Today we went to Henry Cowell State Park, about an hour from B & L’s house. It’s a large park, with many miles of trails and camping grounds but we went to see these:
That’s a redwood tree, and the park has a grove with many of them. They are incredibly tall.
In the past, many of the redwoods growing here were cut down for their wood (many for firewood, of all things). Amongst these was a 2200-year-old specimen, alive even before humans invented paper:
In the late 1800s a portion of land was purchased and used as a resort for the wealthy. This saved the trees on that land from the lumber industry, and they still stand today.
Can you see Bernard in the above shot?
The oldest tree in the park is 1500 years old and 280 feet in height. Standing at the base and looking up is dizzying, and it’s certainly humbling to think that this collossal tree is far older than – and will far outlive – everyone that comes to see it. Here’s an attempt to show how impressive it is via a panoramic shot:
The park is home to deer and raccoon and mountain lions and various other magical beasts, but the one we truly wanted to see but didn’t was the banana slug! These giant yellow slugs crawl through the leaf litter on foggy mornings and are really quite pretty!
Seeing the redwoods was a goal of this trip and I’m glad we made it happen. If ever you’re in this area, you shouldn’t pass up a visit yourself.