Camping in the Redwoods!

This summer we returned to our beloved redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains. Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park turned out to be a great place to camp for our little group: Grace, Hannah, Melinda & Phern...something for eveyone. Biking, hiking, swimming, serene nature, cooking outdoors and campfires every night.
First we discovered 'the garden of eden': after a 3/4 mile hike down to the river, late in the afternoon of our first day, we found a great 'swimming hole', where brave young men dived from high, and we swam in the slightly chilly water and slid around on rocks...fabulous!
Lots of bike riding and independence around the campground for Grace and Hannah. From Henry Cowell Redwoods it is a short drive to the wonderful Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk for a day of amusement park rides and junk-food eating, and viewing the beautiful beach: Hannah rode 16 rides, Grace 12, Melinda 9 and Phern 6 (after a bad experience with a ride at this year's Marin County Fair I stayed away from most everything; my favorites: the ferris wheel and gondola.) We also spent day at a huge swimming pool/park...cool pool, warm pool, and great slide.
We wrapped up the trip with a hike to secret spot on the river amidst the redwoods for peaceful relaxation and water fun.