Day 12 Tulare CA to Sequoia National Park to Squaw Valley CA

 June 23, 2024  Mileage   Start:  26369 End:  26492  Total: Day/Time  123/3787

About an hour drive out of Tulare east and up to Sequoia National Park. The first half hour was grove after grove - pistachios, tangerines, avocados, and olives. The second half hour climbed through the foothills into Sequoia National Park, a part of the Sierra Nevada range. The scenery was spectacular, and the trees - especially the Redwoods - were amazing, through Sequoia and on into King's Canyon National Park, adjacent to it. Their size, for a tree, is nearly incomprehensible. The General Grant Tree is one of the 3 largest in the world (measured by trunk volume), 268 feet tall, with a base 40 feet wide at one point and a circumference (distance around, rusty mathematicians) of 108 feet and a volume of 46,600 cubic feet. 7 of the 10 largest trees in the world are found in the 2 parks. And you'll see, it's interesting - they reach a height and can't grow any higher, so they just develop a crown and spread out. The oldest trees look dead at the top. or broken off - but they're not. Ready science geeks? Not enough vascular pressure to raise the water and nutrients any higher...so they just stop there. Trunk grows bigger, new branches emerge at the crown, but no higher! Oh, and they estimate the "Giants" are between 1700 and 3000 years old. Amazing!

See, I'm not really that big...


4 siblings, growing up together.

We got to hike through a redwood; this one was partially hollowed out and 40-50 feet long.


The next 2 are the Grant tree, note the crown in the second photo. Class is over for today, but remember poor Rita, she has to ride around with me all day. Every day.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 18 Gila Bend AZ to Organ Pipe and Saguaro to Sunsites AZ

Image
June 29, 2024   Mileage   Start:  27808  End:  28153  Total:  Day/Trip  345/5442 It's Cactus Day! Besides being in the desert, again, we visited Organ Pipe National Monument and Saguaro National Park before stopping for the day. While both contained saguaro, cholla, barrel, and prickly pear cactus, the only organ pipes were in...Organ Pipe. Saguaro also had several varieties of cholla. There were rock formations, but the highlight of these 2 parks were the cacti. First picture is the namesake of the first park - the organ pipe cactus. There are a couple of smaller ones around it, and a few saguaros in the background. One of the 2 new varieties of cholla cactus here. Many signs warning people to stay clear of them and carry tweezers to remove the spines. We just kept our distance, thank you very much. Next shot is a double arch from Organ Pipe, look closely at the top to see the second arch "piggybacked" on the first. A view with saguaros...
Read more

Day 8: Grand Junction CO to Arches (Moab, UT)

Image
 June 19th, 2024   Mileage  Start:  25039   End: 25236     Total: Day/Trip  197/2531 A relatively short hour and 40 minute drive, largely on I-70, then south. Had 10 a.m. reservations (and my Senior Parks Pass), sailed in at 9:48, whisked me right in. Pit stop at the visitors center, then we began the 18 mile drive through the park. There were roadside formations, short hikes to formations, and long hikes to formations. It was 94 degrees in the park. We didn't do any long hikes, but did several in the quarter-half mile range. Cliffs, hoodoos, balanced rocks, arches of course, and just some cool rock formations. Awed, humbled, thankful for such an amazing display of nature and God's handiwork. We agreed it exceeded our expectations. Dinner at Moab Brewery, too hungry to take pictures of the food and so thirsty we finished a few before we remembered to take a picture. We had a filtered wheat, an unfiltered wheat, hazy IPA, English amber, a...
Read more

Day 6 Bartlesville, OK to Evergreen, CO

Image
 June 17, 2024  Mileage  Start: 23953  End: 24632    Total:  Day/Trip  679/1927 A long drive, the longest of our trip. Mostly I-70, but a lot of empty 2-lanes before we got to 70. Blessed once again with clear skies and light traffic (except Denver at 4:30, but I anticipated that). On the road about 9 hours and 40 minutes total. The most memorable parts of the drive: lots of BIG wind farms, plus high winds that caused several areas of restricted visibility due to blowing dust. And farm land, farm land, farm land. And flat rocks. Went to dinner-surprise!- at a craft brewery 5 miles from the hotel, Evergreen Craft Brewery. Small and uncrowded, we got a flight, a NY-style wood-fired pizza, and a salad. All (yes, even the salad) were really good. For those keeping track, bottom to top: Belgian  Blonde, Mexican Amber Ale, Kolsch, and Belgian Golden Strong. We liked them so well we split a 5th 5oz. glass, a Hazy Pale Ale, also good. And we're out o...
Read more