Back in the fall I went out to Calaveras Big Trees state park, where they have the northernmost grove of the giant redwood trees.
To get there, you have to go through the great central valley, east of Stockton, with many farms and fields
This vineyard was just turning, and the one below was nearly brown
Then you hit the rolling hills, studded with native oaks
These eventually give way to steep, winding hills of the foothills/gold country, but that is for another post
This is a vista from the park looking east, into the Sierra Nevada
The lush forest literally falls over the trails. Thankfully maintenance crews clear them out
Here is what we came for, the giant redwood, one of the oldest living things
A panorama to better understand the hight
These two perfectly framed a view of the canopy of their neighbor
Note the more rounded tops of these trees, most conifers have much more pointed peaks
These are twins growing together, check out the fire scar at the bottom, these trees have to withstand relatively frequent forest fires
See the undergrowth here, not a very healthy forest. Other areas have been treated with fire and are much safer and healthy
And those areas allow redwood seedlings to sprout and thrive, this tree is about 5-8 years old
Their leaves are rounded and heavily branched, quite distinct
These redwoods in a new grove are about 30 years old, notice the more open forest here
And here with these giants. The fire scar at the bottom shows they have withstood a lot over the centuries (at least 500 years on the right)
An incense cedar and fir tree grow together in an unusual way
This is a snag, or standing dead tree. They provide a unique habitat for many different animals, often enndangered
Next up, fungus and vistas from this trip
Look at the Pretty! 
Love the blog, the photography is amazing!