San Francisco- Day 2- Muir Woods & Sausalito

We had a wake up call today for 6:00 AM.

We didn't want to be late for our tour of 

Muir Woods.

The weather has been beautiful, but when you are leaving your hotel in the morning

and traveling to the woods, you don't really know how warm to dress.

The night's temperatures are consistently in the mid 50's.

So, the word is 

"L

     a
        y

           e
                 r."

        And that we did.

Shirts, sweaters, and jackets.

However, it turned out to be a warm day in the 70's-80's, depending on where you were.

There was no fog this morning as we traveled  over the beautiful

"Golden Gate Bridge."

We arrived to our destination at Muir Woods in less than an hour
after traveling through the Marin Headland Hills.

We were repeatedly told we were traveling at the perfect time of year,
September and October.
Without any fog issues the entire week, we enjoyed
spectacular views.

We are on our way through the majestic redwood forest.

John Muir was a well-known nature preservationist from the Bay Area

 and the person for whom Muir Woods was named.

Here are some of the oldest, tallest most amazing trees in the country.

This is interesting information.

Open it in a new window to read about the age of the trees.

"The redwood is the glory of the Coast Range. 

It extends along the western slope, in a nearly continuous belt about ten miles wide, 

from beyond the Oregon boundary to the south of Santa Cruz,

 a distance of nearly four hundred miles, 

and in massive, sustained grandeur and closeness of growth surpasses all the other timber woods of the world."  John Muir

Family Circles
Family circles are made when a trunk from a large redwood is killed,
perhaps by severe and repeated wildfire.
Despite the severe damage to the trunk, the tree did not die.
Below the ground, the root system was full of vitality.
Before long hundreds of young, green burl sprouts began to come up
around the circle formed by the root crown of the original tree.
Some grew into full size trees in a circle around the original trunk.

In California, there are two different species of redwood trees. 

The coast redwood

 (Sequoia sempervirens) is what you will find in Muir Woods. 

The other species of redwood is

 the giant sequoia

 (Sequoiadendron giganteum). This type grows larger in bulk

 but is less tall than the coast redwood. 

Giant sequoias can be seen in Yosemite and Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.

Yes, Doug & I did go to Yosemite to see the giant sequoias.

Those photos are in a later blog.

We asked a park ranger what this plant was that looks like shamrocks.
It is redwood sorrel.
It has a tangy, tart, lemony taste that goes very well with many foods, especially salads and fish.

http://blog.emergencyoutdoors.com/wild-edible-plants-wood-sorrel-oxalis-acetosella/

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread,

 places to play in and pray in, 

where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."  John Muir

This is Cathedral Grove.

The coast redwoods are the tallest living things.

 The Bohemian and Cathedral groves

 contain the biggest trees in Muir Woods - one 252 feet tall and one 14 feet wide! 

http://www.sftodo.com/muirwoodssanfrancisco.html

When you stand beneath the immense power of these trees

 and look up you can’t help but be awed by the amazing offerings of nature. 

http://www.sftodo.com/muirwoodssanfrancisco.html

Most of these trees range in age of 800-1000 years old and some may be upwards of 1500 years in age. How are these coast redwoods able to get this old? The coast redwood has been able to mature and has survived fires due to the trees’ thick bark. The bark is spongy and fibrous and can range in thickness anywhere from 6 to 12 inches. The bark acts as insulation against fire damage and other erosion. The forest's long-term ecological well-being actually benefits from fires because it clears the floor of duff so redwood seeds can reach mineral soil. Additionally, the redwoods have high levels of tannic acid, which makes them very resistant to the rot that can affect other trees. 

http://www.sftodo.com/muirwoodssanfrancisco.html

“This grand show is eternal.

It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once;

 a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising.

 Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, 

in its turn, as the round earth rolls.” 

― John Muir, John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir 

Redwood Burls.

The forest at Muir Woods was spared because it was hard to access

 during the time that logging was running rampant.

"Keep close to Nature's heart...
and break clear away,
 once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods.
Wash your spirit clean."  John Muir

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
  John Muir

 On to Sausalito.

 Sausalito is in California, across the Golden Gate bridge from San Francisco.
 Sausalito is a unique and picturesque community,
 perched on a hillside between the San Francisco Bay and the Marin Headlands.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Sausalito

 City views.

 We had a delicious lunch...Cod, of course.

Fish & Chips

 Fish Tacos

 Views along the Richardson Bay.
The anchored boats come in all shapes and sizes, including yachts.

 It was in this area that Otis Redding
 co-wrote the song “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay” in 1967.
 Once a haven for bohemians and hippies, the harbour has since attracted more affluent residents,
 but the unusual character of the houseboats lives on.

https://www.ft.com/content/532bb66c-0ffb-11e3-a258-00144feabdc0

 On the shoreline of Richardson’s Bay in Sausalito, just five minutes’ drive north of San Francisco,
 is a small community of about 400 houseboats.
 Among them is a miniature replica of the Taj Mahal complete with onion domes,
 a converted second world war balloon barge and a floating home built by Japanese joiners,
 furnished with tatami mats and sliding paper walls.

https://www.ft.com/content/532bb66c-0ffb-11e3-a258-00144feabdc0

The unique  houseboat community

 has long been the centerpiece of life in Sausalito.

 The golden Gate Ferry Line
goes back and forth between San Francisco and Sausalito.

 The Golden Gate Bridge.

This is a view going back to San Fran of
Alcatraz
A.K.A.
"The Rock"
More on alcatraz later.  We did take a tour of the prison.

We kicked around the pier and enjoyed the beautiful sunny bay weather
before heading back to the Inn.