El Corte de Madera Creek, Part 2

I went back to El Corte de Madera Open Space Preserve today to visit the old growth redwoods. (Link to Part 1.) It turns out there is an old growth redwood. Singular. One tree. Oh well. It was still a nice hike.









More of those madrones (Arbutus menziesii) we saw last time.



Madrone green + California blue, a lovely color combination.



And another plant from the Ericaceae, Evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum). I never find ripe berries to taste.



I don't know if it was the different geology on this aspect of the Preserve or just different meterology but the experience today was very different than last week. For one thing, no fog drip at all. At points it felt more like a hike in the Sierra than a hike near the coast.





By turns, this Preserve evokes the forest primeval and a well-maintained state park.









I arrived at the old growth redwood after hiking two hours. We see lots of big trees in California (visit Big Trees State Park North Grove, South Grove), but a truly big tree is always something remarkable to behold.



Alas, the smaller trees surrounding this one made it hard to get a good look.