Avenue of the Giants

[gf beranek]

Yesterday Terri and I walked through some of the groves along the Avenue of the Giants. No new wind falls to take pics of, but a couple of older ones. So far we haven't had any winds strong enough to blow the big trees over. Except for the recent cold weather this winters season has been pretty dry on the coast.

 

[Paul B]

Wow.

 

[SkwerI]

One day, Jerry. I promise.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Damn Jerry, you sure do have a lot better places to walk than I do!

 

[gf beranek]

The day before we were at Big Hendy Grove and I'll be posting some of the pics from that hike. A good 4-5 hours of hoofing on alluvial river flats, each day, and man at the end my feet were hurting.

 

[PCTREE]

Wow bout sums it up

 

[Burnham]

Yup...wow covers it.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I really need to go see the redwoods again someday and take the kids. Granted we have the sequoias here. But I remember the redwoods from when I was a boy. I love the whole nature of the forest there too. Awesome pics Jer as always.

 

[sotc]

used to go there as a kid in the summer time. stayed at MacKerricher park and at miranda gardens a few time to

 

[Dave Shepard]

Wow! Is there any other word? Thanks Jerry. We get to "walk" the groves vicariously through your pictures.

 

[NickfromWI]

My first redwood climb was on the avenue of the giants. It was a 280 footer south of the "Treehouse." But I don't remember EXACTLY where it was, but it was a great climb (we used rock climbing equipment because we had just swung by on the way to the airport from Mt. Shasta.)

It's awesome up there.

love
nick

 

[thattreeguy]

used to go there as a kid in the summer time. stayed at MacKerricher park and at miranda gardens a few time to

Miranda gardens got smashed by a tree last year. They lost like like 4 trees at once, one went right thru the lobby.

I was busy for weeks after the storm

hey GB i was in myers flat sat and sun, you didnt almost get run over on the shoulder by a large trailer did ya?
someone was mad at me on the shoulder, cause i just slipped past them and a motor home...tight spot big trees

 

[sotc]

twas a cool little place

 

[gf beranek]

Location and time was about right, but I don't remember any close calls or tight spots.

Though people who want to drive fast on the Avenue really should just get on the Highway. It's much faster.

Just west of Meyer's Flat, right at the 14.29 culvert marker, was a tree that caught my eye. And it's no wonder because it was felled with just a little itsy-bitsy-back-cut. Seriously, just a back cut. A little over a foot deep and five foot across, and the entire tree popped clean off of it. Left a little slab. Evidently that little slab of wood was all that was holding the tree, and it was going to pull the last remaining roots out from under the road. Would have let a big hole. So they fell it.

What makes me wonder is who fell it and how, if at all, did they know just cutting the back like that would get it down. From the looks of the cut the bar was a shorty. Ah, it was Stig.

 

[Al Smith]

I'll bet the roots would leave a giant hole ,about the size of a house . I've seen oaks leave a hole big enough to hide a Cadillac in ,I can't imagine what one of those things would do .

 

[thattreeguy]

hey GB isnt that stump just north of myers flat headin into weott?

 

[gf beranek]

Yep, 14.29 mile mark

 

[Burnham]

That's crazy, Jerry...I can't imagine what would pursuade someone to fell that thing like that.

 

[cutitup]

WoW! Very nice!

 

[Blinky]

I definitely live on the wrong side of the country.

Could it be a machine cut? I can't imagine anything big enough to cut and jack it but you guys have some big machines out there.

 

[stig]

Love your pics, Gerry. I can't wait to get out there again.
My first time up the avenue of the giants, I was hitchhiking, riding in the back of a pickup. Lying back and looking up the trees was fantastic, they look so big next to the road.

 

[gf beranek]

I'll go back and get a close up detail pic of the cut to show you guys. It wasn't a machine cut, not a jack seat, nor a wedge involved. Just a cut.

I've seen a lot of trees poised to fall that were just hanging by their roots. And over the years I've toyed with the idea of cutting the roots to trip the tree into falling, but nature beat me to it in nearly every case. And anyway in the parks they would really frown if they caught me doing it, even if it was just to prove a point.

 

[sotc]

haha stigs been there, you may be right seeing some trees pull roots there was a good chance of that happening even cutting it like they did

 

[Tzed250]

Thanks for the pictures!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Stig, if you ever come near Yosemite let me know, you'll have a place to stay over here too