The Amazing Redwoods

As I said in my last post, I had low expectations for things "to do" while in California. The focus of the trip was spending time with friends, not sight seeing. However, there were two things I really wanted to prioritize and do that week. One of which was to seek out these amazing Redwood trees I've heard and seen pictures of. In photos, they are so large in scale that they seem impossible to exist. I needed to see them with my own eyes.

On Tuesday, my boys and Ana Maria and her girls all packed into our hot minivan and took the extremely windy 16 mile road to Big Basin State Park. It was a beautiful drive! Well, it was definitely scenic from the front of the car looking forward at it. From the back of the car, well, it was more of a roller coaster that went on far too long. We stopped midway for the back seat passengers to get out, get some fresh air and try to de-green their cute little faces. Then we set out again. Right after we passed the 1 mile sign to the park, poor little Cate tossed her cookies. So when we got there, we took some time to do a little clean up and get folks feeling better. Good thing we still had some extra clothes for the boys still in our backpack. Cate rocked the camo pants and skull shirt!

Once the kids were back into sorts, we headed to the visitors center. Right outside was a humongous Redwood that we all took turns hanging out in....not that we needed to take turns because the whole group (and then some) could hang out comfortably, I just couldn't everyone corralled in there at once.

Hanging IN the Redwood

After everyone got in a potty break, we got a trail recommendation, checked out the displays in the visitors center then headed out for a wee little hike.

The kids did a really great job on the hike and I was amazed and completely in awe of these magnificent trees. While pictures are cool, there is definitely nothing like feeling like an ant next to the skyward Redwoods. I highly recommend this to anyone. Put it on your bucket list. Words and pictures cannot do this experience justice. So, I'll stop blabbering and let the captioned pictures speak for themselves.

Cate and Elise
This Redwood fell in 1983 (?). What is seen here is what's left of the root system.

We all walked up this lain tree for a group shot.

If you pan out, you get a much better idea of how far up we all are...
and we all fit side by side on a portion of the exterior of the tree.

Some of the "smaller" trees

Rippled Bark

I Spy a Cutie

Looking Up

This tree was called the chimney.
Redwoods are very fire resistant.
The middle of this tree had burned out but the exterior was still thriving.

The Chimney Tree
ALL the kids are actually hiding inside of it in this picture!

Another tree that burned. This one wasn't as lucky as the previous on and is no longer living.

It was an easy trail with lots of cool natural wonders to discover. If you find yourself in the Bay area, I would highly recommend this park. You get all the beauty of the Redwoods and get to miss some of the bigger crowds that other parks have. In case you're interested, here's a link that tells about the trail we did. I'd love to go back someday with older kiddos and attack some of the more challenging hikes.