We went on a pilgrimage of sorts to Portola Redwoods State Park.  This is one of the California State Parks scheduled to be closed in September, due to budget cuts.  I wanted to make sure to visit this incredible place again while I could (I have inner ear trouble that makes the winding roads leading to it difficult but it was worth it).

It's difficult to convey the magic of a redwood forest.  The trees are immense.  I remembered this place as being particularly wild and primordial.   It reminded me of those old gaslight authors, such as Blackwood, who wrote stories about Nature taking back over in such places.

While walking through the trees, we made our way along the stream, having to cross it now & then.  I still need to get a walking stick so we passed Steve's back and forth as necessary.

We chose the trail (coincidentally, the Iverson Trail) that led to tiptoe falls, a lovely waterfall cascading down a hillside (only the last section was visible to us but we could hear it). Resting a moment by this pool, you could imagine that, if the old pagan gods are still around, this is one place they are.

I'm looking through my treasure trove of photos of which ones to use as a basis for future paintings.  Look for them in my Land Gallery.