The beginning of the trail is open with pines dominating.
Soon, we were in areas of redwoods. These were second growth, but there are areas of old growth beyond the hike we took.
We were fascinated by all the various fungi. This area is like a rain forest, with ferns growing high above on tree trunks. Fog in the summer and rain in the winter keeps this forest perking.
Nick is passing under some Big Leaf Maples that have lost their leaves.
Banana slugs were out and about and get about 6 inches long.
This is the beginning of many beautiful and various mushrooms and other fungi we enjoyed looking at. I will not comment on most of the following fungi after this.
Waddell Creek still gets some Cojo Salmon and Steelhead in the winter.
We were surprised to see an alligator lizard out this time of the year.
Nick called these "Snickerdoodles" after a favorite cookie.
This banana slug was eating some fungi. We wondered about the hole in his head, so I looked up the anatomy of the banana slug. That big hole on the right side of his head is not from a gang fight, it's his pneumostone, which is kind of his nose. It lets air into a primitive lung. It also is the port for feces to come out of - you can see a bit remaining. The slug can dilate this opening depending on his activity level.
Okay, things are going to get a little weird here. About half way between the slug's pneumostome and his head, is a pore you can't see that houses the genitalia. Each slug has male and female sex organs (don't let your mind wander too far here). The slugs sidle up to each other, right side to right side, and insert their penises into the other slug. A banana slug penis is as long as it's body (I'm not making this up). They maintain this position for hours until sufficiently stimulated. They can spend hours more trying to get their penis out. Sometimes a penis gets stuck for hours, and the slugs take turns gnawing it off, in which case the slug without a penis is now a female. And you thought your sex life was complicated!
Nick sits on some old logging equipment.
Goofing around on a horse bridge.
Ferns growing on tree trunk!
Wild cucumber looking kind of spooky!
Exiting the trail just in time to sit on the beach, sip a beer, and watch the sunset.
