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May 2008: Exploring the Coastal Redwood Forests |
The Redwood forests are a place where light and color mix to create a rich and unique environment. Here a Pacific Rhododendron provides a splash of color... |
The bark of these giant trees often look twisted like a wet rag. Here, a solid dark ancient giant rises out of a carpet of soft tiny young green plants. |
The bark of these trees tells stories, each old and personal. |
The tip of a fern unfurls in the forest undergrowth. |
Evening mist rolls into the forest - a perfect atmosphere for these stately trees. |
Rising hundreds of feet into the air, the tops of these trees poke through the mist and into the sun. How many living things can exist in multiple climates at the same time? |
Two girls are dwarfed by the forest... and perhaps enchanted by it. |
Oxalis makes a neat green carpet on the forest floor, peppered with brilliant flowers. |
Light from above streams through the forest, making dramatic shadows through the trunks. |
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September 2007: Exploring the Redwood Forests of Northern California |
A mix of misty fog and filtered sunlight give a mystical quality to these giant trees along the Boy Scout Trail in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. |
A trail cuts through ancient Redwoods in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. |
The last of the day's fog withdraws through the forest in the early evening along the Damnation Creek Trail in Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park. |
A couple bull Elks practice sparring at the start of the autumn rut. |
Black stripes in some of the older trees tell a tale of fire and survival throughout the years. The larger redwoods are so massive they're somewhat resistant to fire - which in turn helps them live such long lives. Their wood is also resistant to rot. |
This frog tries hard to blend in with the folds of bark along the base of a Redwood in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. |
A stand of redwoods pierces the sky in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. |
The forest is layer upon layer of niches and inter-related ecosystems. Everything you see is some creature's home or meal. |
It's humbling to think that these trees have grown for centuries. Our lifetimes are just a blip on calendars. I often get the feeling that I'm looking into the face of history when among such things. When you look at things men created 2000 years ago, it's mostly crumbling. Yet, these trees grow stronger with each passing year. |
Where is it? Coastal Redwoods grow all along the northern California coast. Some of the larger intact forests are located not far from hwy 101 in state and national parks from about an hour south of Eureka to the border of Oregon. |
Before you go... Make a plan and be flexible. If you want to photograph the trees, it's hard to have much success in full sunlight. There are also a lot of really nice coastal areas near the northern California redwoods. |