Find a Way to See the Redwoods

I don't care how you get there. Drive up the 101, fly into San Francisco and rent a car, hitch a ride. Figure it out.

The coastal redwoods in Northern California are the tallest living things on earth, and standing among them is one of those experiences that recalibrates something. The scale works on you differently than the Grand Canyon. The canyon overwhelms you with horizontal space. The redwoods overwhelm you with height and silence. It's quieter than it should be. The light comes through in a way that doesn't look like light from anywhere else.

If you live in the Bay Area, you have no excuse. Muir Woods is an hour from San Francisco and while it gets crowded, it still works. For the full experience, drive further north. Prairie Creek, Jedediah Smith, Avenue of the Giants. Give it a full day.

Just go.