Redwoods, Muir Woods National Monument
2448 x 3264 - 4.6MB, Photograph, Jun 2013

Redwoods, Muir Woods National Monument
2448 x 3264 - 4MB, Photograph, Jun 2013

The park is located in Mill Valley, Marin County, California and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Jan 2008.  William Kent and his wife, Elizabeth Thacher Kent, purchased the land with the goal of protecting the redwoods and the mountain. The monument was named after naturalist John Muir, whose environmental campaigns helped build up the National Park system.

The trees you see from the two pictures are named Sequoia sempervirens, commonly known as coast redwood, giant redwood, and California redwood. It's the major attraction of the Muir Woods National Monument. Such kind of redwoods can grow to around 380 feet. So far the tallest tree in the Muir Woods is 258 feet. Generally Sequoia sempervirens can live 1200 - 1800 years or more. Most of the redwoods in the monument are between 500 - 800 years old. Nowadays, the oldest is more than 1,200 years old in the monument.

When I saw the trees what Napoleon Hill had once said just came into my mind, “The strongest oak tree of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It's the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.” I thoroughly realized why the redwoods have lived for over a thousand years and are still living vitally. 

I always can get a great mental reflection, meditation, and inspiration from the nature. It helps me find out the essence of life as well as influences my artistic creation. I hope you enjoy the nature as well.