There is magic in this world!

I took a quick trip out of town today to see the Muir Woods, a magnificent California redwood forest. I paid people to take me to see TREES??? Why yes, I did. These aren't just any old trees; they are massive (towering over 250 ft tall), and old (some over 800 years old). A thin 500 mile strip up the California and Oregon coastline is the only place left the in U.S. to see these redwoods (these differ from the giant sequoias, which are located further inland in California), so this was definitely worth visiting.

A quick (but treacherously windy!) 30 minute ride brought us to the Muir Woods valley. Upon entering the woods (which were clearly marked with trail paths), I felt as if I had stepped into a world where my fantasy books are set. The air was cool and damp, sunlight softly filtered through the leaves... and the giant trees. They were like old guardians of the forest... solid, handsome, and wise.

Now entering the magical forest

California redwoods. They stand tall and proud.

A picture with random people, to give context to
how big these trees are.

I feel like a tiny sprite standing underneath this tree!

It was delightful to walk through this forest. Indeed, if there were magic in this world, I could easily imagine it welling up from here.

How pretty is that beam of sunlight?! No CGI involved!

After a while, it was all too easy to imagine that the gnarled, bumpy trunks of the trees held hidden faces (for those familiar with LoTR... Ents!), or that they opened up to reveal hiding places for changeling babies.

Can you see the facial features of this tree?

There's enough space for me to crawl in for a nap!

A small creek ran in the middle of this forest, and in addition to providing yet more pretty picture opportunities, the light babbling sounds was the perfect background song to this journey.

Redwood Creek. It looks tiny now, but winter rains
turn it into a substantial river where salmon and trout
return to lay eggs.

I admit, my imagination got quite the workout today! But it was so much fun to walk around and pretend that I was a character within the books I read. After days of seeing San Francisco as a city, I'm glad I got the chance to experience the area's 'wilder' side.