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