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We were able to hike Fern Canyon, up in Humboldt County. If you ever get a chance to do the Fern Canyon hike, DO IT. It is absolutely beautiful. During the hike I was able to use the EF 180 f3.5L, EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS, EF 14mm f2.8 wide angle, and the macro lens on some cool landscapes, cools looking mushrooms and wild flowers. This part of the state is known for their Roosevelt Elk (pictured to the left). We ran into one of these huge animals (not hard to do) at the beginning of the Fern Canyon hike. Fern Canyon is a great hike that takes place in a rain forest type setting. Typically, you will have a lot of fog and rain. The canyon walls are carpeted with ferns. The second part of the hike is a pleasant hike through a redwood forest. (See below) |
| An Elk at Fern Canyon Taken With The 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS It is hard to capture the grander and enormous beauty of Fern Canyon. I decided to focus on the smaller quaint details that make the canyon so beautiful. Below is some mushrooms found on the hike.  Mushrooms Taken With The EF 180mm f3.5L Macroo |
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| Fern Canyon Trail Taken With the 14mm f2.8L |
 A Lily Taken With EF 180mm f3.5L Macro |
A lily (pictured on the right) was found growing up through an old fallen redwood tree root structure. I love the deep green color surrounded by woody earth tones of the old tree stump. Below is one of many different wild flowers you will see on the hike (depending on when you go). This particular flower is just a little bigger than a pencil eraser. It is a beautiful flower. |
| My wife and I enjoyed many mornings hanging out on agate beach looking for agates. Though we did find some, they were a lot more elusive than they were last time we were there! We did get to take in most of a sunset, before fog rolled in and spoiled the display. Below is a picture of Hunter (my parents golden retriever) on the beach enjoying the sun. |
 Wild Flower Taken With The EF 180mm f3.5L Macro |
 Hunter Taken With The 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS |
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We stayed at a couple of nice places. The first place we stayed is View Crest Lodge. It is located in Trinidad, CA, a prime location for Agate Beach. Fern Canyon, Big Tree, and the old Highway is just a few miles to the north. The amenities were fantastic, very rustic and beautiful. I Just want to say THANK YOU to the staff at View Crest Lodge.
We finished up our trip in Nappa Valley. We drove down Highway 101 from Eureka and then jogged over to get into the valley. What an AWESOME drive. This part of our trip was actually planned at the last minute. We ended up saying in Nappa at The Arbor Guest House B&B. We stayed in the Arbor View Room and it was fantastic. Dan and Candy (proprietors) were very nice and accommodating. The accommodations are top notch and the 3 course breakfast is to die for!
Matt