Muir Woods and The Coastal Highway

We considered Wednesday our last day of "freedom" prior to the start of the convention. We wanted one day of relaxation before getting down to work.

We chose to spend our final sightseeing day visiting Muir Woods, which is the last large stand of coastal redwoods left in California. redwoods are a close relative of the sequoia, however, they are taller than sequoias. They are not nearly as big in diameter. The redwoods in Muir Woods are at least as old as 1000 years - please note the picture of the cross-section. This tree fell in 1909 and based on the "story of the rings", the tree was "born" in the year 909. These trees can even withstand fire and continue to grow.

Many of the trees have strange-looking growths on them. These grotesque growths are called burls and are full of seeds - when these pods burst open, a small forest of baby redwoods begins to grow at the foot of the mother tree.

When we were finished at Muir Woods we decided to drive part of the northern coastal highway. Like the city of San Francisco, the fog rolls in and out all along the highway.The scenery is breathtaking. I can't imagine living here and being able to surround myself with this scenery day in and day out.