The day following our ridiculously silly five-hour Homeland Security Quarantine and Alcatraz at Night Adventure, we awoke very early for an organized tour to Muir Woods and the artsy community of Sausalito.
The featured trees of Muir Woods are prime examples of the prehistoric coast redwood, or sequoia sempervirens — a direct ancestor of the tree that dominated North American forests some 150 million years ago. Many examples here are between 200 and 300 feet tall. The tallest reaches 379. Age wise, these trees can live up to 1,800 years.
Along the way we stopped for some spectacular views of the Bay area and, of course, the Golden Gate Bridge.
Photographically speaking, Muir Woods can be a bit of a challenge. The thick growth overhead blocks most of the sun. As a result, you’ll be hard pressed to produce handheld shots even at ISO 800 to 1600. Make sure you take at least a monopod (preferably a tripod) or be prepared to use something else to steady your camera for slow shutter speeds.
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- The remains of a 1,021-year-old coast redwood
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- A bridge like no other
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- Marin County, just over the Golden Gate
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- Fallen tree
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- Don’t forget your trunks
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- The giant coast redwood
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- Deep in the forest
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- That’s a LOT of patio furniture
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- Entry into the Muir Woods National Monument
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- Up the creek
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- Not a coast redwood, but surprisingly colorful
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- Beauty everywhere
Decisions — Murder in Paradise
The Globe — Murder in Luxury
R. Doug Wicker — Author 
Fantastic! I have always wanted to see the redwoods. Thanks for your travel pics. They provide a few minutes of vacation as I sit chained to my computer… 🙂
Now that slice of redwood definitely was in Vertigo.
Wonderful photos, R. Doug. Like Karen, I’ve always wanted to see the redwoods in person some day. The German name of the species is “mammoth trees” which is strangely appropriate.