It's time to catch up with myself and feature some pictures from my visit earlier this summer to the San Francisco area. This set of photos is from a day trip to the
Armstrong Redwood Forest in Sonoma county, where the main claim to fame, along with a fantastic old growth grove and good, accessible hiking trails, is the Parson Jones tree, which is a mind-blowing 1300 years old. This was my first experience of a redwood forest of this size; the height and grandeur of the trees is difficult to capture photographically, which didn't stop me from trying:
Below is a fallen tree that was cut to clear the path. I like the textures in the cross section:
The main trail wound up the mountain and lead to views of the cool, foggy valley where the redwoods flourish:
The micro climate at the top was warmer and drier and supported a different class of vegetation, including my first encounter with manzanitas. I was smitten by the purple color of the bark and the twisty architecture of the branches:
Descending again, I took a moment to rest and contemplate my place in the universe as a puny human:
And to consider life as a hobbit:
After leaving the forest, we made a brief stop at
Olompali State Park in Marin County. It has a fascinating history as an Native American settlement, ranch, battlefield, estate, and hippie commune. Over-driven guitar amplifiers at a late night revelry led to an electrical fire; the buildings await the funding necessary for restoration, and unfortunately it looks like it may be a long wait:
It's time to catch up with myself and feature some pictures from my visit earlier this summer to the San Francisco area. This set of photos is from a day trip to the Armstrong Redwood Forest in Sonoma county, where the main claim to fame, along with a fantastic old growth grove and good, accessible hiking trails, is the Parson Jones tree, which is a mind-blowing 1300 years old. This was my first experience of a redwood forest of this size; the height and grandeur of the trees is difficult to capture photographically, which didn't stop me from trying:
Below is a fallen tree that was cut to clear the path. I like the textures in the cross section:
The main trail wound up the mountain and lead to views of the cool, foggy valley where the redwoods flourish:
The micro climate at the top was warmer and drier and supported a different class of vegetation, including my first encounter with manzanitas. I was smitten by the purple color of the bark and the twisty architecture of the branches:
Descending again, I took a moment to rest and contemplate my place in the universe as a puny human:
And to consider life as a hobbit:
After leaving the forest, we made a brief stop at Olompali State Park in Marin County. It has a fascinating history as an Native American settlement, ranch, battlefield, estate, and hippie commune. Over-driven guitar amplifiers at a late night revelry led to an electrical fire; the buildings await the funding necessary for restoration, and unfortunately it looks like it may be a long wait:
3 comments:
Great post, great blog too!
Thanks Adrian, I appreciate it!
Love your tree pictures! Still time to sign up for my blogivesary give away.
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