Avenue of the Giants

Several summers ago Kathleen and I visited the Bristle cone forest east of Big Pine. The oldest living things on earth are there, in the form of these ancient pines that twist and dip, sometimes rising to the sky, but often running along the ground. The area is not heavily forested so the grove of these trees is quite spread out. They are truly ancient wizened beings that have seen all of recorded human history (maybe a little more) and held their thoughts in their rings.

The Redwoods are astonishing in their presence. We can only imagine what their primeval grandeur was like since most of them have been logged, but those left along the Avenue of the Giants represented their kind well.

Straight, tall, thick, clustered in a forest. Dominating the road the sky and even the air. Riding through them was like being in a Cathedral as their branches met above our heads. When we were far enough from 101 and no cars were on the road the silence was deep and peaceful. I was glad there were 32 miles of them to ride through, and sorry that we did not have a week to dally and commune. These were trees you could truly hug and I did.

We worked our way through the Giants, just enjoying the quiet ride and the beauty, ending the day with a long steady climb to Garberville. There the Best Western had a wine and cheese reception so we settled in for the evening and regrouped for the Leggett ride the next day.