The President, No not that guy....

[GH85Carrera]

Something that everyone will agree is just simply astonishing and very cool.

3200 Years in One Photo... The President - Album on Imgur

They have a much higher res photo on the link.

[MRM]

For some reason the following dialogue jumped into my head. Forgive me, it's Friday!

Vera Prescott: I hate the country. (Lights a cigarette)

Brantley Foster: Yeah, I can see how you'd be real miserable here. (Rolls eyes)

Vera: Who can live with so many trees? (Takes deep drag on cigarette) They suck up all the oxygen.

Brantley: No, actually,trees produce oxygen.

Vera: (Exhales huge puff of smoke) Who are you? Mr. Wizard?

[masraum]

Very cool. I was in San Fran a couple of years ago. When we were there we went to Muir Woods to see the redwoods, and those near the coast are "small". They were suitably impressive, but I'd really love to see some of the ones that are farther from the coast and much, much larger.

[GH85Carrera]

We to Sequoia National park when we were kids. Ya just can't help but be stunned with how BIG those trees are. On our trip to Sacramento back in 2000 I drove my 911 with my wife to see 11 different national parks on the way out and back. I told her there is just no real description that fits how big those trees are. Big is like saying the universe is big, your mind just can't comprehend that scale.

My wife was born and raised in Enid, Oklahoma. They only have a few scraggly trees and all of them lean north due to the winds. They have miles upon endless miles of wheat fields but not any real trees. She was simply staggered with how big those trees really are.

[Evans, Marv]

When I worked there in the late '60s, I always woke up every morning amazed at how beautiful it was in the morning light. Every time I looked up at the General Sherman tree, I was amazed at one branch that would dwarf the trunks of most trees. One of the most spectacular things I ever saw was the falling of one in the range of 15+ ft. diameter. The trees evolved in an environment with shallow/thin top soil covering bed rock, so they don't have tap roots. The root structure simply spreads out from the base. The winter of 1968 was inordinately wet and the ground was saturated. One morning a maintenance guy in the picnic ground across from the lodge area heard a popping noise underground as he walked by one of the larger trees. When he stopped and stood, he heard it a couple more times. He took his trash poker, stuck it in the ground and pointed it to one part of the tree. When he came back a little while later on, the poker was pointing to a slightly different place, so he knew the tree was moving. He called us, and we cordoned off the area, and I stayed to keep people out and stay I radio contact. I also had a camera. After about 3 to 4 hours, the tree began to move perceptively. Then it reached the point where it fell. It was like a battle ship set up on end falling over. It crashed smashing other trees in its path and as it fell. The giant root ball rotated up into the air leaving a gaping hole in the ground. It was so wet, water was gushing off of it onto the ground. If you've been there, you've probably seen the old trees on their sides with the root ball on one end. It was one of the most spectacular things ever. There are guys working there who climb the trees like the guys in the picture. One of the reasons is they try to put out fires up in the trees when they get struck by lightening. I always wanted to try that but never got the chance.

[kevin930t]

Wow,great story

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

[DonDavis]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

....and all of them lean north due to the winds.

That's because Texas blows...
Or is it all the trees in Texas point north because Oklahoma sucks...
I forget...
But, I lived in Tx for a few years and heard all the jokes. Good stuff.

Marv,
What an experience for you! Truly must've been an amazing sight. I would simply love to witness and event such as that. Incredible.

I haven't been to see those trees. Need to do that soon. Amazing.

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by DonDavis

That's because Texas blows...
Or is it all the trees in Texas point north because Oklahoma sucks...
I forget...
But, I lived in Tx for a few years and heard all the jokes. Good stuff.

Marv,
What an experience for you! Truly must've been an amazing sight. I would simply love to witness and event such as that. Incredible.

I haven't been to see those trees. Need to do that soon. Amazing.

The saying in Ok is that Kansas sucks and Texas blows! .



And those trees are awesome! Really need to go there!

[GH85Carrera]

Yep and Texas is often called Baja Oklahoma.

[DonDavis]

Ha! Nice! Don't think I've heard that one, Glen.

[Arizona_928]

The guy at the top looks a little bigger then the guy at the bottom...

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

Hope that bark beetle doesn't have an appetite for that one. Surely there have been infestations though in the past 3200 years that this tree has already survived.

Have you guys seen the photos of the Rocky Mountains these days? Incredible:



-Wayne

I think Redwood is supposed to be top notch for exterior work because not much screws with the wood.

[scottmandue]

The sequoias are one of the things that have to be seen... photographs just can't do them justice... kinda like the grand canyon.

[tevake]

And not just seen, it is a unique atmosphere in the forest floor. There is a sort of majestic energy of antiquity under those trees. Speaking quietly just seems right in there. This is why walking thru places like Muir woods can be a let down with the crowds over laying the special atmosphere.

Wayne, that bark beetle infestation really swept thru vast Forrest areas. But now it seems to be subsiding in resent years. Was really alarming 5/6 years ago.

Cheers Richard

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

The sequoias are one of the things that have to be seen... photographs just can't do them justice... kinda like the grand canyon.

In 95, did the big Pebble beach dealio. There for a week.

We drove up to Stinson beach and then went to Muir woods. Beautiful trees but not monstro.

Are the big trees further north? Forgive my ignorance.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

In 95, did the big Pebble beach dealio. There for a week.

We drove up to Stinson beach and then went to Muir woods. Beautiful trees but not monstro.

Are the big trees further north? Forgive my ignorance.

Depends, apparently Humboldt (North of where you were) has some of the giants... however being a So Cal boy we always drove up to Sequoia National Park/Forest East of Fresno, they have trees literally the size of a 20 story building... kind of awe inspiring to see a living thing that is that large!

Do the bark beetles bother the redwoods?

[tevake]

I camped among regrowth trees along the Gualala river in Mendocino County.
A beautiful little park deep in the redwoods. Funny , talking with the camp workers, they said they feel like mole people when they venture out into full sun.


These little babies grow from the roots of old growth trees.

Here is a great area to visit some great stands of biggies

Tour the Avenue of the Giants, Ave. Giants/Garberville/Benbow, Humboldt County, California

Cheers Richard

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by AZ_porschekid

The guy at the top looks a little bigger then the guy at the bottom...

Yeah, that is a seriously bad Photoshop stitch (combining several different pics into one), which I think is pretty surprising for a NatGeo image, especially considering the production work involved. Even if that method of photography was the only option due to the proximity of other trees, They should have done a better job in post, and taken things like perspective and distance into account. Lots of other glaring mistakes besides the size difference between the climbers.

Still pretty cool to see!


P.S. - Some of those Imgur comments are priceless...

[Evans, Marv]

Scottmandue: "The sequoias are one of the things that have to be seen... photographs just can't do them justice... kinda like the grand canyon."
One place to experience the redwood forest environment in Sequoia Natl. Park - Giant Forest area is to take the walk through the Congress Grove. It's an easy, beautiful walk through a large grove of Sequoias. If you sit on one of the logs provided for seating (if they haven't rotted & been replaced), chances are it's one I put there during some times I didn't have much else to do. Take a lunch. Another thing that is fun is to take the walk up to the top of Morro Rock around dusk. There is (used to be) a colony of Ring-Tailed Cats living there that come out as the sun fades. They're amazingly acrobatic and run around on the top of and down the verticle sides of the rock.

[aigel]

Originally Posted by Eric Coffey

Yeah, that is a seriously bad Photoshop stitch (combining several different pics into one), which I think is pretty surprising for a NatGeo image, especially considering the production work involved. Even if that method of photography was the only option due to the proximity of other trees, They should have done a better job in post, and taken things like perspective and distance into account. Lots of other glaring mistakes besides the size difference between the climbers.

+1 and also, total BS to have to climb the tree these days with high quality camera drones available. Even if you spend $50k on a system, you'd beat people climbing it. It also bears unnecessary risk to the people and the tree ... Every clapped out real estate agent has a photo drone around here ...

I am a huge fan of redwoods. Camp among them several times a year. The coastal ones - but also have been to the Sequoias ...

G