Over the River, Through the Redwoods to the Sweeney House We Go!

The morning started bright and early with a bunch of chipper travelers waiting to take on our last day’s drive!  Just minutes after leaving the hotel, we turned off for The Big Tree in Newton B. Drury State Park.  
It was wonderful to stroll through this beautiful forest and get the morning wiggles out!

We took the scenic route 254 (aka Avenue of the Giants), which runs through redwood groves parallel to Hwy 101.  It took us by all manner of tourist activities!  We tried to drive through the shrine tree, but the traffic jam to get in scared us away (but I ask you—would Clark Griswald have been scared off by a little line?😂)



We stopped for a picnic lunch and to run off some steam at Richardson Grove State Park.  This historic lodge was over 100 years old, and the redwoods surrounding it were growing into some of the posts!

It was my turn to drive after lunch, so there was no question that we were going to partake in the tourist trap that is the Chandlelier Drive-Thru Tree!  We happily handed over $10 and we’re giddy as we watched other cars brave the narrow passage (there was no way we were going to try with our rental car, a Chrysler minivan!  

We raced the rest of the way to Hotel Sweeney in Nicasio.  It felt good to be in a home surrounded by our people, a pool, and lizards (John’s favorite).  We walked down to Nicasio to have dinner at the bar and grill.  It was a beautiful night for the patio, and we wandered over to the village baseball diamond for one more inning before calling it a night.  

The morning would bring travel home and the rush of the real world.  While this vacation was a marathon of driving, it also provided an abundance of glorious scenery.  We were disconnected the the chaos of the world and imbedded in God’s glorious creation....from oceans to mountains, volcanoes to the world’s biggest trees.  Each was a gift that will knit us a little closer with family memories.  ❤️