Photo Essay: Sequoia Park-Eureka, CA

Sequoia Park – Located at 3414 W Street in Eureka, CA

As much as I enjoy reading articles in Everywhere about far away places, my circle of travel is very small. It’s exciting to “see the world” but not everyone can arrange schedules, take time away from work, or even afford the cost of spending time in the mountains of Tibet, or wherever. However, that doesn’t mean the places in your own neck of the woods are unworthy of being documented. Travelers can find peaceful relaxation, beautiful landscapes, areas for recreating, and a tremendous variety of sights and activities, oftentimes right in their own backyards.

I love living in northern California because of the diversity of choices when it comes to vacationing. One can drive 150 miles in any direction from Redding and find mountains for hiking, camping and so forth; or the Pacific Ocean with all its wonder; or a number of cities for shopping or taking in cultural events like museums and theater.

Since this article is being composed during the wintertime, I want to draw your attention toward the coming of Spring. Right now its dark a dismal outside, the roads are slippery and the thought of travel isn’t too appealing—unless you’re heading for the ski slopes, of course. (It’s been years since I tried skiing so I’ll let another writer “take you there”)
So if you’re not a winter sports enthusiast, how about closing your eyes (metaphorically speaking-since it’s difficult to read with your eyes closed) and moving ahead on the calendar to springtime?

If you haven’t visited Eureka, CA in a while, there is a park there that draws me in almost every time I’m in town. In 1894, acreage was donated to the city by the Glatt family and today the approximate 40 acres of old growth redwood trees represent the “last large stand” of redwood trees in the city. What a treasure among the city streets lined with houses, schools and neighborhood grocery stores. I can only imagine the joy of those people fortunate enough to live within “eye shot” of these gorgeous trees. One of the nicest treats I noticed was the cleanliness of the park. It’s apparent that the city employees take great pride in caring for the park and providing the visitors with a well maintained place for their pleasure activities. There are numerous sites for picnicking and trails that can take you deep enough into the woods so you almost feel like you’re all alone. While many city parks don’t allow dogs, you can feel free to bring Fido along to enjoy the outing. Naturally, keep the dog on leash though so others can enjoy their space as well—and be responsible about cleaning up after your pet.

Another point of particular interest in the park is the zoo. Dubbed as one of the smallest zoos to be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the zoo has operated since 1907. It provides recreational and educational opportunities for more than a half million people. Unfortunately, by the time I finished photographing the flower garden, I didn’t have enough time to examine the zoo fully. I’ll start with the zoo on my next trip—it deserves full attention. The zoo will delight your children, especially the barnyard where guests can walk among the animals and pet them.

With my love for flowers, I was delighted to spend most of my time in the garden next door to the zoo. The garden occupies about a half acre and features over 250 different varieties of flowers including Dahlias, Day Lilys, Fuchsias, Poppies, Marigolds, Sunflowers, Sweet Peas and more.

I was accompanied by several other photographers and included them in a few of the images. You can see they are quite serious about getting just the right angle, for the best light to compose their award winning photographs. I estimate there were more than 1500 photographs taken on this one afternoon visit alone.

Whether you’re interested in a picnic, tossing the frisbie, walking through the redwoods, enjoying the animals at the zoo, taking photographs of beautiful flowers, or even just lying in the sunshine with the cool coastal breeze wafting by, Sequoia Park is guaranteed to deliver.

For more information, visit the zoo web site at http://www.sequoiaparkzoo.net/index.htm

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