Sequoias

For all the wandering in awe of human-made environments, nothing quite tops what comes naturally - as in the Giant Sequoias of California. Hats off to California State Parks for the ambience of Calaveras Big Trees State Park.  My wife and I were there over the Fourth of July weekend, when it was so hot we picked the perfect morning and evening light and temperatures in which to walk two miles of trails in the North Grove. For much of the time we had the place to ourselves. These pictures show that for all the high-rises of Hong Kong and the splendor of say, California's state Capitol building, it's hard to beat a primeval forest in the Sierra Nevada at 7:30 in the morning.