00:06I'm Rissa, I'm one of your R29 producers, and we're here today in Bonnington, California,
00:11visiting the O2 Pinecone Treehouse. I am here at the Pinecone Treehouse Forest for two reasons.
00:17First, and probably most important, is that I want to escape a city and all the risks and
00:20annoyances that come with living in a building with hundreds of people that you don't see,
00:25that's definitely here, and probably smell. And secondly, as a person who loves to explore,
00:29having the chance to come to Bonnington Forest for a weekend getaway, I had to say yes.
00:34Okay, you guys, we made it here to Donnie Boone. We are in front of the Pinecone House. It is
00:38spectacular. Let's go. So this pinecone structure will immerse you in 360-degree views of coastal
00:44redwood trees. It rises 50 feet above the forest floor and is composed of 56 laser steel diamond
00:50frames. Every piece of this design was custom-built, and the architect kept the idea of sustainability
00:55in mind. The only way to enter the Pinecone Pod is through an alternating stepladder.
01:01It's kind of steep, but, like, it's doable. We have this cool rope. Let's go.
01:08I made it. We are here in the treehouse. Dude, this is so pretty. It's so cute. I think it's
01:13a little
01:13smaller than I thought it was gonna be, but it definitely is a pod, as they described it online.
01:19Bed looks super soft. I'm gonna take off my outside clothes because I'm an animal before I get in it,
01:23but I thought it was, like, a small panic attack walking up the stairs from clutching on to the
01:27rail so tightly. That did not happen. I walked up, made it. Amenities check! Woop, woop, woop! Okay,
01:34so we have some cute lounge spots for a couple. I think that they said that this bed could either
01:38be,
01:39like, one single or two doubles. We have our lights. Ooh! There's dimmers on it, too, so romantic. We
01:47have our heater. Honestly, I'm not saying it's lacking humidities, but it has just enough for the
01:52perfect night. I tried to open a window, and I succeeded, but they are quite heavy. Um, do they
01:58all open? Okay, that one opens, but if I slip while opening that, I am sliding down, so these will
02:05be
02:05staying closed. Very cool. We're gonna go down to the bathroom, check it out. I hear that there's a
02:10composting toilet. I know nothing about that. Gonna go learn. Guys, I just opened the door. There is a lot,
02:15but that's fine. Okay, we're gonna go downstairs. That's not a good start. Going down, going down.
02:23We're in the bathroom, which is directly below the Pinecone Treehouse. You access it through a
02:2725-foot ramp. It's a pretty small space, but it does have great views, like, the rest of the
02:31treehouse. But, like, beside me, you'll see the composting toilet. I was kind of wary of it when I
02:37first walked in, but no smell, and it's pretty easy to use. So there is a pile of wood chips
02:42next to the
02:43toilet. After you're done, take a, like, a generous scoop. You put it in and then crank it a little
02:48a few times
02:49on the bottom just to help with the decomposing process. Really simple, really sanitary. The shower is
02:56directly in front of me, and we have this sink to our right. Mirror, mirror, not on the wall. This
03:02is the most
03:03handsome forest of the mall. So after you're done with your business, we know what that is, you can just
03:08open these
03:08doors and voila, it's nature's Febreze. But if you look around, you'll see many different colors of wood and
03:16different sizes. So this is all reclaimed wood from the boards to the paneling on the sides. And it really
03:24just
03:24speaks to how sustainable this place actually is. Unlike the treehouse, it actually locks another layer of
03:31privacy. So what's really cool about the shower is that the water goes directly down into the grate below. Water
03:36off your back, literally onto the ground, and into the trees. How cool is that?
03:42We are actually underneath the pinecone now. This is a little hammock space where you can go to, maybe if
03:51you have
03:52too much time with your partner or whoever you're here with, this is another indoor space that you guys can
03:56occupy. You can
03:58look straight down from here, which is pretty cool, and not as frightening as I would think it is.
04:04Each time I go up and down, it's a little less intimidating. I'm no longer just watching my feet as
04:10I go down.
04:11But a pro tip, I've found, is make sure that your hair is pulled back as you're descending the stairs
04:15so you can
04:16really see where your feet are landing. Looking around, I definitely see the lines of where it's suspended.
04:23But it's honestly just these really thick redwood trees around me. In the distance, you can hear the
04:30trucks on the road, which isn't too far away. It's that perfect balance of someone can hear you, but they
04:36can't always see you. And so you do have that cloak of privacy, which is awesome.
04:43Okay, so I fell asleep a little early around 4.30. What do you say, Nicole? Around 4.30. But
04:51keep
04:52it in mind, we had a long day. Honestly, you can't really see much outside because it is pitch black.
04:57The
04:57structure does sway a little bit because it is hooked to the trees that also do sway. The biggest challenge
05:04is
05:04going to be drinking enough water to stay hydrated and have our skin looking nice and smooth, but to
05:09not drink enough where we have to go and pee at four in the morning downstairs. Yeah, so we're going
05:17to
05:17sleep. We'll catch you in the morning. Talk about for now. Good morning, world. We slept soundly. I mean, it's
05:25not like a
05:26Tempur-Pedic mattress, but very well. We had a long day yesterday. So last night was amazing. It was cold.
05:34It
05:34gets cold out here, guys. But we turned on the heater. It took around 15 minutes to warm up the
05:39entire
05:39space. Honestly, I think like the sway of the pod really, it's like it kind of walks you to bed.
05:46The sunrise was
05:47so beautiful. I really just like laid in bed and took it in. 360 views, guys. I'm not going to
05:53knock it. So great. I was
05:54scared. I'm not great with heights. I think it's a human thing, right? Fear falling is human. But this felt
06:00like really sturdy and I got over it really quickly like once I got here. The structure is suspended on
06:04redwood trees and every single day as the trees grow bigger and stronger, the structure becomes more
06:10fortified in this environment. And once I realized that, my fear kind of melted away. One thing that is
06:16scary is that if you jump, the structure will shake and you remember that you are 50 feet above the
06:23ground, which is never a great reminder. This isn't a place for like a dance party, but it is really
06:27a
06:28place for yoga, meditation, read a book, knit, chiller hobbies. I didn't have expectations going into this
06:35experience. I knew that we'd be in a true house and I knew that it was beautiful, but to actually
06:40have
06:40the photos like match up with what you see and to be suspended in the air was something I really
06:46couldn't like fathom before I got here. 10 out of 10 would recommend for those who are not fans of
06:52heights but aren't afraid to take a little adventure. But overall, I had a fantastic time.
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