BIG TREES. big. real big.
Yes, today, April 26, is Arbor day!!
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| here is the head honcho looking for the right dirt & tree...but i cant tell you that. |
This is a huge holiday in our realm of things, and we celebrate in a very very secret forest-ry way
it involves handshakes, food and dancing,
outside in the dirt on top of pine cones under the biggest tree you can find,
but i cant tell you because its a biiig secret thing...
(i think its called a ...wait for it... a picnic...shhh!)
(i think its called a ...wait for it... a picnic...shhh!)
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| sigh. |
But I love Arbor day. My fav!!!
And you know what else?
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| SEQUOIAS!!! |
this post is gonna be about those BIG TREES I told you I wanted to see!!!
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| this little guy found the sun in the dense canopy! |
because IM lika lil' flower in the woods - everyday is Arbor day!!
Anyhow,
in my last post I was talking about how we didnt want to die in Yosemite park on our 4 day holiday to our Nieces wedding near LA.
When we decided to drive from Montana to California,
I told Mr. Foresterman I reallly really want to see big trees,
and he gave in-errr - he decided that was a good idea...
Now, dont get us wrong - we did like certain parts of Yosemite
(the ones we saw in pictures afterwards, later, in a safe zone)
but then some of you were confused on why we would be terrified to drive there-
When we decided to drive from Montana to California,
I told Mr. Foresterman I reallly really want to see big trees,
and he gave in-errr - he decided that was a good idea...
Now, dont get us wrong - we did like certain parts of Yosemite
(the ones we saw in pictures afterwards, later, in a safe zone)
but then some of you were confused on why we would be terrified to drive there-
when we drive on steep roads like this one above for work,
without guardrails, blacktop, gravel or two lanes?
But these are the kind of roads we can handle without terror...
why?
because there is no traffic.
NO TERRIFIED WIDE-EYED STRANGER TRYING TO DRIVE THEIR VEHICLE...
ONTO YOUR LAP.
WHILE YOURE IN YOUR VEHICLE.
FREQUENTLY.
yikes!
we still be traumatized!
Moving ON!
yikes!
we still be traumatized!
Moving ON!
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| a relieved yosemite driver. "im out of the vehicle, AMEN" |
When we finally got to the BIGTREES!! grove that the pamphlets said
was less FREQUENTED
by terrified tourists,
we were pretty excited!
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| look! we can WALK there, no driving!! |
Tuolumne Grove!
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| oooooo. tall pine trees! |
And guess what?
NOBODY WAS THERE!
why?
Because the sun was setting!
No one in the their right mind does Yosemite's Tioga Road in 3 hours or less,
near the end of the day!
near the end of the day!
And so it was pretty much all ours!
but
We wouldnt recommend you do this!!!!
okay?
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| and BIGGER ones!! |
As we walked further along the trail (okay, trotted)
it was obvious the trees were getting taller and taller as we went downhill
(not figuratively speaking, literally)
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| hugging, or measuring? a Forester in his element... |
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| really big! |
but then
we saw our first-
Sequoia tree.
And we approached it silently, staring up.
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| many types of big trees! |
We were quiet for a few minutes, taking in this wonderful sight,
one that we only have read about in books...
and then,
someone spoke-
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| A Douglas' Squirrel! A Chickaree! |
This Douglas' squirrel was chewing me out because I walked too close to his pine cone...
He's actually the guardian of the cones...
and
Im pretty sure he influenced someone to put up these~
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| NO! Dont TOUCH! |
In order to make sure this old growth forest (just a couple of thousand years old...just)
keeps regenerating itself,
They want anyone who can read that sign
not to touch the cones...
thats the future of Sequoias right there in those poky things!
In the past, before Yosemite became a National "treasure",
There was lots of logging going on.
Considering that most of the trees there are 1000-3000 years old,
its kind of sad that they were cut down for fun :(
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| Like an ancient ent! |
Theres a reminder of this in this grove-
they took a large stump, cut a hole,
and charged tourists to drive their buggies,
- later cars -
right through it...
but you cant do that now.
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| throughout the trip there were A LOT of pictures like these... |
So once I got the hang of the timer on my camera...
we did become tourists and took some touristy pictures...
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| old old graffiti carvings! |
It was odd - the inside of this stump was almost just as interesting as the outside though!
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| incredibly beautiful |
but it was the large alive trees that really caught our attention...
The branches had beautiful fronding...
and the bark was amazing...
It even had areas of wildlife holes that didnt seem to affect the tree...
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So I will never forget my first big trees...
And then it was time to go.
~
HAPPY ARBOR DAY TO ALL!!!!!
TREE HUGS ALL AROUND!!
;)
Oh I am so excited you would have thought I was standing there with you and Mr Foresterman in the center of one of those ancient I gotta go see beautiful trees. Oh yes I am so excited we do not have Arbour Day in Canada (no idea why) but I am going to celebrate it any ways because you filled my early morning with trees and there is nothing more in this world that this farmgirl loves more than trees. Well except for Her Hero and her girls but WOW those trees are magnificent and your photos. Oh your photos I am speechless (yeah right) they are gorgeous showing the BIG TREES oh I love big trees and you my feral friend for sharing them with me.
ReplyDeleteI am going to have a big smile all day, what a way to start my day. I think I am heading to the bush and smell the pines and imagine I am there. Thank you. Wish you were here, better yet wish I was with you exploring and surrounded by those big Sequoious if you would not mind:)HUGS B
Now that is something I would really like to see...
ReplyDeletethis is like mecca for you, i'd bet. i'd be in awe, absolute awe, but for two foresters, it would be heaven on earth. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha funny you say that about the tree with the hole cut in it, I'm pretty sure many many moons ago when I was 6 years old we drove through that tree! Well not me of course, but my Mom and Aunt and Great Grandma and my sister was there too. We got a pic of the car under the tree. I will never forget that, although I'm kinda glad they are only letting people walk there now.
ReplyDeleteThe giant Sequoias are truly magnificent! I can remember as a child we actually DID drive through the giant tree. I visited again as an adult when I lived in So Cal and it is so beautiful there among the BIG TREES!! :)
ReplyDeleteYou didn't mention, but I'm sure you noticed, the wonderful aroma of sequoias. I love burying my nose in their bark and inhaling. Vanilla pine...sigh. (we drove Tioga road once and we won't do it again, either).
ReplyDeleteAnnette is right, the smell of those trees is wonderful. I have never forgotten their majesty! I am sooo happy you found a part of California to really enjoy.
ReplyDeleteEven the very, very best photographer can't capture the sense of awe and shazam that comes when walking through those giants who lived before the Great Wall of China and even the Anasazi. I went to bed after my experiences with an ache in my neck and almost had to push my eyes back into my head. My tongue was dry from staring open-mouthed. You were probably there during the very best time of day with all the long shadows and the still air--except for the admonitions and threats from the guardian squirrels. Thanks for helping me re-live and remember the WOW.
ReplyDeleteAhah! You found your battery charger. Thank you so much for taking us on this tour. The photographs of these spectacular trees are amazing. Love the pictures of you two under the carved out "trunk". Holy Moley! So big.
ReplyDeleteWOW! What grand photos and seriously that first photo is just stunning!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful tribute to big trees! Happy Arbor Day to you and Mr. Foresterman!
ReplyDeleteBlessings and Bear hugs!
Bears Noting
Coolest tree stroll I've een on in a long time!
ReplyDeleteoh and coolest tree stroll I have ever "been " on in a long time too "een" is a new word I use on occasion~ what does it mean you ask ( you would ) umm ah hmm ~ means ...swinging like Tarzan through the air .
DeleteThat was an amazing and beautiful journey through your photos. Great post and thank you so much! Absolutely stunning! And I love all trees...and yes, BIG TREES rock~
ReplyDeleteWow- I can't imagine what it would feel like to stand beneath one of those towering trees. Must be a just awesome!
ReplyDeleteWell I am back I had to come back to see the BIG TREES I love big trees and I love all the comments. Leenie is very funny and she is so right I am sure that is how it will be for me when I get there someday. Annette talks about the smell and now I really want to go ........I love the smell of trees.
ReplyDeleteDon't work to hard my friend. Hug B
I love Arbor Day too! I am definitely a tree hugger. Here in the desert trees are a valuable commodity. The shade is invaluable. We (the City) celebrate Arbor Day in a big way. In fact we are a Tree City USA! Proud of us yet?
ReplyDeleteWow, awsome trees. Great Pictures from your trip.
ReplyDeleteGreat photographed!!
Fantastic!!! The picture of Foresterman at the top is perfect. As was the whole post. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIf you come back to see the big trees again, I'd suggest going a little further south to Sequoia/Kings Canyon and visit Grant Grove. The General Grant Tree is truly awe-inspiring. I have been visiting that grove since I was a tiny little kid, and it's just as amazing now as it was then. Plus, you can see the fallen tree that once served as a bar, then as a stable. It's a hollow trunk, and you can walk through the length of it.
ReplyDelete