Ewoks, Dirty Apes, and a Zoo with a Chipmunk

So what do any of the things from this post's title have to do with each other, you might be wondering? Plenty, I say!!  We have all been filmed in one scenic location...among the towering majestic redwoods of Muir Woods National Park!

 

President Theodore Roosevelt used authority granted him by the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the park by proclamation on January 9, 1908. In doing so he honored John Muir (founder of The Sierra Club), the “Father of the National Park System," and created the country’s tenth National Monument.

Muir Woods was the first National Monument created from land donated by private individuals (William and Elizabeth Kent), the first created to preserve a living species (the Coast redwood), and the first created in an “urban setting.”

 

There is an amazing cross-section cut of one of the trees that began around 909 AD that gives you a glimpse into how much of our history these incredible giants have witnesses over the thousand years it stood. 

 

This one tree, before it fell in 1930, had seen the lives of countless Native Americans being born and witnessed the arrival of the white man and his New World and lived to tell us about it.
This tree stood proud through the French Revolution, The Declaration of Indepence being signed, the California Gold Rush, the Wild West and so much more! To me, that is simply amazing!

 

Some of these trees are well over a thousand years old and as tall as a 25 stories tall building!!
Here is a fun photo to help you imagine how tall one of these trees might grow...

Mind-boggling indeed!

But if you are a geek at heart as I am, all of that may be mind blowing, but it's not even the coolest part!

Enjoy these lovely nature photos, then we will talk fandom and film near the end!




Using my companions for height comparison,
which didn't work well as you cannot see
the top of the tree due to its height!

 

Some of these trees are so large, you
can fit a NinjaChipmunk inside!

 

 

 



Straining upwards to try to get a photo
of the top of the trees.

 

See, chipmunks can hide anywhere, we really are the
ninjas of the woodlands!

Look what I found in a tree! An Abby!

More height comparison along the trail,
these trees are abswolutely amazing!!



Mayberry and her Zoo taking a breather





It doesn't get much more peaceful and
tranquil than here.  I could have spent all day
just sitting and thinking.

 Now, as promised, how do all of those words in the title relate to a place as historic and majestic as Muir Woods? So glad you asked!!

This is apparently the place that inspired a famous scene in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes".

The movie, which stars Palo Alto's James Franco, features a scene where apes run across the Golden Gate Bridge and escape to Muir Woods.

And while none of the CGI filled movie was actually filmed in the park, the movie's producers took pictures of Muir Woods' famed redwood trees and replicated them on screen.



Planet of the Ape

 

Imperial bunker site from Return of the Jedi

 Also interesting to note is that Muir Woods was inspiration for the planet Endor and where some of the filming may have occurred of where the lovable and vicious little Ewoks lived in "Return of the Jedi".  As you walk around, it is very easy to see how this is likely true. 

Ewoks of Endor

Does anyone else look at an Ewok and immediately get a sense that Lucas' pet Shih Tzu had inappropriate relations with his Teddy Bear and they were the demented offspring demanding a part in his latest movie??  Just me?  Yeah, probably so. 


Hope you enjoyed this walk through nature with me and thanks for reading!

Special note:  No Ewoks, Imperialists, Dang Dirty Apes or Shih Tzu were harmed in the writing of this blog. Also... I am in no way insinuating that George Lucas is a careless pet owner. Sometimes things just happen.