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Entries in Forest (19)
First Post-Lockdown Jaunt: Two Days in Rural Khao Yai!
Wednesday, June 3, 2020 at 2:18PM 
Khao Yai (literally, "large mountain" in the Thai language) is a region of Thailand about a three hour drive northeast of Bangkok. It is thought of as an area with a national park, mountains, and nature, although the mountains are really just tall hills. There is a lot to see in this part of rural Thailand . . . and one very special temple: Wat PA Phrom Prathan (last half of this entry).
While my wife played golf with her golfing gang, I escaped to the small back roads. There are always Buddhist temples (wats) every 4-5 kilometers along almost every road in Thailand.
I stopped in at many of these roadside wats and walked around and took a few photos. I have lived in Thailand for a very long time and have been in literally many hundreds of these Thai wats.
Rural Thai wats can be very similar, but there are always surprises and idiosyncrasies. This wat was in the process of building a new temple building.
Pre cast decor waiting too be added to the exterior of the new wat structure.
This Buddha image was very unusual for Thailand! It seems more Japanese . . .
You have to remember that what is found inside a Buddhist temple was put there by the donors, not necessarily by monks who live there. This is a grotto dedicated to a Hindu guru. It is not uncommon to see Hindu gods and iconography in Thai wats.
Having been a sponsor of the construction of a wat myself, I am always excited to see a new wat being built . . . I especially enjoy the interiors . . . . a wonderfully naive Buddha statue awaiting a gold leaf covering, I assume.
The wat did not have a proper temple building. This is the altar the new building will replace . . . just a covered portico.
This wat had a line of gilded revered monk statues. Very powerful: These Guys Made It All The Way And You Can Too!
There are non-Buddhist, but old spiritual practices to be found in Thai Buddhist temples. These are for use in a numerological system for fortune telling. Beautifully weathered.
"Welcome to make merit for your Zodiacal Birthday" . . . . and a little something for the days of the week too!
The hillside wat had a beautiful staircase up to the new wat location.
The same staircase looking down.
The monks live in a variety of accommodation: sometimes they have their own 'hut' or cabin, like this one. Sometimes these can be very nice, and sometimes very austere dormitories.
This monk keeps an interesting and cluttered front yard!
I found this wonderful altar in a sala out in a wooded area of the wat.
There always some amazing things to see on the grounds of Thai Buddhist wats!
At another wat along a country lane . . . a bell and drum tower and very large outdoor Buddha.
Such a serious-looking Buddha . . .
I loved this statue of the Buddha as a wondering monk . . . which he was.
Sometimes my small rural lanes would come to a dead-end . . . as it did here in a farmers field.
Many small work sheds dot the agricultural landscape in this part of Thailand.
It was a beautiful day to be out rambling in the Thai countryside.
I stumbled upon this big greenhouse operation raising roses. Big agribusiness out in the deep forest.
A bamboo pump house.
More rural agribusiness . . . lettuce.
Being only 3 hours to a city of 13 million people, this kind of big agribusiness was to be expected.
This old teakwood shack was occupied . . . rural splendor?
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WAT PA PHROM PRATHAN
This small sign caught my eye . . . It must be a wat . . .
While driving into the wat grounds I did not notice anything unusual at first.
For such a deeply rural wat in a forested area, the salas and monuments seemed especially wonderful.
Such a wonderful Buddha sala . . .
I found a place to park and as I stepped out of the car this is what I saw! Remarkable!
There was a powerful spiritual presence in this place.
I sat here for quite awhile . . . and lost myself . . .
After sitting . . . I went for a walk to appreciate the spiritual environment I had fortunately found.
When I spotted this inviting road, I had to find out what was up there . . .
What I found at first were several very sweet monks' houses set in the trees.
A simple, but attractive, monks quarters.
This remarkable Buddha was outside one of the modest monk's quarters.
My long walk up the hill was rewarded with this view of a new wat building nearing completion. A brand new Thai Buddhist Temple, Wat PA Phrom Prathan.
The new wat sat high on a hill over the valley. I walked around the site several times marveling at its fresh, pristine beauty.
I noticed that the inner spaces of the wat were not swept or tiled . . . I knew this meant that they had not officially moved in . . . they were still working on it. The door was ajar, so I peaked in . . .
And this is what I saw when I opened the door . . . an artist on scaffolding painting an amazing mural on the far wall. WOW!
The artist at work.
The artist came down off the scaffolding to offer me some water. I declined as I had my own. We chatted for a while. He said he had been working on that wall for three years already and that there were two or three more years left to finish the rest of the interior.
This altar faced the wall he was currently painting. He said that this wall only took six months to paint.
The artist's work and workmanship were masterful.
The huge mural depicted Buddhist and Thai iconography, as well as scenes from the life of the Buddha Gotama.
After we spoke he climbed back up to his platform and resumed painting. I sat watching him paint for quite awhile.
Standing outside the new wat enjoying the hilltop view out over the agricultural landscape of Khao Yai.
I walked back down the wooded land past the many monks cabins.
On the way back down I stopped at the tail of the many-headed dragon-snake that had welcomed me when I started up the hill.
Back where I started, at the tree sheltered Buddha altar.
Extraordinary 'bodi' trees at this wat.
These trees!!!
I strolled around the rest of the temple grounds and came upon these monks' cells. I assume this was a wat that took in novice/new monks and trained them here. Very austere . . .
Someone had built a very nice sala with statues of three ancient Thai Kings. Sweet.
What I assumed to be the head Abbot's house getting the finishing touches on a new roof.
The current main hall where the monks daily meet to meditate and chant. The door was open and I went in. I had been looking for the donation box and I found it here. I left a substantial donation toward the construction and maintenance of this wonderful place.
I left this wat after many hours exploring its beauty and spirituality.
Visitors From Abroad . . . Another Hua Hin Area Ramble!
Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at 5:15PM All in a day . . . all within 20 miles . . .
It's always great to have visitors from abroad come to Thailand . . . I get to take day trips out and about . . . usually to places I have never been, so we can explore together.
This Buddhist temple (wat) up against steep cliffs is one of my favorites. I pass it often when I am down Hua Hin way . . . but decided to stop and take a look again. Glad we did.
Such a lovely wat . . . looks like they are going to assemble a new giant Buddha image soon.
Beautiful workmanship . . . .
Ah! Looks like a standing Buddha image going up.
This such an interesting wat . . . lots to see here . . . including a pack of very curious monkeys.
As is often the case at Thai wats, the new buildings are built in front of the older, perhaps original temple structures.
The patina!
Lovely textures in the filtered afternoon light.
I was surprised to see this young monk! There weren't any other monks at this wat. He kindly gave me permission for so photos. I made sure he saw me put money in the donation box.
A large, old chedi on the temple grounds. Perhaps a previous revered head monk's final resting place.
One last look at this fantastic cliff side wat.
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Wat Huai Sai Tai Temple
On the way back from our hilltop chedi, I wanted to stop and show my friend the Colossus of Hua Hin at Wat Hui Sai Tai!
Such a lovely and strange place . . .
Yep . . . a cement elephant's butt.
The spaces and surfaces around the outside of the temple were beautifully decorated.
The exterior details were aesthetically very pleasing.
Of course, we had not come to just admire the exterior decor . . . it was what was inside that attracted us . . .
What attracted us was the colossal statue of the venerated monk, Luong Phor Thongsuk!
The giant Luang Phor Thongsuk in all his revered glory.
The scale of this statue is incredible!
During our short visit here, many people came to pay their respects.
Our last look at the colossus!
A marvelous spirit house on the grounds of Wat Hui Sai Tai.
The inside of the wat spirit house . . . very well tended by the pilgrims.
Beauty everywhere we pointed our cameras . . .
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An Old Fishing Village
We headed up the road to our next destination, a beach about 20km away . . . but a quick glance on the GPS map showed a small village on an inlet . . . maybe a fishing village? YES!
It was a very old fishing village . . . with a few very photogenic derelict old boats still dockside.
Did I say "old boat and old pier"? I meant to say "dilapidated pier and ghost ship"!
There were newer and older parts of this fishing village.
The village was very quiet this afternoon. These boats are rigged to catch squid . . . at night.
I love how the Thai fishermen decorate their boats . . . with these colorful votive blessings.
A village restaurateur. The large pots catch and hold rainwater.
Such rich and complex images to capture here!
We saw this catch of the day in one of the fishermen's sheds.
We could have stayed all day here . . . just taking photos . . . but there were other adventures in store for us on that day.
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A Mangrove Forest Swamp Park
Our next stop was the beautifully developed, and very educational, Pran Buri Forest Park and Nature Reserve.
Mangrove forests are completely unique ecological environments.
Mangroves grow in salt water estuarial swamps.
A phantasmagoria of twisted and gnarled complexity. Wonderful Nature.
The park positioned bulletin boards (in Thai and English) along the way with informative graphics.
Mangrove roots grow in the transition between wet (at high tide) and exposed to the air (at low tide). The mangrove grows in salt water but has the ability to filter out the salt and deposit it on the root 'knees' to be dissolved off when the tide comes in. Amazing.
The park managers built a tall tower so that the mangrove forest could be seen from above.
It was New Years' Eve, so there were quite a few day trippers from nearby Hua Hin.
We wandered on along the elevated walkway. There seemed to be a change in the nature of the trees in the swamp.
"Autumn" colors in the swamp. A blue sky reflected in the brackish waters.
Beautiful complicated light on the complicated forest . . . truly marvelous.
We walked on into a stand of densely packed trees . . . not mangrove, but growing in the salty water.
Ever-changing scenes . . .
My friend enjoying the photographic opportunities.
I do not know how these particular trees shed the salt.
On we walked through a forest of thin trees growing in the saltwater marsh.
We came to a saltwater inlet. There was a pier offering boat rides, but there was a line of people waiting. We walked on . . . more [visual] adventures in store.
We walked the rest of the 2km walkway loop to the car . . .
. . . and back through the tangled web of the mangrove knees.
We spent a wonderful couple of hours being amazed by this fantastic environment . . and taking photographs to our hearts content.
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A Fishing Port Village
About a mile away from the mangrove forest park was another small fishing port.
A beautiful day with colorful boats . . . what's not to like?
Small squid boats and large 'company boats" . . .
A 'company boat' heading out early for night squidding . . . they must be going far out into the Gulf of Thailand.
A busy Thai commercial fishing port.
Yep . . . a tourist tour boat! This is actually the tourist boat from the mangrove forest park nearby . . . we all waved at each other.
We walked along the road near the fishing port and came across a picturesque little slough.
Life along the slough.
Picturesque . . . indeed!
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Happy New Year 2020 From Hua Hin Thailand!!!
We went out to dinner at our usual favorite restaurant . . . . but we were not satisfied with the meal . . . it was a buffet, not the usual excellent food from the menu. Afterward we went to a friend's beach house . . . then out on to the beach for the BIG fireworks display.
Down along the beach . . . fantastic fireworks display for 20-25 minutes.
Fireworks across the bay . . .
Once I figured out my camera settings . . .
Right overhead!
I hope you all had a New Years' Eve as colorful and interesting as I did!
YES! All in a day! All within 20 miles!
A New Years Eve Ramble Near Hua Hin, Thailand
Friday, March 20, 2020 at 2:05PM 
My visiting friend (of 45 years) on the verge of a long climb!
A long way up to the chedi. 
A beautiful shrine with a reclining Buddha on the way up . . . 
This 'naive art' Buddha image was very heartwarming.
This Buddhist 'nun' followed us around for the afternoon. She is a kind of security guard. Good idea . . . there are some very beautiful and rare Buddha statues in the golden chedi (known as a 'stupa' in other Buddhist trditions and countries).
This is what I had taken my friend to see . . . and for me, to see again.
More fascinating, and individualistic, naive art Buddha images. As interesting as the outside of the chedi was, it is the inside that brought me back!
Looking into the chedi interior from the front door. WOW!
The light was so scrumptious, the images so serene . . .
The front of the entry altar. The big interior in its marvelously bright colors.
My camera on a small tripod . . . so many superb images to capture.
Holding Back The River of samsaric temptation.
Beautiful spiritual space of Buddhanature.
A Reclining Buddha . . . this posture represents the mahāparinabbāna: the Buddha's final state of enlightenment before his death!
The last time I was in this chedi I did not have a lens wide enough to take this photo. I'm very glad I came back, and would have come back even without a camera. This chedi has become a favorite spiritual pilgrimage site for me.
Each side of the central interior chedi presents a different compositional arrangement. Notice our nun and another pilgrim on the right.
Move a few feet and see another striking composition . . .
Not all of the statuary represents the Buddha. Some, like this one, are of bikkus, followers of the Buddha captured in a moment of listening to the dharma.
A bikku.
A bikku. The cardboard box is for the paper fold left over after a visitor has laid a piece of gold leaf on the statue in reverence.
There is something so compelling about these dressed statues.
Every few feet . . . another image to never forget . . .
The walls themselves were a thing of wonder.
I am very nearly moved to tears by these walls . . . the color, the play of light, the human touch, the honesty.
An altar facing an opposite door and sunlight.
This Buddha statue in the Fearlessness (Abhāya mudrā) pose.
The chedi within the larger chedi.
In some locations the light on the figures and on the wall came together in fantastic ways!
Phenomenal light and color and shapes . . . .
Although the Buddha figures seem sparse in this photo it seemed FULL of them.
I did not know when to stop taking photos. I took a break and made merit at each Buddha image with gold leaf and reverent wais.
I became aware that as the sun outside brightened and dimmed, so did the lighting effects in the interior. Fantastic!
We spent several hours inside this remarkable chedi. So captivated by everything . . . standing staring at the walls in absolute wonder.
We had to leave . . . reluctantly. We had a whole day ahead of us and many adventures to have.
We at last left the chedi to the nun to have on her own in solitude.
The chedi sits high on a hilltop with a wide view. This is a very rural location west of Hua Hin.Phenomenal Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Thursday, March 5, 2020 at 3:05PM 
First light at Angkor Wat main complex.
6:00am and already there were thousands of tourists to catch the temples in the magic light. Most of the tourists were either French or Chinese, although I doubt there are many Chinese now that the COVD-9 virus has almost completely halted Chinese tourism.
Built 1000 years ago . . . still amazing.
The sheer expanse of temple ruins at Angkor, and the great variety of temple materials and decoration make it well worth spending many days there, as I did in January 2020.
There is so much to see in the Angkor Wat complex - many ancient sites. spread out around many square miles. Here is a small slide show sampling of the sights before we begin.
There is a main Angkor Wat temple with a grand entry across a beautiful pond.
Just inside the "entry" gate.
The interior and exterior surfaces are all nearly completely carved in panels of patterns and figures.
The many temple complexes are surrounded by high walls and often moats. All have four gates; one each facing north, south, east, and west.
Inside the the main temple grounds, tourists stop to pose among the ruins. Thank you.
Curious vendors here and there. Yes, I bought the t-shirt. Of course I did
Through and into a temple gatehouse structure.
Inside the temples there are inviting and mysterious passages everywhere.
Although headless, many of the ancient Buddha relics are still tended by local followers.
A fascinating hall of revered Buddha relics.
Interior courtyard within the temple structures.
Ruins of Angkor Wat chedis. Incredible and unique architectural style.
Interior halls and colonnades everywhere invite exploration.
Stone spires carved with elaborate patterns of adornment.
Reclaimed from the jungle that reclaimed the temple centuries ago.
A temple spire. Fascinating.
Endless passages, rooms, doors, and b locked exits. It was incredibly interesting to just wander around in this ancient place.
A space of wonder.
Rounding a corner inside the temple I came across Buddhist monks blessing devotees: Ankor Wat is still a living spiritual center.
After the blessing monks . . . back into the labyrinth of passages . . .
On and on . . . imagining the people who occupied these spaces when it was an active and populated city.
The jungle is still trying to interpose itself on the ancient temple structures.
The iconic image of Angkor Wat is the giant tree roots embracing the temple stones.
A mutual embrace . . . this tower looks as if it would fall without the support of the tree.
A wall with cascading roots. Truly awesome.
Like a limb from a giant alien animal . . . these roots are massive!
The temple in the grip of its alien overlord!
The aging walls supported. Most of the restoration work on Angkor Wat has been carries out by French and Cambodian archaeologists.
Much of the various sites remain unreconstructed.
The state of deterioration is surprisingly less than one would have thought after 1000 years . . . but they build out of stone!
My friend and I wandered for many hours through these narrow mysterious passages, always surprised with some amazing scene around every corner . . .
. . . always another scene of doors and passages . . . gorgeous . . .
. . . on and on we walked, our mouths open in amazement all the while!
Our long walks through the interior passages would occasionally lead us back outdoors.
And back outside we were greeted with more amazing ancient monumental temple structures.
Always tempted to explore in another courtyard . . . endless curiosity.
We had a car and driver each day who knew all the temples and would drive us between them. A new temple.
There were signs of vandalism and pilfering of stone figure heads.
A sweet temple sala.
In deep shade or in bright sun, the temples are a marvel of detail . . . 
One of the many extraordinary gates.
These gates were carved in exquisite detail. Cambodia is a tropical country with a considerable wet season each year, as evidenced by the moss and mold that often covered the monuments.
The harsh, almost clinical, light actually helps in these photos of the tropical encrusting of the ruins.
Such beautifully carved figures and patterns everywhere.
I loved these gates . . . 
After walking through the gates, it was sometimes a kilometer or more until you arrived at the temple complex. Sometimes there would be traditional Khmer musicians along the walk.
We spent two full days, starting before sunrise and ending after sunset, among the Angkor ruin.
The late, angled light made for some fantastic conditions for photography.
Late light and shadow on the Angkor Wat ruins.
Sharp shadow in the Angkor Wat colonnades.
Ah! The light!
Shadows framed.
Smoky ruins in the late light.
These interiors were full of an almost magical spiritual moodiness.
Long shadows accentuated the fine detail. Almost every surface of the temples was carved.
As you might imagine, I was in photographers' heaven walking the halls and passages of Angkor Wat . . . something amazing to shoot at every turn.
A new image at each turn, at each new chamber, at each door.
A surprise ahead!
Gorgeous light along the galleries.
The aesthetics of these stone passages with their relics evokes a calm amazement.
I have always been drawn to these kinds of scenes for photography . . . there seems to be some elemental symbolics involved here . . . 
Endless stone doors and windows, light and shadow . . .
Interior doors. The Light! The shadows!
Astonishing chedi in the intersection of two long halls! The many holes in the stone walls indicate they were covered with carvings in stone or wood.
Endless curiosity . . .
Wandering the halls and passages and finding an outlet into the honey light . . . what's out there?
. . . and THIS is what was on the outside of these long stone passages!
The classic 'Jungle Reclaiming the Lost Temple' photo. Still wonderful!
Our driver brought us to another temple site, this one had an entrance guarded by a bridge guarded by stone cobras!
Frightening to peoples of that time, I would imaging.
The body of the giant stone cobra was held by a row stone statues that made up the bridge guardrail.
The heads on all of the stone bridge statues have been stolen over the years . . . they end up in museums, private collections, and "art" shops in Bangkok. Despicable.
Many of the temple complexes still have their moats.
We found only one bridge with the full compliment of guarding figures . . . and they were wonderful!
Here and there we saw small encampments of curios hawkers.
Our drive between temple sited took us through some beautiful and peaceful countryside. Some of the temples were 8-10 miles apart.
Nature here held some big surprises . . . like this complex tree bark.
Here and there, as we neared a new temple site, the road would be lined with these markers.
One of the last sites we visited had the temple structures made of a reddish stone with black volcanic rock accents. All carved, of course.
The carved details were very detailed and refined.
Upon closer inspection, I could not tell if these were fired red clay ceramics or a red sandstone . . . .
Late afternoon deep shadows on the red temple.
Many of these images, especially this one, lend themselves to printing and framing.
This temple had nearly no evidence of vandalism. Phenomenal beauty.
A magnificently carved stone door.
In the deep afternoon shadows, these statues in front of the carved temple presented an ancient, mystical image I will never forget.
Many small temple structures filled the walled enclosure surrounded by a moat.
After exploring the red temple, and taking 30-40 photographs of windows and doors, we headed down the road again.
While speeding along a rural road, we yelled to the driver to stop when we saw this small temple alongside the road . . . .
A remarkable temple in the late magic light.
Stunning bas reliefs on the columns.
One of the columns' bas relief of a dancer.
Almost every surface of this temple was incised with these marvelous patterns.
We wandered around this small temple for only 15 minutes before heading out with the driver again. I must go back!!!
Another roadside temple . . . this photograph taken out of the window of the car. No time to explore it.
Yet another photo taken from the car of a temple not explored . . . I MUST come back!
A highlight of the day was the 'discovery' of the halls of carved stone concubines at a place called the elephant race track.
Hundreds and hundreds of individuals represented in stone.
An incredible archeological find.
Great detail.
Another wall of concubines in the late sunlight.
This corner panel has stumped archaeologists for a hundred years. See if you can spot the carved stegosaurus (3rd one up from the bottom on right). . . . they didn't know about the dinosaurs at that time!
We stayed at the nearby town of Siem Reap. Although it was filling up with tourists (before the Covid-19 scare), it was a pleasant and vibrant little place with good restaurants and good shopping.
There was an extensive 'night market' stuffed with tourist curios . . . and some very nice things too.
Yes, everything an international tourist might want on a hot Cambodian night.
I bought some bracelets from this hard working guy.
We had a feeling we were not the first tourists to have visited Siem Reap. Pub Street was a lively place.
This cart reminded me of the movie Groundhog Day . . . "Hey, who wants some flapjacks?"
Lots of small street eateries. This was in the middle of the tourist season, mid-January, and it was not as crowded as I would have thought.
The modern tuk-tuk driver is hooked into the world and its events.
Our driver insisted that we all go out to the lake and take a boat on the water to see the sunset. We were sure it was just a tourist trap, but we relented. There were hundreds of small boats full of tourists. We got one and headed out.
The ride out to the lake was spectacular. We were very happy we had taken the trip.
We passed through a floating village along the way. The boatman told us that this village moves with the rising and falling of the lake.
We stopped off at one of the floating shacks.
The boatman said these villagers were very poor. He asked if we would like to make a donation of rice to the local floating school. We were happy to help. For a few dollars we bought four sacks of rice and delivered them to this school:
This is the floating school. We stopped here to unload the rice.
There were several of these large sunset viewing rafts out a mile or so from the shore of the lake . . . full of tourists like us.
A beautiful trip out into the inland sea.
The villagers made their living fishing from their floating platforms.
Village shacks in the amber sunset light.
The view from our observation deck . . . boats in the setting sun.
And the sun set over our Angkor Wat vacation. A wonderful four days. If you go to see Angkor Wat, I highly recommend the sunset boat trip . . . .USA Road Trip: Driving the Oregon Coast to the California Redwoods
Thursday, July 25, 2019 at 7:11PM 
The beautiful southern Oregon coast in early April.
A rugged coast for several hundred miles.
The old 1996 Chevy 4X4 camper truck working well.
A classic lighthouse on a high bluff above the raging Pacific Ocean.
Sea Lions abound along the southern Oregon coast. We saw them at almost all our stops.
The famous beauty of the Oregon coast in all its magnificence.
The drive south on the Oregon coast is wonderful because at every turn there is a new sweeping panorama . . .
A beautiful bay just south of Crescent City, California after sunrise.
People out on their morning beach walk.
I'm glad I had the V8! Not exactly a tourist trap . . . but a pretty good dinosaur park roadside attraction.
We made many stops along Highway 101 to ogle at the incredible scenery.
Of course, my wife wanted to stop and look at every golf curse along the way. This one, near Brookings, looked so Scottish! A real links curse, yellow gorse and all!
Arriving at the Crescent City bay.
Crescent City bay and lighthouse.
Crescent City lighthouse.
A beachcombers' stick sculpture.
I love these Pacific Northwest coastal scenes.
On of my favorite photographic subjects: driftwood.
Worn by sea, sun, and sand into fabulous textures and patterns . . .
A visitor's cartouche . . .
A damaged surface. The orange scrape revealing the natural color behind the grey aged driftwood.
Twisted driftwood.
A revelation of the history of the forces and conditions this particular tree has experienced in the past represented in these patterns.
Ice plant! Stained all my clothes as a child. Here, at Crescent City, in flower on a rainy morning.
We stayed the night in a motel in Crescent City, California and went out for seafood on the pier . . . and discovered the sea lions at sunset.
Sea lions are fascinating to watch. Very entertaining sea mammals!
The Crescent City harbor . . . a gull supervises a log-full of sea lions.
Sea lions on a log in the sunset.
It was early April . . . time to take down the Christmas decorations . . . but cute.
Crossing the Smith River on the way to a redwood stand.
Arriving at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.
One of many foreign tourists that visit the giant redwoods of California every year.
A fantastically dramatic redwood snag left from some past burn.
Ancient giant redwoods.
We walked for hours on the park paths among the towering redwoods.
The park service did a good job of keeping the paths easily accessible by cutting back fallen redwoods.
An incredible space, line, color.
Ancient plant spirits . . .
Sturdy, solid, immense, strong, tall . . .
Walking in the giant redwood forest is a spiritual experience.
Wonderful shafts of clear, bright light illuminated the forest.
A single lit redwood in the dense forest.
A giant redwood healing an old wound.
A beautiful path through a magical forest.
Deeper into the redwood forest.
The sturdy foot of a giant redwood.
The existential redwood.
Redwood bark.
We could have stayed in these woods all day . . . but the call of a seafood dinner beckoned.
Out through the small trees to the camper . . and then, the next day, back to Keizer, Oregon on I-5.Dr. Jeff Harper
Redwood Burls
I became fascinated with the redwood burls in this forest.
Burls are growth gone astray . . .
Every burl is different.
fascinating.
