Architecture and Redwoods

To-day we kicked off by visiting the Marin County Civic Center (sic) which is the administrative centre for the area. It is just up the road and was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the Fifties, finally being completed amidst great controversy in the early Seventies. For a building serving a population of around 300,000 it's extraordinary. This is the patio outside the canteen, with views of the surrounding hills. It's too big to photograph easily so I suggest you google it for a good look. It is different!



One of the many handy amenities of the 160-acre site is an underground jail for housing people awaiting trial. This is the top of one of the light shafts - indirect sunlight only for suspected lawbreakers in Marin.





Then we went off to have a look at some giant Redwood trees at Muir Woods National Monument. Many of these are Old Growth, in other words have been there since the year dot or before. They certainly are impressive! Not only that, the three of us got in for nothing, including car parking, on the strength of a card Carolyn bought at St Augustine in Florida a couple of years ago for $10 (the OAP admission was $7 each alone). The card lasts for life and is therefore ridiculously good value. You do wonder sometimes what Uncle Sam is thinking about!





The trees are all of a similar (great) height and come in clusters, often multiple trunks from a single base. The paths are very well maintained by an army of volunteers.






This is a section through a tree that fell down a few years ago - a mere stripling of 1100 years.




This tree has been here since 1776 when America was just a baby. Amazing.