Muir Woods

During my recent visit with my son in San Francisco, we decided to visit Muir Woods. We were pleasantly surprised when he was able to get us a parking reservation, which is the only way one can visit Muir Woods these days. This national monument has became so incredibly popular in recent years, and, especially since the arrival of Covid, requiring reservations keeps the number of simultaneous visitors down to a reasonable amount.

We took our time strolling through the main path of Muir Woods, always looking upward with awe at the incredible redwoods. The environment is lush; one feels completely surrounded by nature. Cameras in hand, we stopped frequently to breathe in the fresh air and enjoy this very serene and inspiring place. Muir Woods is truly special. I felt immediately tranquil upon entering the main grove. It helped that the number of other visitors was low, and so instead of feeling crowded or rushed, with zero effort, all I felt was an immediate soothing of the senses, as a peaceful meditative calmness came over me.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from this memorable visit.

Muir Woods #1

Muir Woods #2

The main nature walk is two paths that go along both sides of Redwood Creek. Most folks walk to the end on one side, cross a small bridge, and return on the other side.

Redwood Creek

Muir Woods' Main Trail

Muir Woods #3

Muir Woods #4

Muir Woods #5

Muir Woods #6

Muir Woods #7

All photos © 2022, all rights reserved.  Contact phil@philslens.com for licensing or to order prints.

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Restful Res

We are so fortunate to live near the "res." I find that the local reservoir provides welcome peace and tranquility when I walk there. Here are some cell phone photos I recently took during one such outing.

Walking can be quite meditative in a location like this. It just takes an awareness of the present to notice;)

Water Dimples

Rock Islands

Res at Rest

 All photos © 2021, all rights reserved.  Contact philslens@gmail.com for licensing or to order prints.

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Tranquility Base

For those regular readers of this blog, you know that I walk around "the res" a lot. I've gone around it several hundred times. Now you might wonder what is the attraction. I enjoy the exercise, and also a walking meditation. Sometimes I use the time to work through problems that kept me up the night before. Other times I use it as a true meditation break, keeping in the moment, concentrating on my steps and what I see, not trying to judge or analyze but just to accept the beauty of my surroundings, and the changing views as I make my way around. And then there is something soothing about water. While I love a walk in the woods, a walk in the woods where one is always in sight of water is even better.

The reservoir surface is never really the same every time. Sometimes it is choppy, other times quiet, still, and smooth. Sometimes reflecting the clouds above, sometimes almost black with few reflections. The wind, the sun, the clouds, the time of day all affect these observations.

I'm just going to share a single photo in this post. It isn't even taken with my beloved Olympus camera, but rather with my cell phone. Often it's more about the moment than about resolution or sensor size or any other specs. Sometimes it's just about seeing what's in front of you.

I call this "Peace and Tranquility", because that's how I feel when I look at it, and that's the feeling I had when I took it.

Peace and Tranquility

All photos © 2017, all rights reserved.  Contact me for licensing or to order prints.

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