More Tall Trees

Today was Avenue of the Giants day. The 31-mile drive, which runs parallel to Hwy 101, passes through an ancient redwood forest starting just south of Fortuna. The entrance road gives a hint of what's in store - huge trees towering over and shading the roadway.

We stopped at Founders Grove, one of the more famous areas, for a short walk. The shady ground around the redwoods is thickly covered in huge ferns; Dick said they reminded him of dinosaur scenes from the Jurassic Park movies. Dick kept trying to figure out how to get some of these burls in the car. The only problem? Most of them were bigger than our car.

We found more hollow trees, many bearing evidence of lightning strikes. The roots of fallen trees are enormous; you hardly notice Dick in this photo. This giant fell during a storm about 10 years ago. Can you imagine hearing that hit the ground? It must have felt like an earthquake or a train wreck.

And how could we pass up a chance to drive through a redwood tree? This is on privately-owned property, with a $5 entrance fee. Worth every penny to see how much fun Dick had driving through. Tonight we're in Rohnert Park, just south of Santa Rosa. Tomorrow we'll hit Point Reyes lighthouse and seashore, then cut across to Interstate 5 for the drive home. Another long day, but worth it to see my kids and kitties and sleep in my own bed tomorrow.