Driving the Avenue of Giants on a Rainy Day

This is the forest primeval.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem, Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie was published in 1847.  As we drive through the Avenue of the Giants, I think about the opening lines of this poem.

Our first visit to the

giant trees at Humboldt

Redwoods State Park.

Over 17,000 old growth

redwoods, many over 300

feet, are found here.

This is the forest primeval.  The murmuring pines and hemlocks,

Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight,

It's just us, giant
redwoods & the rain.

Throughout our drive
we saw a handful
of cars.

It's so quiet here, I swear I can hear the trees breathing.

Eric hugged a tree.

Humboldt Redwoods State Park was created in 1921, to save the oldest redwoods 

in this part of California.

We stopped to see 

the Immortal Tree.

This 1,000 year old tree has

survived lightning, fire,

 flooding & loggers.

Stand like Druids of the eld, with voices sad and prophetic,

I wonder what creatures
live in this tree.

Fog descends up

ahead of us.

Eric drove through a tree at
Shrine's Drive-Thru Tree.

The tree is privately owned.  We paid $6.00 for the experience. 

The skies are clearing.

On a rainy day, the
Avenue of the Pines
is a serene experience.