More than a tree

The biggest trees on the planet? That all depends on what you mean by biggest. Giant Sequoias are the biggest if you are considering weight and girth. But if you are going by height, it’s the Coast Redwood. They dominate the northwestern Californian coast as you drive south on 101 and spiral upwards — on occasion — to 390 feet. I met a family who had visited the Redwood NP. They were from Illinois by way of Australia and had one word for their hikes through the towering stands of majestic trees: humbling. I couldn’t agree more. Crescent City, the first large town you enter when crossing over from Oregon, has experienced tough times in recent years, owing in large part to lumber and fishing restrictions, and Mike, a friendly guy I sat next to in Crescent City’s Port O’Pints pub, painted a grim picture of the area his family moved to from southern CA in 1968. But he loves to dance, and that’s what he did when the band started playing.