Flowers Everywhere

We moved to Cher-Ae Heights Casino in Trinidad.  It's not quite free, but close enough, with a $20 flat rate for 1-3 days.  We were only going to stay two nights, but decided to take advantage of their offer and stay three.  We found plenty to do.

The first day we checked out the sights in McKinleyville, just a few miles to the south.  Although the peak flowering season was past, we went to the Azalea State Reserve where the western azalea (Rhododendron occidentale) is king.

Now I know they're in the same family, but I just couldn't understand why these are azaleas and not rhododendrons.  However, now that I look at the pictures, this does look more like an azalea bloom.  They sure are beautiful with their hint of pink and one yellow petal.

Next up was the town's big attraction, literally.  Carved out of one redwood tree, the totem pole is 160 feet high and weighs 57,000 pounds.  It's billed as the world's largest redwood totem.

(Sorry about the poor picture.  I tried, but just couldn't turn it towards the sun.)

Our last stop was a pleasant surprise.  Singing Tree Gardens is a nursery, but with fabulous display gardens.

We thought the blooms on this dogwood tree were unusual.  Somebody must have crossed a pink dogwood with a white one.

They had quite a selection of rhododendrons.  They had red ones.

Yellow ones,

And one with giant blooms that were unusually fragrant named Rhododendron odoriferum.

It's always a good day if it includes flowers.