02 Aug Redwood Road Trip

Northern California was blessed with amazing weather for the Fourth of July weekend, and I was given the chance to go back to my beloved Humboldt County to spend the holiday there by tagging along with LAVO’s awesome Wildlife Technician, Eric, who was on a mission to explore the Redwood forests. While I have been living in Humboldt for two years, I had never explored the area like I had done during that weekend (It’s hard getting around without a car, who knew?). From being able to see the fog skulk through the small fishing towns and hide the Pacific Ocean nearby, to hiking in silent old-growth Redwood forests ,we were able to enjoy the vastly diverse environments that exist in the region. Like its environmental eccentricities, there is also an array of eccentric people who reside in Humboldt County which only emphasizes its uniqueness of place in the country. Other than exploration, I also had other aspirations for my visit: my parakeet, Pig, was waiting for me at home and I was excited to be able to see her again. Pig, a light blue budgerigar, has been my companion ever since I arrived in Humboldt County. I rescued her from a home with many cats that would torture and harass her, leaving her in a constant state of fear. Once I gave her a safe space, Pig’s true personality was finally able to shine through, uncovering a moody, angry, and easily-irritable little bird — a personality that was no doubt conditioned by her previous living situation. Pig is a hard individual to please, and we constantly bicker at each other when I’m home. After 2 months of being away, Pig was just as unimpressed with me as she was the day I left and her bickering at me continued as usual. While the thought of her harboring negative sentiments exclusively towards me has been entertained by many, those who have the pleasure of meeting this delightful bird will know that they are mistaken – her resentment truly knows no bounds. Whether I leave for a few minutes, a few hours, or a few months, Pig has never failed to send me off the same way she greets me: with a scolding chirp for having invaded the room that she has always claimed as her own.