Picture of the week

A walk among the giants

A walking path between giant sequoia redwoods at Calaveras Big Trees State Park.  I visited this location last week while also enjoying the charming town of Murphys and the Ironstone Vinyard.

Below you will also see some other giant sequoia (first row) along with some coastal redwoods (second row) during a previous weeks trip up the North Coast on my motorcycle.  Giant sequoia are only find inland on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, while coastal redwoods as the name implies are found within the coastal mountain ranges of Northern California, closer to the ocean where they can capture the moisture from the incoming marine air.  Giant sequoia are more likely to be threatened by climate change as the amount of moisture that they extract from condensation of the air is expected to trend downward.  The coastal redwoods are taller, while the giant sequoia tend to have more girth and overall mass.  Both can be impressive to see up close.