At the same time, when one has redwood state and national parks within an hour's drive both north and south, it is rather nice having a place to go to away from one's actual home on a irregular basis. There is a particular creek I have been photographing up and down since the late 70s. It is sort of my backyard, but someone else does the maintenance. I have said good-by to many incredible old maples (Big-leaf) that reached their lifespans (200 yrs) along the creek. Over a few decades, I have watched elevated forests start and flourish on top of fallen redwoods. Changes in the creek, changes in my boys as I photographed them under the redwoods as they grew up.
More tourists every year, but I tend to go less in the summers, so no matter. I prefer the redwoods whan they are wet, but I had a good hike down to the Tall Trees Grove (Redwod Nat. Park) on my birthday earlier this week with just the Rolleiflex and a couple good friends. I get a similar feeling looking around and up at these trees in this grove as I do at the bottom of the Grand Canyon looking up at the rims. Granted it was a Monday and we were early (9:30am), but we saw 6 people on the hike down (2 were coming up) and perhaps 8 people at the Tall Trees Grove (a 1.25 mile hike down from the car park). Not bad for a national park in the summer. This grove had the tallest redwood and several runners-up until recently when even taller redwoods were found.
But a few years back I moved to a small town and am beginning to explore it and the river along side of it...mostly medium format, but it will be interesting to start using the LF cameras a bit more. It is nice not needing to get in a vehicle...I'll just need a cargo bicycle to haul the 11x14 around town and river!
This Big Leaf Maple is now only half of its former self. An 8x10 carbon print. Film was Kodak Copy Film (8x10)
