Same Old Lang Syne - San Francisco, Day 3

On Monday, we drove across the bay on the Golden Gate Bridge and through Sausalito to get to Muir Woods. These are the awesome pictures of the bridge that I took as we were driving across:

Sausalito:

And now, for your viewing pleasure, a video of Father of Ken driving to Muir Woods on a winding, hilly road:

As usual, once we reached Muir Woods, we found that parking was a problem. We ended up having to park on the side of the road at least half of a mile from the entrance to the park. A word to the wise: avail yourselves of the restroom facilities before entering the woods. Muir Woods is a protected redwood forest and is largely unspoiled by humans. Because the trees are so tall, very little sunlight shines through to the forest floor and the climate in the woods is significantly cooler and more humid than the rest of the area around Sausalito. Here are lots of pictures of various parts of the woods:

A creek running through the lower part of the woods:

The people in this picture give you a sense of how tall the trees are:

Cathedral Grove, looking up into the trees:

Clovers growing on the slopes:

The bottom of one of the trees that was hollow and large enough for a child to walk inside:

Ferns were growing all over the woods:

Mushrooms growing on a tree stump:

Paths on the ground level are boardwalks or paved with asphalt. Mother of Ken was happy to hike on these paths. Mother of Ken specifically requested that we not hike “up there,” pointing to a path 30 feet above us (remember Salamanca?). The paved entrance path leads you to the center of Muir Woods where you can experience the beauty and tranquility of these ancient trees. Then Brother of Ken said “this way!” The next thing Mother of Ken knew, she was right on the trail she had specifically stated she did not want to hike. The pavement was gone. The trail was riddled with protruding tree roots. Humidity had turned the walking surface into mud and oncoming traffic failed to yield properly, forcing Mother of Ken to the cliff side of the trail.

A photo of the path:

Brother of Ken walking through a narrow space between two trees on the upper part of the trail:

An eternity later, Family of Ken made their descent back to the safety of the forest floor, where Mother of Ken finally looked up from her feet. Muir Woods really is awesome, even for a non nature-lover like Ken. The trees are beautiful and we didn't see a single animal, bird, or bug the whole time.

After leaving Muir Woods, we drove across the Bay Bridge, which wasn’t as cool as the Golden Gate Bridge.