About an hours drive through the mountains near my dad's house lies an ancient redwood forest. We packed a picnic lunch, put on some extra warm clothes, grabbed a pair of walkie talkies (so we could communicate between vehicles) and followed the Kern River as it snakes it's way into the foothills of the Southern Sierras. We drove up narrow, twisty, roads that warned of ice and snow and offered thousand foot drops off the sides (no safety rails) to the rocky ravines below.
Bayan slept for much of the ride up, while the girls alternated between irritating each other and admiring the scenery: waterfalls, rock formations, horses, cows and fire ravaged forests. As we approached 6,ooo feet we began to see patches of snow in between the trees. The girls we so excited, especially when we reached our destination:
and across a meadow, nestled in the shadows at the base of a hill were small pockets of - yes - snow! While Bayan napped for a few extra minutes the girls and I set off so that they could at last experience one of winters marvels.
Ruhi found it rather disappointing as it was encrusted with ice and was too frozen for them to do much with. At least they got to see and touch it. We even managed to avoid the semi-frozen marshy patches as we stood on the threshold of total wilderness arriving back at the parking lot with dry feet. Grandma Lin was not so lucky.
We probably spent two hours walking along a beautiful trail, across bridges and over paths covered in a carpet of fallen pine needles. The smell of evergreen and pine was almost otherworldly and the woods were wonderfully peaceful. We all enjoyed the whisper of the wind through the trees and the occasional chirp of a bird. I am quite sertain we would have heard even more sounds of the Forest had not Bayan incessantly been screeching: "BABA! Wait de me!" at the top of his lungs.
I was both very happy and deeply impressed that my Dad was able to join us and also that he managed to walk as much as he did, although I am not sure that part was such a good thing. (15 years ago he had an accident at work involving severe damage to his legs. He has been enduring operations, blood clots, pressure bandages, pain therapy, and all sorts of various remedies and procedures in an effort to help him live with the constant pain he daily endures.) Here he is admiring some of the giant sequoias with the grandchildren.
Grandma offered some excellent photo taking tips which worked really well to help attempt to show (the photos don't really do them justice) exactly how high some of these trees can grow. 
She was also on hand to explore the inside of a Giant Redwood with the children and I. 
There was a crack in the trunk that opened up into a series of chambers inside the tree. A little stool of sorts in one of the back 'rooms', 
a sky-light letting the sun's rays filter down inside the trunk, and allowing bits of light, even in the darkest parts of the tree. 
Here are the children winding their way through the inside of the Sequoia to get to the opening on the outside.
The root systems for the tallest trees on earth are surprisingly small and shallow.
Ruhi attempting to count the rings inside a tree. 
Anisa posing with one of the many pine cones she collected from the forest floor. They may wind up as impromptu Christmas deccorations. Or not.
Bayan slept for much of the ride up, while the girls alternated between irritating each other and admiring the scenery: waterfalls, rock formations, horses, cows and fire ravaged forests. As we approached 6,ooo feet we began to see patches of snow in between the trees. The girls we so excited, especially when we reached our destination:
and across a meadow, nestled in the shadows at the base of a hill were small pockets of - yes - snow! While Bayan napped for a few extra minutes the girls and I set off so that they could at last experience one of winters marvels. Ruhi found it rather disappointing as it was encrusted with ice and was too frozen for them to do much with. At least they got to see and touch it. We even managed to avoid the semi-frozen marshy patches as we stood on the threshold of total wilderness arriving back at the parking lot with dry feet. Grandma Lin was not so lucky.We probably spent two hours walking along a beautiful trail, across bridges and over paths covered in a carpet of fallen pine needles. The smell of evergreen and pine was almost otherworldly and the woods were wonderfully peaceful. We all enjoyed the whisper of the wind through the trees and the occasional chirp of a bird. I am quite sertain we would have heard even more sounds of the Forest had not Bayan incessantly been screeching: "BABA! Wait de me!" at the top of his lungs.
I was both very happy and deeply impressed that my Dad was able to join us and also that he managed to walk as much as he did, although I am not sure that part was such a good thing. (15 years ago he had an accident at work involving severe damage to his legs. He has been enduring operations, blood clots, pressure bandages, pain therapy, and all sorts of various remedies and procedures in an effort to help him live with the constant pain he daily endures.) Here he is admiring some of the giant sequoias with the grandchildren.
Grandma offered some excellent photo taking tips which worked really well to help attempt to show (the photos don't really do them justice) exactly how high some of these trees can grow. She was also on hand to explore the inside of a Giant Redwood with the children and I. There was a crack in the trunk that opened up into a series of chambers inside the tree. A little stool of sorts in one of the back 'rooms', a sky-light letting the sun's rays filter down inside the trunk, and allowing bits of light, even in the darkest parts of the tree. Here are the children winding their way through the inside of the Sequoia to get to the opening on the outside. The root systems for the tallest trees on earth are surprisingly small and shallow. Ruhi attempting to count the rings inside a tree. Anisa posing with one of the many pine cones she collected from the forest floor. They may wind up as impromptu Christmas deccorations. Or not.Bayan delighted in getting to be troupe leader. (Notice who is now carrying Anisa's stash of pine cones.)
And was most displeased when we insisted on going another way once we realized we were walking in the wrong direction.
The girls posing in the opening of a sequoia's trunk. 
Even Mehran, who gets bored - fast, was suitably impressed. 
I loved the quiet majesty of the trees, the peacefulness of the forest, getting to share one of the natural wonders of the world with my family and reading little educational snippets about the Sequoias like this one entitled "The Reflection Pool".
'Take a moment to rest here and reflect on what you have learned today about life among the sequoias, along this Trail of 100 Giants.
Although they have stood rooted to one patch of earth for thousands of years or more, these ancient guardians of the forest have seen much more of life than you or I. The natural processes of birth, growth, decay and death cycle endlessly around them. In the growth rings of their trunks we can find the history books of the forest and in their stately grandeur they carry on the wisdom of time.'
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