Big Trees

The day we arrived in Murphy's (9/10), Corwin, Kate and Taj arrived from down Grover City to pay their respects to Mom and Dad. there was no room in the house for us all, so Georgia and I, Corwin, Kate and Taj went up to Arnold, as there were no available rooms left in Murphys. We stayed the night in a nice, rustic motel. Up is an important word, since Arnold is much higher in elevation than Murphys, even though it is only 10 miles farther up State Highway 4.

The next morning, we decided to visit Big Tree State Park, 4 more miles up the road. It's the site of the original discovery of Giant Sequoias by white men. While there is quite a bit more there, there is a 1.7 mile walking loop in the park that is suitable for two seniors, and a mother with a toddler.

Corwin, Kate and Taj dance on the tree that was cut flat to make a dance floor out of, many years ago.

 They aren't the tallest trees in the world; that honor goes to their nearby relative, the Coast Redwood, but they are by far the most massive.

Corwin and Taj explore the root system of an old fallen tree.

 The base of a big one.

 And the top of the same tree. It's hard to grasp how large they actually are from a photo.

 Taj explores a hollowed out trunk of a small one.

Walking among giants.













A clear view of a really big one from a distance. For reference, the other trees around it are really huge pines, firs and cedars.