Nature really exaggerates...

Even on our way to Lennie – the friendly hoarder – we made our first animal observations (deer, unknown horned creatures). However, what was far more impressive than the animal world were the forests of Washington. (The state in the top left corner of the map, not the capital by the Atlantic.) We thought we had seen everything on Vancouver Island in terms of mosses and lichens, but here we were presented with new superlatives of completely green-coated trees with hanging lichens several centimeters long, and sometimes ferns towering as high as a man (but usually more like a woman or even a child's height). And when it came to giant trees, we thought we were free of new records outside of the Redwood Forest. But we were mistaken. Based on recommendations from encounters on our journey, we made our way to Lake Quinault, right next to a First Nations reservation that we would later briefly cross paths with. Here, the largest Sitka spruce in the world was on display (see photo). But there were also plenty of giant trees, so that the densely forested mountains had a richer, more vibrant green than we had ever encountered anywhere in Canada. This landscape sometimes felt like an enchanted forest, where one might expect either Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf or Shrek or a duck or a dinosaur around the next bend – depending on one's cultural background. From one of the mighty trees, which are unmatched in Europe, gurgling sounds emerged from a large tree hollow – a tree with a built-in waterfall! Nature really exaggerates in the west of the USA...

When we finally reached the ocean, a magnificent sandy beach stretched before us with large, several-meter-high rolling waves. Accordingly, just like in Canada, there were Tsunami warnings everywhere. Nature exaggerates...

In Oregon, the landscape changed slightly. Here too, there were forests upon forests, and the beautiful beaches of Washington continued, but it became warmer, and the forests became somewhat drier and more ordinarily sized, yet the beaches felt even wider. Walking a kilometer through dunes and forests to the beach and seeing no one for miles to the left or right was truly remarkable, as were the recurring cliffs and rock formations where sea lions, pelicans, and cormorants could be found. Unfortunately, we missed the right season for the alcids.

One evening on our way back from the beach, we were likely accompanied from 50 meters away by a shadowy figure that was undoubtedly a black bear.

In California, finally, we were greeted by the Redwood Forest. Rightly famous, here the giant trees impress like massive columns reaching into the sky. The splendor of the giant trees unfortunately does not fully come through in the photos, as they are simply unphotographable due to the sheer volume of forest around them, and one would almost need to photograph them in parts like a BRAVO star cut-out. Nature really exaggerates on the West Coast and outgrows every photo format...

The trees that can be driven through, which have been hollowed out by human hands, that can be found here, would have undoubtedly been impressive to see as well. However, since it is simultaneously infantile, obscene vandalism of nature to hollow out a thousand-year-old tree that is over a hundred meters tall just to drive through or to make money from it when others do so, we decided against funding such a business model. Those who want to see it must use their search engine of choice. The hollowed-out trees reflect what we believe is wrong with America. The Americans we encountered were actually all friendly, helpful, and welcoming. The nice motorcyclist who lent us his tire pressure gauge, gave us tips on the best tire repair, and advised us to read the fine print of our rental car policy provided us with suggestions for our further journey just like the gas station attendant in Oregon did. (In Oregon, this is mandatory to prevent unemployment.) Equally helpful and informative was the teacher from Oregon whom we had already met on the train in Canada, or of course Lennie, our consistently helpful and welcoming host. The Americans appeared to us – as we had expected – to be a friendly and helpful group of people. Yet even in the liberal west, there were Trump/Vance signs everywhere along the roadside,