John Muir
Pictures will not do our last 2 days justice ... but I will try. Our drive across California from San Francisco to King's Canyon/Sequoia (KC/S) was plastered with wind turbines, fruit trees and desert (I know, they don't seem to go together but somehow they manage to coexist). Once at KC/S, we found a campsite then did the tourist thing. The General Sherman is every bit as majestic as one might imagine and the sunset on our drive back to our campsite was absolutely spectacular!
But the real experience John Muir speaks of came Sunday. On a 10-mile hike away from tourists and paved trails, we found ourselves entranced by the groves of sequoias, the views of the high sierra mountains, the myriad wildflowers, the massiveness of the trees (not just sequoias), the color of the sequoias, the constantly changing terrain, the effects of elevation of our lungs and, did I mention the sequoias?
The tourist portion of KC/S:
Looking up a Sequoia. Apparently, a sequoia is to a 6-foot human as a 6-foot human is to a mouse ... that's quite a ways up!
Dirt-worshiping tree-hugger ...
One of these cones belongs to a sequoia and the other to a sugar pine. Any guesses?OK - so I'll tell you. The sugar pine is the tallest of pine trees & has cones bigger than Betsy's head - they're really somethin'! The giant sequoia - the largest tree in the world (by volume) has cones that fit in the palm of my hand. Weird.
Ah, General Sherman.
Crazy as it seems, this "tree" Betsy is standing on is actually a fallen branch of the General!
Driving under a fallen tree ... but not the biggest fallen tree we'll see!
One of the most beautiful sunsets ever seen over the high Sierra of KC/S.
Some perspective. On our 10-mile hike we got away from crowds and fences and paved trail and found ourselves feeling quite small in the groves of sequoias!Now for some wildflowers:
OK - so this is Fallen Giant. We are standing - actually, being dwarfed by - the base of the tree. Here's another one just for fun standing inside the fallen tree:
And one stitched photo of a sequoia:
Hope you enjoyed King's Canyon/Sequoia as much as we did! Now a quick stop in Fresno for food and fuel and we're off to Yosemite.
5 comments:
Wow.
I can't wait to get out there. Just reading your post makes me want to hop a plane. It's just so beautiful! Thanks for the great pictures and perspectives (poor mice!).
PS -- I was wondering if you did a little more than just "hang out" with Madeline the tattoo artist. Nice new footie.
PPS -- What's with the Albanian months on your post log? Funny girls.
Hey B&B~
This is awesome. You are in some of my favorite places and you are some of my favorite people. Reading your exploits, adventures and reflections I am simultaneously envious and overjoyed. I think about walking around the Mission district and talking about John Muir or which tatoos are written in the palm of God's hand.
Cheers from the other coast,
non-Minnesota Sven
Oh, I'm imagining the crisp air as I see your pictures! So how hot was it in Fresno? The last time I was there in the summertime, it was like 110 degrees.
Thanks for sharing these pics and your adventures with us.
I'm reminded of the song "particle man"... When he's under water does he get wet or does the water get him instead... With a tree that big if you hit it with your car, do you wrap your car around a tree or does the tree wrap around the car?
There hasn't been any activity on your blog for 5 days...we hope your laptops haven't been stolen by bears!
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