Located near Santa Barbara, in the beach town of Carpinteria, lies the the king of the Torrey Pines; the grandaddy of them all. BEHOLD...
Yea, yea, I know it isn't as exciting as a oversized artichoke or world's longest garlic wreath, but let's give some credit to this Torrey Pine for standing tall and proud in its respective field. Also, what the hell is a Torrey Pine?
The unsung hero of the pine family, the Torrey Pine is actually an endangered species at this point. Grown only in San Diego and random coastal parts of California, they’re a rare bird to most folks in the US.
And what we have here is the the King Kong of them all; the quarterback, the CEO, the man with the master plan. Measuring 126 feet tall, with a 20' 5" circumference, and 130' branch spread, the tree is massive, even sporting a fancy landmark plaque to celebrate the achievement.
Still got no love for this Torrey Pine? Well, I'll have you know that it's a celebrity and local icon in the San Diego County region, where it has lent its name to parks (Torrey Pines State Reserve) Golf Courses (Torrey Pines Golf Course) High schools and other local businesses. What have you done with your life lately?
HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN?
Nicknamed the Wardholme Torrey Pine, this tree was brought from Santa Rosa Island in 1888. Still a seedling when it arrived on California soil, landowner Judge Thomas Ward planted it on his lawn, and the good times started to roll.
When Thomas died, his wife Florence Ward inherited the property and took great care of the tree, personally watering and maintaining it every day. Once she realized how much bigger it was getting than the others in the area, she proposed making it an Official landmark, thus receiving State protection. Eventually, her plan worked, and in 1968 the tree became Carpinteria's first official landmark.
A side note: As ridiculous as it sounds, legend indicates that the 1880’s was an era when local residents of Carpinteria had competitions to see who could grow the largest Torrey Pine. Looks like good ol' T. Ward will be riding that title for a long time.
