036 - Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park - Simpson Reed Grove

My husband and I traveled through the very tip of northern California at the border of Oregon in order to drive through the Redwood National Forest. A few years before, I had to drive through it on my way to the coast so that I could drive the Oregon coastline (a passion of mine). As I drove slowly along, admiring the breathtaking beauty of the forest around me, I noticed a bench on the side of the road. I pulled over and sat. I sat, right in the middle of this forest, with cars occasionally driving past.

The Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park that you see in the above two pictures is what I found. It has many trails that you can take and the air is clean, misty, with a bit of a bite. I fell in love with these trees and the majestic height of them. They truly make you feel insignificant. What I noticed in this small grove of old-growth trees was that there was no trash on the trails. The people who visited these groves were respectful to their precarious state in our environment. Much of the old-growth forest in northern California remains untouched, as they are State Parks. I can't speak for other areas of the country or world, but here in California, they're a treasure to behold.