Muir Woods

Muir Woods is yet another "must see" in the bay area.  I've been intending to get there for some time now.  I finally packed up the kids on a sunny Monday morning and headed out.

I should have checked the weather online, not just out the window.  The closer I got to Muir, the cloudier the sky became.  And then the fog hit.  And the rain.

But packing up three kids and all their stuff and then crossing a toll bridge gives one the feeling of commitment to the project.  So we kept driving.  By the time we arrived, I wasn't sure how long we would last.  It was very, very cold and the wind and rain were more than the little sweaters I had brought could handle.  But I was determined to try.  I searched the van, finding two extra hats, and I figured they would do the trick.

By the time we entered the park (which was a very healthy walk from the car), the rain had let up and the sun was peeking through where the trees would allow.

Oh, the trees!  The little hike is up one side of a creek and back the other side through a forest of very old redwoods.  At one point they had a display of a cross section of a tree that had fallen about 20 years ago.  The rings had been counted and marked with significant dates in history: the Berlin wall, Columbus, the birth on Christ.  The tree was almost 3000 years old!  What a life.

 This tree was huge and picture-worthy, but the snapshot just doesn't capture the size and depth somehow.

 A group shot at a bridge.

 This little amusement had a line of kids.  Simple pleasures.

Getting back into a forest was a nice break for this northwest girl.  Though the trees were different, it felt like home.   I am almost done with my checklist of San Francisco sights and Nick is almost finished with his training.  We are about to close on our new house.  All of this means I am getting trunky.  I have had a fabulous time here, but I am ready to come home.  Home to my forests.