thats a big ole tree

THATS A BIG OLE TREE

i had read about this ole fig tree and saw pictures and saw it in a documentary on santa barbara
but
i had never seen it live

yesterday my wife she and i did a walking tour of the ocean front area of santa barbara
we have wanted to do that for several years since we moved here
but
covid got in the way
so
i saw a break in our schedule and we felt it was time
so
we scheduled the tour yesterday

the tour lasted 2 hours and started at the maritime museum on the harbor and ended by the amtrak station at this big ole fig tree called the moreton bay fig tree

a lot of history was learned during that 2 hour walking tour
at the harbor sitting just outside it was a huge passenger ship emptying off lots of tourists to see the santa barbara area

in our group were local folks one a harbor patrol person a couple of folks from australia a couple from brazil and mexico and a fellow from england
everyone had an accent including my texas drawl

the part i was anxious to get to was to see the big ole fig tree
it didnt disappoint me

an australian sailor brought the seedling to santa barbara in 1876 gave it to a young girl whose friend planted it in its present location
it has since survived and grown to its huge size now
its official name is the moreton bay fig tree since it came from moreton bay in australia
its scientific name is ficus macrophylla
its fruit is not edible
they are small hard fruits
it is about 80 ft tall and its canopy is 175 ft
it is listed on the registry of big trees
its the biggest fig tree in california

it is located 1 block off the 101 freeway
the freeway was built up to accommodate the big roots of the tree
before the 1990s there use to be a stop light on the highway before the freeway was built
the fig tree was a common site for hitchhikers to rest to pick up a ride
our guide use to play under the tree with friends when he was a child
families use to picnic under its canopy

now there is a chain link fence around it to protect it from vagrancy

so
now
my wife she and i can check this one off our long local bucket list

get to know your local history

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