Visiting bay area redwood parks - Muir & Big Basin




Walking into Muir woods, we came across this bold little pocket gopher, digging right by the roadside path.





Well-travelled trails lead through groves of redwood giants.





Ignoring the people crowding just feet away to watch, a family of deer browsed on the rare summer greenery.





Looking up into the redwood canopy.





One of the redwood forest's more colorful natives is the banana slug. 





Riding across the Golden Gate Bridge with Denise and Bill - visiting from Michigan.





We came back to Muir Woods with Doug - our friend from Ithaca, NY.  He and Amanda marvel at the woven-looking bark on this giant tree. 





Dueling cameras, with Amanda and a hollow redwood in between.





Lizard basking vertically on a utility pole.





We also visited Muir Beach...




...and took in the views from a coastal hilltop - San Francisco is in the distance.




Looking from an old military site at the Golden Gate Bridge in a rare fog-free moment.





We also visited Big Basin near Santa Cruz for an extended redwood hike.





One of three main waterfalls that we climbed past.





Amanda crosses the creek on a huge fallen redwood.





Later we took a look at UC Santa Cruz (a campus in the redwoods with ocean views).