Continuing the celebration of the upcoming release of Rescuing Riley (book 2 in the Gold Coast Retriever series) I’m here today to talk about trees.

Specifically, giant California redwoods.

You see, one of the main characters in Rescuing Riley is Joshua Bandon, a disabled veteran, who lives in the fictional town of Redwood Cove, California. Redwood Cove borders California’s famous redwood forests and Joshua helps his father run a B&B that caters to tourists who come to visit the parks, and the trees, nearby.

So let’s explore some of what’s known about these magnificent trees, which provide so much majesty to northern California’s natural beauty.

[image error]1. Redwoods are among the tallest living things on earth. Mature trees regularly reach 200 to 240 feet high (that’s roughly the same height as a 20 story building) and 10 to 15 feet in diameter.

The tallest redwood on record is named Hyperion. It (he?) measures 380.3 feet tall (approx. 24 stories) and its location is kept secret to protect the tree.

2. Redwoods are long lived – averaging 500 to 700 years – and are resistant to disease. They have a thick bark with a high tannin content which protects them. It is estimated that redwoods have existed along the northern California coast for at least 20 million years.

3. Efforts began as early as the 1920s to save the giant trees from logging. Harvesting had begun in the mid 19th century to support booming development in San Francisco and other parts of northern California.

Redwood National Park was created in 1968, by which time 90% of the trees had been logged.

In 1980 The United Nations designated the four parks that make up the Redwood National and State Park (RNSP) a World Heritage Site in recognition of the rare ecosystem and cultural history found in the parks.

There are over 50 prehistoric archaeological sites within the park, spanning a history of 4500 years.

4. Famously, scenes from the Star Wars movie, Return of the Jedi, were filmed in the Tall Trees Redwood Grove. Scenes including the Avenue of the Giants, where landspeeders were filmed zipping through the giant trees.

Other movies that have used the forests as inspiring backdrop are Outbreak and The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

5. The summer fog that San Franciscans so often complain about actually plays an important part in redwoods’ survival. The heavy coastal fog that blankets the habitat of the redwoods in summer time is as important to their health as the rain that falls in the winter months.

The fog not only moistens the trees during the summer when they aren’t receiving rain to feed their roots, it brings with it nitrogen, which acts as a fertilizer.

Have you visited any of the parks with their magnificent redwoods in California?

In case you missed the last post on Golden Retrievers, click here.

More about the series:

THE GOLD COAST RETRIEVERS SERIES

There will be 6 books by 6 awesome and talented authors, 6 lovable golden retrievers, and 6 romantic suspense stories.

Saving Sarah by USA Today Bestselling Author Melissa Storm
Rescuing Riley by S.B. Alexander
Guarding Grace by USA Today Bestselling Author Ann Omasta
Protecting Peyton by Becky Muth
Finding Felicity by P. Creeden
Helping Hanna by Emmie Lyn

Saving Sarah will be released on September 7th, 2018. Following Saving Sarah will be Rescuing Riley on September 14, 2018 and then each week thereafter next book in the series will be released.

To find out more about the series and the authors visit Sweet Promise Press Gold Coast Retrievers.

RESCUING RILEY

[image error]Wedding planner Riley Lewis couldn’t wait to spend time with her best friend, Liza. But when she sets foot on California soil, she finds herself thrust into the arms of the handsome ex Navy SEAL Josh Bandon. But she’s not ready for a boyfriend, not after her recent breakup. Yet she can’t help how Josh makes her feel—alive and special.

Disabled veteran Joshua Bandon wanted one thing when he was discharged from the military—peace and quiet in his hometown of Redwood Cove, California where sleepy is the term locals dubbed the resort town. But the bed and breakfast he manages for his dad is anything but sleepy, especially when his service dog, Charlie, greets a tall black hair goddess who makes his heart beat a little faster, something that hasn’t happened since high school.

But Josh isn’t ready to get his heart severed in two. Riley isn’t ready for a steady relationship. Yet the two have a hard time keeping things platonic. Whatever is brewing between them will have to wait when Josh’s cousin, Liza, goes missing, even more so when Riley doesn’t return from a day in San Francisco.

Now Josh is torn. Does he put all his efforts into finding Liza? Or does he tear up the landscape to rescue the one woman who grabbed a hold of his heart the minute Charlie greeted her?

Jump on over and read CHAPTER ONE now!

Find out more about the series and sign up to read the ARC here: GOLD COAST RETRIEVERS SERIES

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[Redwood trees image courtesy Michael Bryant and Unsplash.]

The post Rescuing Riley: 5 Things You Didn’t Know About California Redwoods appeared first on S.B. Alexander.