Can't see the trees through...

At the risk of being rather rude, all I can say is "DAAAAMN!!!"

Okay, please remember that I grew up in Illinois and spent time amongst the oak and walnut trees.  There were many other types of trees that my laziness prevented me from learning about in my childhood.  But there was nothing to compare to what I saw this past weekend.

I traveled to the Big Basin Redwoods state park and might I say that these trees are HUGE!  It honestly is a beautiful park with waterfalls (I never found them, I got a little lost quite frankly), and wonderful camping spots.  It was a beautiful day to wander about.

I also learned another valuable lesson.  It is not very easy to take a picture of these monsters.  I went explicitly to stretch my legs and take pictures so I took a lot of close up photos of the wood.  Turned out rather well, I thought.

Long story short, it was simply amazing to wander around these giants.  It was also a place that I am sure to back to time and time again.  As with everything else in this area, the drive there was just as enjoyable as the destination.  There are very few places that have that luxury.

Plus, I got to find that waterfall...

Wine, water, or trees...

Okay, I am going into a three day weekend with quite the dilemma.  When you move to a new area, the impulse to do as much as possible can be a bit over whelming.  Especially here in the northern California region, it is especially suited for variety.

You have the sheer beauty of driving the coastline and gazing upon the beauty of where the land meets the sea.  There are the multitude of state and national parks to see with the beauty of the redwoods.  Heading into "the city" and visiting Golden Gate Park is an option.  Then, of course, this IS northern California which means "wine country".

What to do...

I tried to ask my kids and their immediate response was "Disneyland!"  This is an extremely exciting response, but to be honest, they aren't here and after a five hour drive it would feel a little empty going by myself.

Asking natives is probably the worst thing to do.  They will give you a laundry list of spots to visit and drives to take and they will go on listing these things for close to 45 minutes... and then keep coming back with more recommendations (God love 'em).  I sincerely appreciate their input but really...

So, while I have a pretty much booked Saturday, I imagine I will just wake up on Sunday (and/or Monday), grab my camera, just get in the car and go where the wind takes me.  So let's see where my mood wakes up on those days - wine, water, or trees.