Finding Those Special Spots at Fern Canyon: Days 131 – 133

After the recent house sitting gig and the amount of money I saved during that time, I decided that a short trip was in order even while on the minimum wage challenge. I opted to head to Redwood National Park to visit one of those places that is so special that I put it on my list to visit again when I had the chance. It had been a few years since I had been to Fern Canyon and I wanted to get there before the summer crowds descended on the place. Fern Canyon actually located in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, and it’s one of the most enchanting places to take a hike:

While there were others there, it was also possible to get away from everyone else (something that isn’t possible during the summer months). Here’s a video of me hiking through a short section of the canyon:

Another one of the special features of the canyon is that at various points there are moss waterfalls. This is where water drips into the canyon down a mat of moss on the side of the canyon walls. It’s both beautiful and mesmerizing and I can spend hours just staring at the water coming down:

To say the least, I was happy being out there hiking and enjoying the outdoors:

In addition to Fern Canyon I did some hiking among the redwoods:

and of course I made a stop by Corkscrew Redwood

I spent two days and two nights on this trip, and on the way back down the coast on day three to visit my mom, a friend asked if I had the free time to visit and hike along the beach, which I happily accepted. We hiked along the beach:

And among the beautiful wildflowers in the sand dunes:

The question then becomes how much did this little adventure cost? Luckily, the transportation ended up being no charge since I went to national parks and can write off the gas as a business expense. there was also no cost for the entrance to both the state and national parks since I have yearly passes for both, again a business expense. The hotel rooms were a bit more than I usually pay when traveling, but it was a last-minute decision that didn’t give me a whole lot of time to plan. The bills (including tax) came to $103.56 for the two nights on the road. The good news is that both hotels provided breakfast which also counted as my lunch. Dinners for the three nights came to $13.58. I also sent postcards to my nieces which cost $1.50 for the postcards and $0.99 for the stamps for a grand total spending of $119.63.

While I did more than double the amount that I have spent on lodging, I’ve still spent far less in this area than I had anticipated that I would (and this is one of the reasons I am still within the budget). The trip was well worth it in my opinion and was a well needed energy booster. As always, feel free to ask any questions or comment and I will answer the best that I can.

3 Day’s Spending

Food: $13.58
Car: $0.00
Lodging: $103.56
Travel: $0.00
Health: $0.00
Misc: $2.29

Total: $119.63

Total Spending

Food: $300.57
Car: $227.00
Lodging: $146.31
Travel: $408.26
Health: $2032.65
Misc: $70.10

Total: $3185.09