What excitement! This portion of the trip was one I had been looking forward to...seeing the giant redwoods! However, first we had to get there and find camp nearby. No problem...we were headed to Three Rivers, California and had reservations to stay at the Sequoia RV Ranch. This would be our gateway to the giants and the Sequoia National Park.
On May 25, we were up and rolling at 10:00 a.m. and headed to Three Rivers, which was supposed to be a three hour drive with 60F (15.5C), blue skies and a gentle breeze. The landscape before us morphed from dry, scraggy rocks and scrub brush...
CA-155 north was a gradual climb in elevation towards 5,700 feet and slithered around the outskirts of the Sequoia National Forest. Around every curve we were greeted with cooler, misty woodlands against a sky that turned a dingy grey.
Gradually, the road became enveloped in fog with limited visibility of 50-100 feet in a land of Ponderosa Pines. The guardrail on the road disappeared and as we kept climbing, the left side of the road became a sheer drop-off. Very spooky! This was, by far, the most dangerous stretch of fourteen miles we had ever driven. It took us one hour to navigate this zig-zag stretch of 180 degree turns and our average speed was a crawling 10-15 mph. Although our rigs and tow cars were handling this portion of the drive well, it was frightening being in such a large vehicle pulling so much weight around hairpin curves in the fog. Easier for cars - not easy for large trucks and RV's.
Finally, after that white knuckle ride, the road opened up into a scene of soft yellow grasses covering the hillsides.
Our mascot, who we nicknamed Ranger Christopher, was keeping watch with his extra pair of eyes on the road (thanks, mom and dad!). But, I think he passed out from fright after that scary piece of roadway ended.
That drive required a rest so we found a little town called Glennville, population of 131, where we pulled over and got out to stretch our legs...and calm our nerves. Then we headed northeast from CA-155 onto Jack Ranch Road where the plains flattened out and the skies turned gloomy and overcast with outside air cooled at 57F (13.8C).
We traveled the narrow Mountain Road 109. Then the landscape grew desolate with dry grass and no greenery for miles once we were on CR-J22 heading northwest. Suddenly we sighted orange groves which "popped up" on both sides of the road in perfect rows far into the distance. One of the big joys of this trip was watching the terrain constantly change around me. I had the best vantage point from my passenger seat in front of a huge picture window (front windshield). What sights! I was seeing just how truly vast, amazing and beautiful our country really was.
Once north on CA-65, Lake Kaweah and lemon trees welcomed us. We crossed over the gorgeous Kaweah River and found our campground on North Fork Drive.
We were glad to arrive. The check-in center at the campground was rustic with a small library/game area and an old wood burning fireplace for gathering and socializing on cold nights.
Rick and I had a 30amp campsite (less electric power than a 50amp) with water but no sewer hookup. The campground had only one 50amp available with sewer and water when we checked in so we gave that to our traveling companions Janet and Ralph. It was Memorial Day (US holiday) weekend so campgrounds were full thus sites were hard to find. So, we took what we could get. The sites were gravel and level and each had their own fire pit. It was nice and cozy. We set up camp then enjoyed the outdoors before the sun began to set. To bed early that night because the next day we were headed to Sequoia National Park.
The next morning we four piled into Ralph and Janet's SUV and drove to town to enjoy a great breakfast at The Gateway Restaurant along the Kaweah River.
As we were eating, I noticed a flat rock across the river with a table and two chairs on it (circled in black). When I asked our server about it, she told us that at a cost of $300.00 US any couple could dine on the rock. The price included full service and a choice of anything from the menu. The waiter/waitress would have to cross the rapids via a trail downstream. That was certainly unique...but I wouldn't want to be that waiter/waitress.
The time had come - we were actually going to see the great redwoods! As we looked out our car windows at the blue skies, fluffy white clouds and temperature of 59F (15C), we couldn't believe that the Sequoia National Park weather forecast showed snow expectations within an hour. How weird! It never did snow that day but it seemed strange to the eye that it had actually been in the forecast.
Once again, Rick's lifetime senior Gold Pass came in handy as we gained free entry into yet another National Park. Otherwise, the cost would have been $20.00 for a single vehicle entry.
This was our dash GPS map as we drove through the park. I had to show you just how twisted the road was (blue line) through the mountains. This is similar to what we experienced the day before driving in the motor home.
This sign advertised "the deadly river" below reminding those that wanted to wade or swim into the water that people die in this river every year due to drowning. Sobering thought.
We drove higher and higher into 6,000 foot elevation with temperatures dropping to 49F (9C), but the sights were breathtaking. The panorama changed to dense woodlands as we neared the Giant Forest. Notice the paved, white road in the photo below curving up the mountain side. This was the path we followed all the way up, winding and twisting like a corkscrew.
Sequoias have a very specific climate and grow naturally only in a narrow 260 mile strip of mixed conifer forest along the western Sierra Nevada mountains in elevations between 5,000 and 7,000 feet. I found this map on the internet that depicts the area where we were (circled in black) in correlation to the state of California.
The higher we climbed, the trees became bigger in girth and height and were dwarfing vehicles traveling by them. The Giant Forest hosts four of the five largest Sequoias all within three square miles of each other.
We parked at the Sequoia Museum and walked amongst nature's skyscrapers and then trekked through the Big Tree Trail.
These redwoods were so big and beautiful that all I could do was "ohh and aww". These trees can live up to 3,000 years. Their branches can grow up to eight feet in diameter and their bark can be up to three feet thick. When trees fell, they must have made a tremendous thundering crash.
The Sentinel Tree was 28 feet in diameter and 257 feet tall...it was amazing! Then we saw the famous General Sherman Tree which was the largest tree on earth (width and volume) at 40 feet in diameter, 275 feet tall and 2,100 years old. This tree was taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York City and stood higher than the famous Titanic, which was only 141 feet tall from waterline to stacks. I felt so small up against such incredible feats of Mother Nature and I could see how walking amongst these giants can create a spiritual and humbling effect. We spent hours just walking around and soaking up the experience of this forest and its inhabitants. Quite awesome. It was so worth seeing. I would also recommend visiting the museum (it's free) which is full of educational, interesting tidbits about the forest.
The following day we stayed close to our campground. I was eager to slip my feet into the icy cold stream that ran along our campsite. It felt so refreshing.
Due to the extremely dry weather we had experienced prior to arriving at this campground, the rubber seals around our slide outs and windows got really dry. Maintenance of the coach was always part of the adventure so Rick had to lubricate the seals.
Then we took a walk down North Fork Drive and found a llama, which I nicknamed Polkaspot.
Kaweah boasts a tiny old post office dating back to 1820 that was still in operation. Kinda cute.
After our walk, we had our first experience with a "honey wagon", which is a truck with a holding tank on it. The "wagon" hooked up to our coach sewer tank, emptied it then took it to a dump station. This is the alternative to having no sewer hookup at the campsite.
That night we steamed some artichokes at Ralph and Janet's campsite then played dominoes into the night. The next day we would be back on the road to our next destination: California - (Part 3) Coalinga and Horned Toads
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