MILL VALLEY, CA

MILL VALLEY, CA

January 5, 2013
                                                         MUIR WOODS

 Leaving the Jelly Belly Factory we locked in the GPS for MUIR WOODS outside of Mill Valley. It was a very pleasant day to take a hike. We had great difficulty finding a place to park. Finally we spied one and pulled in. Tapping the "voice" button on he car's GPS, the sweet voice of our nemesis companion informed us our destination was ahead one mile on the left.

We had walked a quarter of a mile when Debby decided to go back to the car and see if she could find a closer place to park. I continued on into the MUIR WOODS and she later joined me. She had indeed found a closer spot to park!

The tall REDWOODS were an amazing sight; ancient sages of the forest, standing watch for hundreds of years, towering more than 280' above the soft floor. Although these were not the Giant Sequoias like those towering high above Jedediah State Park in Northern California around Crescent City, who's diameter could reach 20 to 25 feet, or more, these were taller and slender. It's no wonder the early woodsmen wanted to harvest these old trees. This was a Logger's bonanza!

Barely half of this vast forest of Redwoods remained by the time John Muir convinced Congress to declare this as a National Forest and, thus, save it for us to enjoy today, and for future generations of our kids and grand kids.

This is a beautiful hike; not very far; excellent trail for everyone; wheelchair accessible. Portions of the trail are built with a wide boardwalk and bridges across a clear stream. The boardwalk provides a great surface without having to tread muddy paths or create an environmental impact in this pristine valley from the thousands of annual visitors each year. Thank you, JOHN MUIR!

We continued along Highway 101. It was almost dark when we looked over towards the East and saw that Tom Bodett had left the lights on for us at Motel 6 in GILROY, CA. So we parked for the night and rested.