Bugs On My Windshield: Day 9 - Sequoia/King's Canyon and a River Runs Through It

Distance Traveled as of the end of today

Today was a full and fulfilling day. I rose at 6 am, dressed, had breakfast and began to go over the information on Sequoia/Kings's Canyon. I picked the places I wanted to try to see since I only had the day. I left around 7:30 am for Sequoia National Park arriving around 8:30 and stopped at the Visitor Center and spoke with a Ranger about my plans. Some of the places I had selected were unavailable due to the remaing snow, unless you had snowshoes, which I didn't. The Range dis say that the road into King's Canyon was open and it was a great scenic drive. I headed on toward the Lodgepole Visitor Center, where I could catch a shuttle to see the General Sherman Sequoia. This is the largest tree on the planet as measured by volume. Not as tall as some redwoods but a much larger girth and main trunk, etc. I passed through the Giant Forest and the General Sherman site on the way where the Sequoia's begin showing up. I arrived at the Lodgepole VC, got a stamp for my National Parks Passport and caught the shuttle to the General Sherman Tree and walked around there for a while. I met some nice folks from San Diego, Holland, London and China via Los Angeles on my trek around the tree site.

I Caught the shuttle back to the VC and headed on up toward King's Canyon as it was just past noon. It was a scenic drive through the forest and the winding mountain road, I stopped at one overlook where in the distance you could see the largest grove of redwoods on a mountain in the distance. Continuing on the the King's Canyon VC to see how far it was to drive into King's Canyon which was 36 miles and takes about an hour one way I got a stamp for my National Parks Passport and also purchased my Senior Lifetime Pass while I was there. I stopped up the road a couple of miles to the General Grant Tree site. This tree is the second largest tree. I met a couple from Fresno that were up for the day with their infant daughter. They took my picture in front of one of the Sequoia Trees.

I headed on toward King's Canyon and the drive drops over 3000 feet in the 36 miles. The drive itself was great, going around the twisting mountain road at break neck speeds (OK so only 35-50 mph with 50 on the straight aways). I had the car in manual mode so I could down shift and up shift as necessary to control my speed around the curves. A lot of them were what my late wife called S.O.B. curves (slide over baby). It was a fun drive. That only paled by the scenery whizzing by. A good stretch of the road into the canyon parallels the King River as is flows out of the canyon from the mountains. The stream was violent and furious as it washed over boulders in the river bed, creating rapids at various points. I did see two men standing on a big rock in one section fishing the river. I made it down the Cedar Grove which is the last stop before the end of the road and turned around and headed back up the canyon. The Visitor Center at Cedar Grove was still closed for the season and I couldn't get a stamp for my passport at that location.

On the way back I stopped at a couple of places I missed on the way down, Grizzly Falls and Boyden Cavern and took some pictures there. The drive back up the canyon was almost as exciting with the winding road, but it was up hill so you didn't have the downhill acceleration. I returned to Visalia, driving through a number of citrus groves and dairy farms on the way. Here is where I got the majority of bug splats for the day. I had supper at an Applebees and returned to the campsite around 7 pm. A full and eventful day.

Tomorrow I head over to San Francisco and will be there a week with my oldest daughter and her family.

See you down the road!