PANNING FOR GOLD
Trees!!!
"I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree..." Thank you Joyce Kilmer.
I love trees. I like flowers OK, white or faded pink peonies come to mind... or white or pink French tulips... but I love trees... the firs, oaks, maples, even dogwoods and birches I grew up with in Bayside, Queens, Long Island, New York... and all the trees I've met on the roads I've traveled. I love hiking, or just meandering in woods and forests, but nothing prepared me for the 10.15 square miles of Calaveras Big Trees State Park in Mark Twain country.
At the suggestion of my brother Bob, we all decided to take a break from wine tasting, get a picnic lunch and go to Big Trees, a forest he had explored before. We set out early, making a pit stop for sandwiches at the deli in the Ironstone Vineyards tasting room and set out for our adventure in the woods.
I've seen tall trees before -- stately redwoods along side the road to Mendocino for example, but nothing prepared me for Sequoias. Tall, yes! But the circumferences of these trees were staggering!
Hollow out the lower part of the trunk and there would be enough room for a family of four to live comfortably. Well, maybe not comfortably, but you get my point.
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| This 'stump' was once used as a dance floor |
Hollow out the lower part of the trunk and there would be enough room for a family of four to live comfortably. Well, maybe not comfortably, but you get my point.
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| Tunnel in fallen tree trunk |
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| Grab a cot and move in |
We hiked the trails as I continued to be awed at the Sequoia's size and beauty.
And like most forests, the aroma was sooooo sweet. It was the best of times.
And like most forests, the aroma was sooooo sweet. It was the best of times.
Did I mention I love trees? Here's a pictorial ode to them.
Calaveras Big Trees State Park
1170 California 4
Arnold, California 95223
Calaveras Big Trees State Park
1170 California 4
Arnold, California 95223
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