Avenue of the Giants

[monik7]

Tuesday I spent a good part of the day driving the 32-mile drive of Avenue of the Giants along California’s Redwood Coast in the northwest part of the state. It’s located in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Coast Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirins) are taller than any other living thing. They can live over 2,000 years and withstand fires, floods and insects. The greatest accumulation of plant mass ever recorded was a redwood stand in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. This temperate rainforest has seven times the biomass (living and dead organic material) of that found in a tropical rainforest. Fossil records show redwoods grew naturally in many places in the Northern Hemisphere. Due to climate changes and other factors, Coast Redwoods now only grow naturally in a narrow 40-mile wide and 450-mile long coastal strip from southern Oregon to southern Monterey county in California.

Starting my drive

Redwoods are so immense they live in three climatic zones. The base of each tree is in one set of climatic conditions, the trunk or stem in another, and the crown in another. The base of this tree is completely hollowed out by repeated fires in the past.

But look! It still lives and reaches for the sky.

To give you an idea of their size, they make me look very small. And no, I’m not pregnant. I had a set of keys in each pocket of my jacket.

I took a walk through a beautiful grove. The complete quiet was amazing. That's something we rarely experience these days. The ground was covered in most places by ferns.

And in other areas by this type of clover, with tiny pink flowers scattered throughout, that looked like a green carpet.



If some of this looks familiar, scenes from Star Wars Return of the Jedi were filmed in one of the Redwood State Parks.
Such amazing trees!

Sandi

[Bethers]

Oh, Sandi, that drive was where I had my epiphany my first summer as a full-time rver. And it's one I will do do again someday. It's awesome. It's humbling. And so much more.

[SoCalGalcas]

Thanks for the beautiful pictures
SAndi. I too love that drive. Lyn

[BirdbyBird]

I love those trees. I also think of Sequoia National Park as a giant sanctuary...... Thanks for posting.

[havingfunnow]

Gorgeous!!

[BarbaraRose]

So gorgeous! Hopefully I will get up there to see that someday.

[avalen]

Beautiful !!

[snowball]

Really pretty Sandi...glad you are out and about and that the solar is working
you might ask him if he can hazard a guess as why it melted that would have me
concerned...enjoy your trip
sheila

[monik7]

Really pretty Sandi...glad you are out and about and that the solar is working
you might ask him if he can hazard a guess as why it melted that would have me
concerned...enjoy your trip
sheila

I responded in my other post “RVers Are the Best” Sheila.
Sandi