(upbeat music) - The popularity of the American road trip is back.

Definitely a beautiful start to the drive.

Getting out of the house and onto the open highway has never been more popular.

And for our civilization right now, never more important.

It doesn't take long to tell that this is a special drive.

For this road trip we're headed to a California classic a place where ancient rainforests stretch to the sky and meet the stirring seat.

Beaches here are massive compared to Southern California.

This is a place where giants grow, home to small seaside towns and a winding highway that passes through a network of national and state parks that preserve these old growth forests and wild seascapes.

And this is top shelf attraction anywhere else in the state of California.

It's a place that requires no itinerary or detailed plan.

Today's the first day the sun's come out in two weeks.

All you need is a set of wheels, a full tank of gas or a full charge, and a willingness to explore with impulse as your guide.

We would have driven right past this place had we not just, you know, on a whim said, hey Patrick's Point, that looks cool let's drive in there.

Out here, you never really know what might pop up next.

Oh look at the little guys.

- [Zach] Little baby carrots.

- Where is he, way up?

You can't see them in there, but there's a little baby black bear Cub, which beckons the question.

Where's the mom?

But one thing is for sure, a trip to this remote corner of California is the perfect place for a road trip photo Safari.

Looks good, nice shot.

In some of the most stunning forests on earth.

Zach's looking for ewalks back there.

You see Zack back there, he's looking for ewalks.

(upbeat music) When you travel, the world becomes a smaller place.

When you explore with friends that share a love of photography, destinations come to life.

This water is Emerald green.

We tell the stories of travel with our cameras, capturing some of the most beautiful locations on earth.

But every adventure reveals more than what's in the frame.

Thunder bloomer because we see it popping up right now.

The people, the food and unexpected turns in the journey.

Now they're going to swim right there.

Brings the full experience of travel into focus.

(gentle music continues) (gentle music) - [Narrator] Outside Beyond The Lens, brought to you by Visit Fresno County, nature diversity, found in the heart of California central Valley.

Stay in Fresno or Clovis and drive to three nearby national parks.

By Hedrick's Chevrolet, supporting the spirit of travel in each of us.

Every journey has a first step start your next adventure here.

By Fresno Yosemite International Airport, rediscover your love for travel with more options, more flights, more connecting you to the people and the places you love.

And by Visit Yosemite Madera County California's gateway to Yosemite National Park, explore the outdoor magic of Madera County and be inspired to discover more.

And by viewers like you.

(brooding music) (birds chirping) - Morning light in a Redwood forest, a setting so naturally perfect it almost feels like a place you would only find in a dream.

(upbeat music) The old growth Redwood forest of Northern California are another reminder of how diverse this state is when it comes to outdoor beauty.

This is the kind of road trip we love, with non-stop views, plenty of places to pull over and explore.

And all anchored by unique small towns that add their own charms to a journey we can't wait to begin.

We've decided to start our adventure in Arcata, California working our way up the coast to Crescent city.

Along the way, we'll pass through a series of parks that have different names and borders but all share a continuous stretch of coastal redwoods that rise above a blanket of ferns and Moss.

Arcata is a small town, about 280 miles North of San Francisco that sits along a giant inland lagoon not far from the neighboring town of Eureka.

Arcata is a quiet coastal town that moves at a pace consistent with the slow retreat of morning fog that is common here in summer.

After a nearly seven hour drive from our home base in central California we've arrived in Arcata toward the end of the day.

The typically stubborn Marine layer has cleared so we head to a nice spot next to Arcata Bay to break out cameras and get them ready for the several days of shooting we have planned ahead.

Low tide reveals the bottom of the Bay as sunset light works its magic.

In what has been a difficult year for travel, simply being outside in a brisk salty breeze with cameras up in the colors of a summer sunset in frame is a much needed reminder for Zach, David and myself that life can and will return to normal.

(gentle music continues) (upbeat music) With our first day in front of us the plan is to head North on highway 101 towards Crescent City stopping wherever the heck we want.

The first place to catch our eye is a giant strand of sand just a few minutes North of Arcadia called Clam Beach.

Nothing's falling out, it's not like a road trip Jenga.

So this is a pretty typical thing we do on a road trip like this, even though the lush rainforest and giant coastal redwoods await us just up the road, we like to try and experience as much of the entire area as we can.

While Clam Beach is a lot like most beaches along the entire West coast it's still part of the photographic story of this place.

All right, well, we're at one of the many beaches that highway 101 travels next to along the North coast here.

We're just South of Redwoods National Park it's just North of the town of Arcata.

And a beautiful foggy, classic Northern California coast morning here.

Fog starting to lift a little bit, the beaches here are massive compared to Southern California.

They just go on and on.

And there's a lot of folks out here enjoying the cool weather, it's not cold, but it's definitely not the heat of the interior central Valley of California which like right now today I think it's gonna be like 102 degrees.

This is not that.

On a foggy day like today where the light is flat and the landscapes blend into a monochromatic plate capturing the scenes that best represent this beach setting can be challenging.

Our general rule in these conditions make your window small.

Focus the frame on the extreme details, the things most people don't notice when they come to a sprawling beach like this.

I guess it's not really a big surprise when you walk on the beach you can get sand in your shoes, right?

It doesn't seem like that big of a deal.

I didn't have any problem with my little slip on, Zach, put your big boot up here.

Zach wears these every time we go somewhere which.

- I win.

- [Jeff] That's a big shoe, it's a lot of shoe.

- I win every time.

- But Boomer, Boomer, what'd you do?

- Apparently I made the wrong choice in footwear today, so.

- [Jeff] Oh yeah there's a little bit of sand in there, - Maybe a half pound of sand.

Little half pound is what I had in each, each shoe.

- It might actually be illegal to try to smuggle that much native sand out of the beaches here.

(upbeat music) Not far up 101 from Clam Beach and Arcata we make an unplanned stop at a state park that really caught our eye.

A place where coastal forests of Redwood, hemlock and spruce meet sheer cliffs and the Pacific Ocean.

A place called Patrick's Point.

One of the great things about an unplanned stop road trip is you get to just cruise into whatever you think you'd want to see and so driving up the 101, I saw the sign that said, Patrick's Point State Park.

We pulled in here we paid the eight bucks at the gate and now we are driving into a park that bills itself as what?

The gem of the redwoods the gem of the redwoods.

What's unique about this part of California or any place probably in the United States is that we have a big national park just up the road and sort of all part of the same experience or the state parks as the California state park that we're in right now.

Patrick's point is actually out this way so we're going to take a little lefty here, and check out this.

It just feels like it's going to be cool.

I'm seeing, I just got to go into the ocean down below guys.

It's amazing.

A parking lot area here we'll get out and check it out.

The spot we've parked is just above the point's most noticeable feature wedding rock.

Patrick's Point is named after Patrick Beacon an Irish immigrant who ranched near this area in the late 1800.

A really nice network of trails lead to Vista points along this part of the coast, with big views of the ocean below.

What's great about the Northern part of California is you start getting into these what they're called sea stacks.

These rock formations that have sort of, they're kind of separated from the coast, and the water kind of works in around them.

And you'll see that you didn't even look out in the distance and you'll see big giant tips of the sea stacks.

Behind us Patrick's point you can go walk on actually try crawl off.

But I mean, this is what road trips are all about to me.

You know, you're out here, you're not on a time budget you're not on a clock.

You don't have an itinerary.

You just have a camera and some good buddies and you just want to capture the beauty at your own pace.

If you're headed North like we, are Patrick's point is one of the last places you can easily get close elevated access to the Pacific ocean.

from here, Highway 101 turns inland a bit, as it approaches the main redwoods parks up the road.

But always remember when you're driving in this part of Northern California, watch your speed and keep your eyes on the road.

well, I mean, I guess that's one way to stop traffic is, I can honestly say I've never stopped in the middle of a highway where a herd of elk walked across the road.

What you got there, you gonna headbutt me?

You guys like carrots?

Did you just hiss at me?

They are beautiful, man.

Some of them are in, in velvet coming out a velvet this big bull right in front of me.

- [Zach] I got to a couple of points.

- [Jeff] Yeah, I know, he's the big daddy of the group.

- [Zach] They're following him around.

- [Jeff] Oh, look at the little guys.

- [Zach] Little baby.

- Yeah, just stopped here where a herd of elk crosses 101 in Redwoods National Park.

Should we let these guys go or should we?

Don't be honking, some guy is honking back there, like get going, there's elk crossing here, man.

(gentle music) Not far from our little elk parade near the small town of Orick.

It's time to jump off the 101 again, and drive into the heart of the redwoods park system.

Along the Newton B Drury scenic Parkway, to explore Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

This scenic route which parallels highway 101 further East winds through some of the best examples of coastal Redwood forests in the area.

Nearly 14,000 acres in size Prairie Creek redwoods state park is a place to slow down and marvel at the sheer size of some of these trees.

There are many places to pull off the road and wander among these giants.

All right, so we've pulled off the side of the road here in the, on the ry, scenic byway and right away, when you get in here it doesn't take long to tell that this is a special drive.

This is you're seeing the coastal redwoods at their best, right now.

This place is I, by the way I can't believe how beautiful the weather is.

We spoke to a docent back at the Patrick's Point State Park.

And they told us that today's the first day the sun's come out in two weeks.

It's been socked in with fog right now.

You guys, is this not perfect weather?

This is like nuts.

I wish television could transmit temperature and smells because well, most of the time that might not be a good idea in the battle van right now, here walking around the side of this road and this forest, it's absolutely beautiful.

These coastal redwoods, cousins of the giant Sequoia that grow in the Sierra Nevada mountains further inland and small groves are the tallest trees on the planet.

Zack's a tall guy wave your hand, Zack.

Look at that, that's how big these trees are.

Many of the trees in this part of the park are over 300 feet tall, with the tallest of the species growing nearly 400 feet, and being close to 30 feet around at its base.

There is a definite calming effect walking beneath these trees.

And I can't help, but wonder what this forest looked like almost 2000 years ago when these redwoods were just emerging from the forest floor.

(birds chirping) (gentle music) Back on highway 101 headed North towards Crescent city, California, we crossed the mighty Klamath River.

This entire area, including the parks we just passed through are the ancestral home to the native Yurok people.

The Yurok have thrived on this river for centuries.

Living off the runs of King salmon and steelhead trout that were once abundant in these waters.

But hydro power dams upstream change the flows of the river, shrinking the size of the salmon runs to a fraction of what they once were.

But many Yuroks still live here, and fish the mountain the Klamath River in summer honoring the traditions of their past.

(boat engine roaring) We've seen what might be a nice spot to look down on the place where the Klamath River meets the ocean on the map and follow a dirt road to a seaside cliff, to watch the fishermen in action.

But along the way we have another kind of wildlife surprise.

And I was just about to tell Zach to put his camera up cause you never know what's going to come around the corner.

We were making jokes about Bigfoot because, this is an area where a lot of big foot sightings happen.

And oh where's the bear?

We got a bear.

- Scoot forward just a little bit - A little bit more.

Where is he way up?

Up there oh yeah, hello, black bear.

Well, you can't see him in there, but there's a little baby black bear Cub, which beckons the question.

Where's the mom, right?

But this was, right we came around the corner this beautiful little black bear jetblack Cub kind of lumbered across the road.

I'm sorry we couldn't catch it on camera we would.

- I mean momma's right here, that's a small cub.

- It's a small cub, we would have actually caught it on camera if Zach would have been rolling.

It's always Zach, it's always Zach.

Was I Zach, was I driving too fast?

No, that's the thing with wildlife too.

It's always right when you take the camera, put it away, or right before you think about pulling it up.

In this situation, we got to see the little guy but not on camera so we'll keep on trucking.

Native Yurok fishermen work to harvest salmon as they leave their time in the ocean behind to return to the river where their lives began.

And to complete a circle that's always been part of the Klamath.

(seagull sqealing) (metal clanking) We're driving on our way up to Crescent city.

And we saw Paul's Famous Smoked Salmon Jerky and then we found out you're Paul.

- Yep.

- So Paul, how long you've been doing this?

- 22 years this summer, 22 years this summer.

- 22 years this summer.

The salmon are an important part of like your whole culture and their way of life, isn't it?

- Oh, yes it is.

- Tell me a little bit about it like you remember fishing as a boy?

- Oh yeah, really young.

(speaking indistinctly) You know we saw some guys with the nets out there at the mountain today tell me what we saw.

What were they doing?

- They were getting that a hundred foot net.

(indistinct speaking) - You're a man of few words I like that about you, Paul.

- Oh, I can get going.

- I bet you can, you're it back for me.

So tell me, how do you do the salmon now?

What I garlic and I got teriyaki what do you do with this?

- We smoke it, actually, he smokes it.

- Okay, we'll get a shot of him, that's your son?

- Yeah.

- What's his name?

- Mason.

- Mason, all right.

Any Sasquatch sightings up here?

- No, for these guys probably.

- Dude I believe in the Sasquatch.

- I know a guy that got touched by one when he's 15.

- He's till traumatized.

- He is traumatized.

- He's literally got touched by a Sasquatch.

- We don't know how he touched him, but it was a mad touch.

(all laughing) (gentle music) With the day winding down we make one last stop as we arrive in Crescent City.

Roadtrippers like us enjoying the surf at Crescent Beach.

Families building memories they'll share for a lifetime along a drive they'll never forget.

(gentle music continues) The next day, the low morning sun slowly brings Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park to life.

And once again, we're lured off the highway and into this dense forest.

(birds chirping) When I told the guys, when we pulled over and said, hey let's just jump out and let's just grab.

- And a squash, we're looking for the squatch.

- We are looking for the Squatch.

I just want to read that, on a pullover like this we just want to jump out of the car we found a little trail we can use.

And this is a time for us to get out with cameras and try to just capture some of the detail of the place.

You know, like Dave right now , is working on a little a little slider shot with some ferns.

And that'll be real nice.

And Zach's got his Ronin right here, that the gimble.

So he's going to get some cool moving POV shots, and then I've got the GH5 here and it's got a 12 - 100 millimeter lens on it.

So I can kind of grab all kinds of stuff.

So we're just going to each kind of fan out and just kind of grab what we feel what we see, with the cameras to help tell the story of this place.

From the window of a moving car the trees are usually the focal point, but once you get into a forest like this, the detail of what makes up the entire setting begins to stand out.

Trail like this you're always, everybody's always looking up and there's a good reason cause these redwoods, these coastal redwoods are massive and old and they draw your attention.

But when you stop and look around you have this Clover growing on this fallen, coastal Redwood and these little images I like to grab because they add to the whole visual experience of what you're seeing here.

If you kind of just stop and rest and let your eyes sort of wander around.

Trees are great but it's this the harmony of everything here in the forest that makes it what it is.

(gentle music continues) A good road trip for me has always been about escape.

A way to leave the world we're tied to behind, and to look into the worlds of others and how they live.

It's a lesson in contrasts, in comparisons and in discovery.

And in a place like Northern California, where the coastal redwoods grow, a reconnection to ourselves.

(upbeat music) (gentle music) - [Narrator] Outside Beyond The Lens, brought to you by, Visit Fresno County, nature, diversity, found in the heart of California's Central Valley.

Stay in Fresno or Clovis and drive to three nearby national parks.

By Hedrick's Chevrolet, supporting the spirit of travel in each of us, every journey has a first step.

Start your next adventure here.

By Fresno Yosemite International Airport, rediscover your love for travel with more options, more flights, more connecting you to the people and the places you love.

And by Visit Yosemite Madera County, California's gateway to Yosemite National Park.

Explore the outdoor magic of Madera County and be inspired to discover more.

And by viewers like you.

(upbeat music)