Rocks, Roads, Redding, Redwood Highway

I posted earlier about our trip north last weekend, when a road closure of the 101-North due to a major rockslide required us to change our driving plans to include a detour east (and an added hour's drive) to get to southern Oregon. 

We hadn't driven the ~3-hour trip to Redding in over two years, but it was a natural midpoint of our first day's drive, and so we took a break for a lunch and a stroll at Sundial Bridge and the trails alongside the Sacramento River.

On our return trip, we had a slightly shorter drive due to the rockslide being partially cleared (to allow sequential one-way traffic. However, after more heavy rain, it closed again the day after our return!). Our lunch "break" included a walk on the short Botanical Trail east of Gasquet along "Redwood Highway" (199). 

The kids enjoyed seeing the "Cobra lilies" (darlingtonia)

Both kids even napped on our return drive (Niall at his usual nap time, and Iver due probably due to dramamine-induced drowsiness [we drugged him as he gets carsick on curvy roads]). Road trips with young children can be daunting, but I'm amazed these kiddos do as well as they do-- long trips in the car are far less painful when there are happy campers in the back (and possibly better than being quarantined at home...)!