Woodward Valley Trail was a billow of green, delicate grass filling the gaps and inviting a hundred-year slumber. Life's secrets surely reside in this magical place.

These little lakes are scattered like jewels along jaw-dropping coastline with nature's inimitable aesthetic of casual perfection.

The smell of decay hinted of strange life forms at home in these dense, dark waters.

The voice of the forest filled me. It spoke of beauty and belonging. It held me.

Enchanted, we stopped several times, agog at the sheer beauty of the forest. Fairies must live here!

Hopping forward every few seconds, he jabbered with renewed emphasis.

Toward the top, glimpses of the Pacific ocean showed cool blue through lush green

To the left is undulating coastline: a strand of dry sand, wet sand, white surf and sparkling sea framed by black boulders jutting in golden ratio from the blue waters.

Mushrooms glistened like candied flesh.

It was like entering a foreign land filled with exotic inhabitants. This dazzling Blue Gentian caught my eye.

The ribs of an old ship wreck poked from the gloom, conjuring images of Sir Francis Drake and his band of explorers huddled around fires on the beach.

I nearly stepped on a handsome little garter snake sunning himself on the path.

Cows eyed us incredulously, stood ankle-deep in the irrigation pond and nestled down in circular beds of purple Douglas Iris.

The soft pink and yellow blossoms of ice plant spread out around our feet. We rested on a giant drift log, marveling at what we discovered.

We admired the blue lupine and talked in hushed voices as we watched a gopher popping his head in-and-out of a hole a few feet away.

Everywhere great snarls of bullwhip kelp were washed ashore like art objects from the Creator.