Old-growth Redwood Forests

I have been anticipating our trip to this area for months, having great memories of the coast redwoods from my college days and much of the time we lived in California.  These forests are like none other I have experienced.  The quiet is palpable and it feels more like a cathedral than a forest.  In a way it is a dead forest, as you see few birds or squirrels and the ground is soft with hundreds of years of falling needles. We drove through Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, part of the complex of federal and state parks that manage 90% of the remaining old-growth redwood forests up here.  The road was narrow, twisting and magnificently beautiful. We'll be visiting other redwood forests in the days to come.

This stump was by the side of the road and, despite the graffiti, is awe-inspiring by its sheer size. The rest of the tree must have been logged back before this was a park because it was not to be seen.

Lynnae between two trees that fell away from each other, leaving huge roots (now fern gardens)

From tiny cones, the tallest trees in the world are born!