Most days of the year, if you asked me what my favorite tree is, I’d unhesitatingly answer, “cottonwood.” Or, perhaps, “cottonwood, aspen, and ponderosa, in that order.”
As it turns out, those are my favorite trees where I live. In reality, though, I love the coast redwoods of extreme northwestern California far more than any of the New Mexican natives.
I can’t explain why I love them so much. I was late to meeting them; I originally ran into them, totally by accident,1 seven years ago this month.2 When I first caught a glimpse of one of their beautifully grooved trunks last month on Highway 101, I felt I was once again seeing an old, very dear friend.
They are massive trees. It’s rather difficult to show exactly how large they are. The footbridge above might give you a bit of an idea, or maybe the cyclists below will help.
And then there’s me, at about 5 1/2 feet tall. I’m not a fan of selfies in general but, as I was struggling to show the roots of a whole ‘nother tree that had grown up from the massive roots of a fallen redwood, a passerby graciously offered to take the shot with my phone. The redwood roots were so large that they succeeded in making me look tiny, no small feat.
It’s not just the redwoods themselves I love; I also love their old growth forest surroundings. There are so many different plants that grow in their shade and they are all incredibly beautiful. I took more than 10,000 photos while I was on the west coast, over a quarter of them in the redwoods, so you’ll likely be seeing many more, very soon.3
At least, it seemed at the time to be an accident. Now I’m not at all sure it was.
Actually, a friend took me to Muir Woods, in the Bay Area, at the beginning of 2012. For whatever reason, those particular redwoods didn’t move me in nearly the same way as my beloved friends way north in California, and I often forget they are even the same species … or that I ever saw them before 2016.
I’ve made a few previous posts about the redwoods and realize I say basically the same thing in each one … so hopefully your memory is no better than mine.
In 2021, I mentioned I’d taken 10,000 photos that year as well. Last year, I showed another fallen redwood, as well as a few people in an attempt to show scale. I also shared some redwood-forest wildflowers last year.
So majestic!!! Delighted for you that you got to commune with the redwoods!!! Thx for sharing your pics!!
💚💚💚