By: Ryan
Throughout our
travels, the landscape had been shifting around us. The crops would change or
the flats would give way to hills or buttes or mountains. The descent from Yosemite, however, marked a
different and dramatic sort of shift in our environment. We had spent the last few days at high
elevation in damp conditions. The days ranged from sunny, but comfortable to
cool and stormy. As the twisting
mountain roads began to flatten and straighten, something was very clearly
different. The temperature was rising and
the effects of California’s drought were obvious all around us as we entered
the farming communities of the San Joaquin valley. Every pasture that may hold cows or horses in
better years, were now empty stretches of dry, brown turf. We passed many dry irrigation ditches as we
drove among the fruit and nut trees.
Some new orchards were being planted while others were being ripped out
by the roots. The neat rows of green
trees growing out of such parched earth was bizarre food for thought.
We were headed
for Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, but unsure of what we would find
in the way of services inside the parks and in need of showers and laundry
facilities, we decided to find a KOA on the way. To this point, we had had pretty good
experiences with KOAs, but this one was to be a lesson in the nature of
franchise business. In fairness, the Coarsegold KOA would be a nicer place in
wetter times. As we found it, it was a
network of dusty sandlots peppered with twisted, scrubby, shadeless trees. Aside from climatic considerations, the
management could have been a bit more friendly.
Kat had called ahead and reserved a site that was supposed to
accommodate our needs. Upon arrival, check
in, and an attempt at setting up, we realized that if we parked the truck and
trailer in the site, there would be nowhere to stand. I left the trailer in the site and drove back
to the office to secure a more suitable spot.
I explained to the somewhat nervous and clearly new girl behind the
counter what the problem was. She wanted
to help but didn’t know how, so she called over a grumpy old bag who knew how
to help but didn’t want to. There was a
fair amount of huffing and eye rolling and muttering about a 25’ site, but in
the end it handed me an orange piece of paper with a new number on it, N05.
We picked up the
trailer and headed for what the map indicated was the N loop. Upon arrival at said loop, we stared around
bewildered at the possibility that there could be so many sites in this dirt
cul-de-sac. At this point a resident emerged
from one of the RVs in the circle to “help”. I say resident because his was one
of the many RVs in this park for which the “R” stood for “residential” not
“recreational”, and I say “help” because that was clearly what he thought he
was doing.
Flashing a yellow/
green fuzzy smile, “Yall lost?”
“Oh, I don’t really think so. Just trying to figure out where they want us
to be.”
Leaning casually into the driver’s side window, “I guruntee
you los’. Where you spose ta go?”
We chatted a bit
about the numbers and the map, and he said, “Wer you frum?” and, “Oh, you speak
English! It’s a liddle different then my Texan, but English shur.” He pointed us up the hill and we said in our
finest Bostonian, “Thank you, kind sir for the kindness you have bestowed upon
us weary travelers. Good morrow to you,
and may you be well.”
We did find N05 up
the hill, but as it turned out to be uncomfortably close to another of the
resident’s front yards we decided to take No4 instead. Finally situated in our dusty and hot home
for the evening, Kat worked on dinner and laundry while the girls and I hiked
to the pool. After a short swim, I took
a drive to the nearest gas station for quarters because our laundry was clean
but not dry, there was no change machine in the laundry room, and the office
was now closed. When I returned with
change, Kat was enjoying talking to a couple she met in the laundry room. They were from Boston and on their own cross
country trip in an RV they had bought on craigslist just for the trip, and here’s
the kicker: they were doing it with their six kids, which included a boy set
and a girl set of twins. Power to them,
but no thanks.
We eventually
got around to a late dinner of steak and pre-made mashed potatoes. We got to use our little fold up picnic table
for the first time because the table for this group of thirteen site was a few
sites over. Dinner satisfied, a couple of beers helped to improve the
atmosphere, showers were had, and
everyone was ready to call it a day. We were up early next morning, packed up
double time, said good riddance to the Coarsegold KOA.
It was a couple
of hours driving to King’s Canyon and Sequoia Parks, but we made what turned
out to be a very cool stop just before the entrance to the park. We saw a couple of small signs for “Cat
Haven” as we neared the park. A quick
Google search led to their website which explained that it was home to many
large and endangered cats, and that their mission was one of education about
such cats and to further conservation efforts.
https://cathaven.com/
The girls begged (including Kat), so we went to visit the kitties. The tour began with a short slideshow
introducing us to some of the cats we would see, some general information about
cat habitats their numbers and distribution, as well as an overview of their
conservation efforts, many of which revolved around creating situations where
local populations can cohabitate more easily with the wild cats. The slideshow wrapped up and began the
walking tour to meet the cats. I am
generally not a zoo person, but it seemed like these people did everything they
could to make the cats’ captive lives as comfortable, stress free, and enriched
as they could. Our tour guide walked our
group of about 15 from one enclosure to the next explaining the characteristics
of each species as well as introducing us to each individual animal. There were bob cats, leopards, snow leopards,
jaguars, cheetahs, a white tiger, a pair of lions, and a couple of less
familiar species I can’t remember. The
animals all looked healthy and comfortable, and some even interacted with our
guide. At the lion enclosure, the male lion, who had been disinterested at
best, jumped up and ran to the edge of his cage as he saw his favorite handler
approach. He rubbed against the mesh
making anxious and adorable whimper-moans as she rubbed his mane. All you could think was that you were looking
at the biggest housecat you’d ever seen.
We finished the tour, hit the gift shop, made lunch in the parking lot,
and got back on the road. Soon we would
pulling into the park where we would find the biggest trees any of us had ever
seen.
Lynx
Rose, the jaguar
Jaguar
Nala
Titan
Diana
As we climbed
into the mountains, the signs of drought began to fade. The park sits between 5,000 and 7,000 feet,
and at that elevation receives more precipitation than the lower lying
foothills. Also the fact that it is a
mixed evergreen forest means you are constantly enveloped by lively greenery
and the fresh scent of pine permeates the air.
This also meant that we were back in bear country, so we would be doing
the bear box shuffle again. Driving into
the park you begin to spot a tree here and there that simply dwarfs all the
others, and we all tried to be the next to point out a big one. It wasn’t until we got to “The Lost Grove”
that we really had our first encounter with the Giant Sequoia. We parked the truck and approached the trees
with mouths gaping. Pictures do these
trees little justice, and it would be ridiculous for me to attempt to describe
their immensity and majesty. Walking
among them, it is impossible not to grin because you can’t help but feel a bit
giddy. At the same time, it is humbling
to stand in the presence of one of the largest living things on the planet
knowing it may have been alive for well over 3,000 years. We marveled at the giants, took our pictures,
and headed for the campground.
The girls trying to be tall
Whoa!
Family tree
Me with tree
We were happy to
get a nice site at Lodgepole campground, just across from the visitor’s center
and market, which also happened to have laundry facilities and public showers;
details that our National Parks book neglected to mention. If we’d have known, we could have skipped the
sandlot and spent an extra night with the trees. Oh, well.
We dropped the trailer at the campsite, loaded the bear boxes (yes, two
of them; one for food and the other for toiletries because apparently bears dig
shampoo), and headed out to find the biggest tree in the world. A short drive brought us to the parking area
for the “Giant Forrest”, the home of “General Sherman”, the most massive tree
on the planet. The redwood trees that
grow further north are actually taller than the tallest sequoias, but the
unimaginable girth of these giants coupled with the fact that they don’t seem
to taper all that much toward their tops, means that no other tree matches them
for shear mass. From the parking lot “General
Sherman” is a half-mile paved walk through the “Giant Forrest” sequoia
grove. Other various pines grow amongst
the sequoias, which themselves are widely spaced. Their wide but relatively shallow root
structure requires such sparse distribution.
Sequoia roots spreads wide in order to accommodate the tree’s water
needs, but there is no taproot and the bulk of the roots penetrate no deeper
than 3’. While this design is necessary for
these trees to get enough water in a sometimes fairly dry place, it is also the
most common reason for their eventual and quite literal downfall. The soft bark of the sequoia can be up to 3’
thick and is a poor conductor of heat, so fire cannot touch them, and in fact
results in less competition. The tree’s tannins
protect it from pests and rot. It is the
tree’s immensity that usually brings it down.
Heavy rain may cause the soil to erode at the tree’s base, while strong
winds may cause the tree to lean. Once a
massive sequoia begins to lean, its shallow roots cannot hold it, and it will
eventually fall. It is for this reason
that the park service asks that visitors keep to the paved walk and refrain
from jumping the fence around General Sherman to take pictures at his
base. There are always a few who feel
that these rules are an unnecessary infringement on their personal
freedoms.
General Sherman, the largest tree in the world.
Strolling under the Giants
To look at
General Sherman standing in the company of his fellow sequoias, it is difficult
to say whether he seems definitively larger than the others or not, but that
takes nothing away from the presence he commands. He is encircled by a fence of bulky timbers
within and, in one case, upon which lies the remnants of fallen limbs. Each of these limbs fell from well over 100’
high and is itself the size of a respectable tree. The limb yard makes standing beneath the
general’s mass somewhat disconcerting.
We slowly circled the general, made our way back through his grove, and
headed back to camp. I have been awestruck in the presence of mountain peaks,
grand vistas, and the vastness of bodies of water, but to walk through the
Giant Forrest is an awe inspiring experience of intimacy rather than
separateness, and one that I will never forget.
As we headed to Yosemite from the Tahoe area we were apprehensive about the possibility of not finding a camping spot. We really wanted to spend a few days in the park but we had read that getting a campsite could be tricky without reservations. To help mitigate that we had a plan. The first part was to arrive on a Monday morning, not on the weekend; the logic being there were likely to be fewer people during the week. The second part was to get as close to the northern entrance as possible the night before and then get up at 5 and drive into the park in an attempt to grab a non-reservable spot. The drive into the mountains was impressive. We passed through beautiful landscapes going up and down winding mountain roads. We drove through a fairly large burn area that was eerie to see.
A view of Mono Lake as we headed down into Lee Vining
We arrived in Lee Vining in late evening. I had read in a review of the local RV spot that there was a much cheaper camping option just outside of town in the Lower Lee Vining Campground. That sounded good to me but as I investigated further I read about Big Bend Campground in the Inyo National Forest that had running water so I figured that might be better. However, as we got closer we realized Big Bend's proximity to the park meant it was likely filled. What to do. As we headed down 120 I muttered and worried and then we passed Lower Lee Vining Campground. We pulled a uey and headed down a very bumpy road to a small quiet campground by a creek. Relieved to find a spot we settled in for the night and began to move food into the bear box.
This was our first experience camping in bear territory. Lake Tahoe is bear country but when you’re camping surrounded by hundreds of other campers sardined into small lots, bears are less of an issue. The bear boxes made the girls worry a bit about venturing about. We had stopped at Raley’s (one of my new favorite grocery stores) in Tahoe and picked up an easy no prep, chicken marsala meal package. We also decided to switch to paper plates since washing dishes would now be an issue. So dinner was easier than usual. Everything went into one pot and was done in ten minutes. Clean up was fairly easy as well. However dish cleaning in bear territory means scrapping all food residue into a trash bag washing the dish and then depositing the dirty water into the toilet. In this spot that meant a nasty pit toilet. (side note: not all pit toilets are bad, in fact some have been considerably nicer than regular bathrooms) After dinner we closed the girls up in their “room” to work on blog writing while Ry and I explored the area bit.
The next morning we set the alarm for 5:15. I dragged myself out into the cold morning air just as the sun began to creep above the trees. I went about the morning routine of making tea and coffee for Ry and myself. We packed up camp as quickly possible and woke the girls only when we were ready to go. We would save breakfast for once we arrived in Tuolumne Meadows. We continued our drive into the mountains, slowly climbing twisting roads. I was reminded of the story of the “Little Engine that Could” as the truck doggedly climbed each rise. The Tuolumne Meadows are 8,600 ft. above sea level. As we approached the campgrounds we saw cars parked on both sides of the road and my heart sank. We managed to find a parking spot and Ry went to investigate. He chatted with a few regulars already standing in line in front of the reservation office and determined we were likely to get a spot. He grabbed a camp chair and sat down to wait for the office to open. While he chatted in line the girls and I had breakfast. By 8 am we had a campsite for two nights, but we wouldn’t be able to go there until after 12 as the current occupants had yet to vacate it. We were told to come back in a few hours. We decided to go for a hike while we waited but the location we picked didn’t have bear boxes, and the many signs warned not to leave food in the cars. So we headed back toward the entrance and found some bear boxes, stashed our food then headed toward the Gaylor Lakes path by the entrance we had just come through. This seemed to be one of the least crowded places, which made for a nice quiet hike. This trail was more strenuous then we expected as it gained altitude steadily over two miles. As we slowly worked our way up we were happily distracted by a plethora of local wildlife. First we saw pikas, ground squirrels, and chipmunks. These adorable rodents popped up from rocks along the mountain side and watched us as we watched them. The girls had fun photographing them. When we arrived at the highest point an awe inspiring vista opened before us. Words fail so…
Pika
The trail then headed down toward the alpine meadow with Gaylor Lake. We now saw yellow bellied marmots who apparently prefer the lake side view. We didn’t have a map at this point so we headed around the lake rather than continue up to Gaylor Peak. While we missed that portion of the hike we enjoyed our amble around the small lake. The wind whipped across this high open area and we were glad we had our jackets with us. We saw a few other hikers but we mostly had the scene to ourselves. We did meet an Italian gentleman who was fishing for Brookies, or Brook Trout. He was an entertaining sort and regaled us with tales of his fishing adventures.
Yellow Bellied Marmot
By the time we made it back to our car we were pretty sure a campsite would be open, so we headed back, grabbed our supplies from the bear box, and checked into the campground. The road in and out of the campground was covered in large potholes and when we arrived at our site we realized it was going to be a challenging one to get in and out of. The narrow drive was split in the middle by a tree and the ground was littered with fairly large rocks. We got out, planned our approach and cautiously made our way in. We then proceeded to have a slightly heated discussion about where to park the trailer. This stemmed mostly from miscommunication. It lasted all of 5 min. and is the worst disagreement we’ve had yet. Not bad if you ask me.
Once again we shifted all of our “smelly” items (including toiletries as per the ranger’s instructions) into the bear box. We would be doing a lot of bear box shifting over the week we spent in the Sierra Nevadas. After settling in we decided to head to the visitors center to learn a bit about our surroundings. We listened to a ranger talk about how Tuolumne Meadows had once been covered by a glacier 2,000 feet thick. It carved mountain sides, polished the granite surfaces and left large boulders scattered across the landscape. The area is only accessible for a few months out of the year as the large snowfall amounts keep the area snowbound into May. The most snow they have on record was 50ft deep! The snow melt flows into the Tuolumne River that in turn feeds into the Hetch Hetchy Resevoir that supplies the water for the San Francisco area. We took a walk out into the meadows to visit the Soda Springs and Parson’s Cabin.
Tuolumne River
Parson’s Cabin was staffed by an older gentleman named Jim who was a volunteer at the park. He chatted with us about the park a bit but mostly about his travels on the east coast. After visiting with Jim we investigated the Soda Springs which were a collection of rust colored puddles that bubble up from the ground giving the impression of being carbonated. Geologists are at a loss as to what causes this phenomenon.
Mule deer drinking from Soda Springs
Soda Springs
On the path we were passed by two mule trains packing supplies for one of the alpine camps further up in the mountains. It was amazing how much each mule carried, especially the one with the four coolers.
Thunder began to rumble so we headed back to our campsite and waited out the rain. We had very little signal in the meadows, just enough to send a text message but not enough to do anything else. So I texted my brother Sam to requesting a weather report, which he promptly gave; more rain.
We still have not found a solution for the leaky galley hatch so rain is a source of anxiety for us where the trailer is concerned. I decided to see if the screen house my dad lent us would fit over the trailer. So far we had only used it once while in the Badlands. I pulled it out and checked the measurements. Should fit. We tossed the tent over the trailer and set up the poles. As it’s a screen house and not really a tent it wasn’t built to deal with rain. I had to prop up the middle with our sun umbrella to keep water from pooling, but it worked! That evening we roasted hot dogs over the campfire huddled under an umbrella.
It gets quite cold each night so it wasn’t long before I was ready to call it quits and curl up in the trailer. Sometime around one in the morning I awoke partially and vaguely registered that Ry and I were panting, at first my sleep muddled brain attributed it to high altitude but after waking a bit more it began to register that this didn’t make sense. The walls of the trailer were coated with condensation. I realized we had fallen asleep without opening either window or fan hatch and we had used up the oxygen in our small space. We quickly cracked the windows and the fan vent and agreed that would have been a really stupid way to die. (A narrowly averted Darwin Award) We fell back asleep properly chagrined.
The next morning we decided we would tackle the Lembert Dome trail that we had thought of doing the morning before. As we started up the trail it was very quickly apparent the girls were not very excited for this hike. Black flies were a nuisance and there were no pikas or ground squirrels to coo over. There were some pretty interesting trees.
After a perhaps the second or third water break we managed to motivate the girls and made it to the top. Lambert dome offered us a spectacular view of the meadows and surrounding peaks.
That white spot in the distance was a glacier until last year when it was downgraded due to the accelerated rate of melt.
We sat down to snack and enjoy the views. The girls took pictures and I headed up to the top of the dome.
Kinsey took this shot :)
That's me at the top.
Once again thunder chased us back to our camp. We ended up each in our respective boxes for most of the afternoon and evening.
Selfie while stuck in a four by six box for six hours.
We managed a quick dinner of soup and other left overs before lighting chased us back into our caves. By morning we were a dirty, smelly, cold, wet lot and ready to be heading on.
I need to include this shot for my mother who has been trying to get me to drink the milk left in my cereal bowl forever and I always staunchly refuse. However when in bear country trying to dispose of it is way more hassle than it's worth, so there you have it Mom, I'm drinking my cereal milk.
We knew we wanted to check out the valley on our way out of the park and that we were headed to Sequoia. We did not know if Sequoia would have running water, showers, or laundry so we decided we would stop at a KOA in between to get cleaned up. We weren't sure yet where that would be yet or what our time frame was but we would figure that out as we went.
We arrived in the valley and just as all the tour books say it really is amazing and apparent why this is where all the tourists end up. Waterfalls and dramatic mountains are in every direction and so are the people.
As it was a Wednesday morning it wasn't so crowded as to be impossible but there were certainly crowds. We managed to find a parking spot and explored the village a bit and grabbed lunch at one of the delis. We then headed out, with a stop to check out El Capitan, which was quite frankly impossible to comprehend what you were looking at. The size just doesn't compute. I thought that to be true about Yosemite as a whole. It's just so BIG. There were quite a few places where I found myself being reminded of Acadia in ME. But Yosemite makes Acadia look quaint.Everything here was just so much more grand. That's not to say it lessens my love of Acadia any, it is still one of my favorite places to be.
El Capitan
The Worry Eaters were psyched to see the sights as well..
We hopped in the truck and headed out of the park. We made one more stop, at Tunnel View which is apparently one of the most photographed vistas in the country.
Here you look down the valley and see Half Dome peaking out in the back ground
