Mega flora

Giant timber bamboo forests are amazing - and we saw a few on our last trip to Santa Cruz - but nothing surpasses the grandeur of an old-growth redwood forest where the trunks of Sequoia sempervirens reach 2-300 feet into the sky. I'm not sure how old-growth these stands in the Henry Cowell State Park are, probably no more than a century or two, but the sense of scale and the scents of clean oxygen are enough to intoxicate even the staunchest of carbon lovers.

We spent a beautiful afternoon frolicking in the river here at Big Basin and a tranquil night snoozing under the redwoods and what few stars could be seen through the redwood canopy. A much needed break from the fast paced rat race lifestyle of San Luis Obispo.