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After Terra read the last letter she had one complaint.
She wanted larger photos. So I am going to try to accomplish that
this letter... After we finished up in Yosemite valley, we headed south to the Mariposa Grove. Mariposa Grove is a grove of some giant redwood trees or Sequoia trees. This grove of trees is also located in Yosemite National Park. In fact once you enter the park, the road forks - straight or right. If you head straight you head up to Yosemite Valley. If you head right it is about a 2 mile drive up to Mariposa Grove. |
| As luck would have it, the parking lot was full. So we
road the shuttle bus up to the parking lot and then walked around
looking at the trees. Like any national park, there are many
rules and many people. We had planned the trip such that the kids
would have on pants and shoes... then they all dove into the creek and
were soaking wet. This worked out such that they all had on
shorts and pretend shoes (flip flops) so they were dressed perfect for
the little hike that we did around to see all of the trees. As I am trying to write a Mia style letter, there are lots of photos, but few words... The sequoias start out looking like normal pine trees. Then when they get to be about 400 years old, they shed the pine like bark and expose the redwood bark. I am not sure how long they can live for, but according to the park personnel, the oldest tree in the park is 1,800 years old. It is pictured below. Also as these trees grow they drop lower (older) branches, such that the older mature trees in the part look like they grow up to about the height of a pine tree then their branches start and they grow up from there. |
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I am not sure if the kids really found that much entertainment in this stop, but I really enjoyed it. I understand that the grove of sequoias up on the California/Oregon border are bigger, taller, and older, but that is a bit of a long drive. (If I am thinking that it is a bit long to drive, then you know it is a bit of a haul). This information was presented to us at the park, and although feasible, I am not yet convinced as to its truthfulness: According to the information present at the time of our arrival, these trees thrive on forest fires. They apparently don't seed until the heat of a fire activates something in the tree and then their seeds come out. As the branches of the sequoias are so high up, the fire rarely catches them and just burns the undergrowth. This also provides a clear ground for the seeds to not compete with other forms of brush. Also the fires are a strengthening agent to help the tree become stronger. Apparently once the grove was encapsulated in a national park, the trees started to weaken and worsen, until a forest fire went through the area. After this event, the forest service surmised the above theory and started to hold regular controlled burns in the forest. I will also note that I didn't see any signs of recent forest fire activity - controlled or otherwise. |
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Even so,
the trees were impressive. the only one that had an approximate
age given (that we found) was the Grizzly Giant. I am sure there
was other information available about the trees around as well, but
with 4 kids wet from playing in the creek, tired of being in car for
hours, and fed up of their father's enjoyment of "ordinary trees", and
not dressed for the occasion, they managed to distract me enough that I
failed to secure any additional information on the subject and we moved
on. |
| This tree had some photos on a plaque by it from the mid
1850's. The photos were of the US Calvary when they went into
Yosemite valley to usurp the plotting Indian tribes there. They
found this fallen tree and lined up around it for a photo.
Apparently the redwoods don't decompose very well. But the tree
did make for a good spot for a photo. |
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