Sequoia National Park, California 1972

This photo captures a quiet moment on a winding forest road in Sequoia National Park in 1972, where a compact early-1970s car appears almost toy-sized beside the immense trunks of giant sequoias. These ancient trees—some over 2,000 years old—dwarf everything around them, their cinnamon-coloured bark glowing in the cool winter light. A thin dusting of snow lingers along the roadside, a reminder that at this elevation the seasons arrive differently and the air feels noticeably sharper.

At the time this was taken, driving through the groves was very much part of the experience. Roads passed impossibly close to the trees, with tight bends, steep climbs, and sudden blind corners that required patience more than speed—hence the simple but emphatic KEEP RIGHT sign. Today, increased protections and heavy visitor traffic mean many of these routes have changed or been restricted, making this photo a glimpse of an earlier, slower era of national park travel.

For countless travellers, scenes like this became lasting memories: windows down, pine scent hanging in the air, and the sudden realisation—usually without warning—that they had entered a forest older than recorded history. Even now, more than fifty years later, the moment feels timeless: a quiet road, a Ford Pinto, and trees that make everything human seem temporary by comparison.