Sequoia National Park... and the Right Time of Year... Again!

Most ever'body goes to the "Big" Attractions all summer long... and all they see... is what ever'body else sees... Me? I make that mistake every once in a while. I tried that once last summer... took me three hours to go five miles across Yellowstone! :o) ... all because of One... single... mediocre... Buffalo Bull... takin' a nap alongside the road...

*Sequoia National Park - North Gate*

Sequoia National Park, beautiful as it is... and as close as it is to twenty billion Californians... I'm guessing is nigh on to impassible in the summertime... a fella like me would need a bucket of Valium to tolerate that much jabberin' in a day!

Sheesh... even now... we were walkin' up the path... comin' back to the rig from takin' a look-see at the Sherman Sequoia... the absolute biggest living thing on Earth I guess...

There was a Guy... 150... maybe 200 yards behind us... and I could clearly hear... every word of the conversation from HIS side of the conversation he was having with a girl I took to be his daughter... and folks... this Ol' Buster has Artillery Ears... know what I mean?

Lordy... what is it, that makes some people think that the only way to talk... is at the top of your lungs? and in a place that's, to me... more like a true Church... than anything built by a man? I remember thinkin'... what would it be like with that... times a thousand... in the summer! and this lil' tirade is comin' from a guy that's ALSO known as being less-than-quiet... so... I know what the devil I'm talkin' 'bout here! :o)

When you're in Church folks... shhhh... Boyo Boy! Was this Ol' Cowboy Biker glad he was here in November! :o)

I'd hoped to take the Raider through the park... but with weather comin' in... something told me to take something with doors and a roof... so we climbed in the Dodge instead... turned out to be a wise choice... occasionally, I'm lucky enough to make one of those. 

So... we left the Horse Creek camp, built by the U.S. Army, Corps at Lake Kaweah, just above Lemon Grove... and turned up Dry Creek road to get to the top end of Sequoia. (To also miss the construction on the lower end that would be shut down... by the time we got there in the afternoon)

Now that's a pretty road... 'bout a lane and a half... and I made herself drive! hee hee... ranches and cattle along the way... If I had a jillion dollars... a spot in there for a base camp, would be a nice setup!

*California Ranch Horses below Sequoia Nat. Park*

The ranches, cattle, and Horses... standing along the way... brought back a lot of memories...

You'll want to have complete use of your arms though... those puppies are gonna get a work out! :o) and I'd not take a motorhome or fiver over that road... You wanna talk twisties... and all only about a lane and a half wide... a Big rig on that lil' piece of pavement would make for a real unpleasant day.

But... just a truck... and I get to be passenger for a change... kinda nice!

As we climbed into the trees, looking back, you could see the fog starting to fill the valley below...

*Fog moving in below Sequoia National Park*

Like I said... come to places in Off seasons... you can get a whole different perspective of the country... and have the ability to enjoy it... and soak it up... without all the clamorin' goin' on around you... Sweet!

We walked around The General Grant tree...

*General Grant Sequoia*

and his buddy the General Sherman... supposedly the biggest tree on earth...

*General Sherman Sequoia*

Making a photograph of these suckers is a tough deal... if you get back far enough, to get the whole tree in the frame... it either disappears, hidden by the other trees in the forest... or it looks so small... you lose all perspective of just how magnificent they are....

Like that Sherman tree... my 30' fiver, would fit, inside it... with about ten feet to spare!

It just amazes me... when you see folks walkin' around... snappin' pictures... and you can SEE... in their Eyes... that they Don't Get It... They're just Collecting "Notches" on their traveling belts... all the places they've been that they can brag about when trying to impress their friends...

and they Don't Get It...

They Just Touched the Face of God... and they Don't Get It... aw well... some do...

Up on top, amongst the groves is a place called Moro Rock... Heidi tried to climb it once... when she was lil'... and ended up... only part way... crawling on her hands and knees...

We only made it, maybe half way up this time... that fog that was rolling in... talked us into turning back... didn't take much Talking either. :o)

on the way up...

*Fog rolling in as we climbed Moro Rock*

and then... 'bout five minutes later...

*Climbing Moro Rock... Peering into the fog!*

See?... Awesome Beauty... even in bad weather... sometimes... it's the bad weather... that makes things come clearer?

I'm always trying to get some perspective of these giant trees in pictures... like I said... It's tough...

*Giant Sequoia Tree Dwarfing a large building*

But... if you take into consideration... that this tree... the Sentinel tree if I remember correctly, is considered just average size... not even a Big one... you start to get the Picture! :o)

The Cummins wanted to do it's part to help you really See these magnificent Trees too...

and then... the fog really started moving in...

*Foggy Sequoia*

Kind of a Giants in the Mist sort of a day... awesome Beauty...

So... just before herself snapped this pic, of the South Gate Sign, for me... I'd taken over driving chores to take us down through the fog... we round a bend... and there's a nice ol' black bear...

*Sequoia National Park - South Gate*

Luckily... the heavy fog, visibility about 50 feet... only lasted for a few miles... more like a layer of clouds we drove down through...

anyhoo... back to our Black Bear... he moved into the trees too quick to get his portrait... we were grousin' 'bout missin' that pic... when... maybe a half mile later... Momma Black and her brown cub are strollin' through a small meadow in front of us... and again, made it to thick cover... 'fore we could unlimber a camera...

But... there they were... right in front of our Eyes... I promise you... I was Gettin' It! Maybe we failed to capture the photograph... but we did capture... much greater Treasure! HooYa!

I read something yesterday... "A man Lucky enough to spend a day in the mountains... is Lucky Enough."

... Something I hope to be able to remember...

Getting ready to turn SE for the Desert...
Brian

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