This little cabin has a kitchen, so I was able to pre-cook a pork roast, complete with potatoes and carrots and take it with us, plus all the breakfast items we would need to cook while we were there.
After breakfast and showers, we set out for the park, which was only a couple of miles down the road.
Just inside was the visitor’s center, so we took advantage of a quick look-see and were on our way.
Right away, we could already tell that the roads in Yosemite couldn’t hold a candle to this one. It was not only curvy and steep, but had almost constant switchback curves, so it was slow going all the way. I don’t think DeWayne saw much during the constant braking, shifting gears, turning and operating the “jake break”.
We had already been told that there was road construction going on in the park and traffic would be one-way only for a few miles. They only let the traffic going into the park enter on the hour and then the traffic coming out of the park enter that part at ten after the hour, so we timed our drive so that we only had to wait about 15 minutes. Of course, the line of cars was already there and most of the folks were milling around, visiting and taking pictures. Of course, we had to follow suit once we got parked in line.
What could that be above my head? A halo? Bwahahahaha!!!
Right on time, we were all herded back into our vehicles and slowly inched our way further into the park. We started to see a few redwoods and sequoias as we worked our way up into the mountains.
Traffic was brought to a stop at one point for some reason, so we pulled over and got a couple of pictures. Notice how small the construction worker is beside that giant sequoia!
Traffic began moving again and we were just around the bend from museum which was surrounded by giant sequoias. Wow!
Look at the above picture. Is that impressive or what?! Oh, and the tree is too.
From here, we went looking for lunch and found the lodge on down the road. I can’t remember the name of the lodge itself, but it’s the only one up in the park and the food is phenomenal! As well as the service.
DeWayne opted for their “TBA” which was a turkey, bacon and avocado sandwich and I had their hamburger and fries. Both were absolutely delicious, but mine was so big that I had to get the usual to-go box for half of it. I had ordered New York cheese cake also that would melt in your mouth with fresh whipped cream and sliced strawberries all around it. The cheesecake had raspberry swirls in it and the combination of it all was heavenly! Of course, after a coupla bites, it went into a to-go container too for later consumption. DeWayne was happy since we only had one piece of custard pie left back at the cabin, so he knew he would be having it for supper. I’d be busy finishing that delectable cheese cake!
Anyway, back to our adventures, we left the lodge and drove to the parking lot for the grandaddy of all giant sequoias….the General Sherman.
The “Sherman Tree Trail” is about a half mile hike down the mountain and was beautiful in itself. I snapped a few pics along the way.
We came to the spot where the General Sherman was first visible from up the mountain, so here is our first glimpse of the biggest tree in the world. It’s the one in the middle of the picture below.
More pics of the trail down.
And then there it was! The General Sherman, largest tree on this planet.
Click on the above picture to enlarge if you want to read it. Folks, this is one HUMUNGOUS TREE!!! I finally found a vantage point that allowed me to get the entire thing in one picture. Note the tiny people at the bottom? I learned in the museum that this tree is as tall as the statue of liberty. Wow.
Looking up from the bottom is hard on a 55 year old neck!
I learned the Giant Sequoias are a different tree from the redwoods. They don’t get as tall, but are much bigger around. More pictures of the area:
From here, we took the “Congress Trail”, which we pretty much had to ourselves. It was so quiet, peaceful and beautiful that I could have stayed on that trail for hours and hours except that it was getting late and the steep grades were taking a toll on our legs. There were little streams and brooks that made the only sounds that we heard. The air smelled of pine and fur and all those delicious mountain aromas that are just pleasing to the soul. Here are more pictures of our hike on the trail.
It was getting late by the time we finished the trail and headed back to the General Sherman where DeWayne made the steep half mile uphill trip back to the truck, then he drove around and picked me up just DOWN the mountain from where we ended the trail. My legs couldn’t take any more uphill grades and even DeWayne, who walks about nine miles a day, was getting sore leg muscles. But it was worth it, let me tell ya!
Back on the road, we made our way back to the construction area, but had timed it right so that we only waited about ten minutes before our lane of traffic was allowed to continue down the mountains.
At this point, not only was my memory card full from the 278 pictures I had taken, but the battery in the camera was dying, so my poor over-worked camera got a much needed break.
We made our way back down to the cabin, sat out under the stars for a while and rested til bedtime. Friday morning, we packed up and left our cozy little getaway and made the long trip back home. We took the interstate on the way back to make better time, even tho it involved more miles than the trip up through Yosemite. It turned out we didn’t make better time, but the ride was much easier.
So this winds up our trip to California. I’ll close this post and start on our Lake Tahoe trip. Whew! I’m kicking myself for putting this all off for so long. Three in one day is a bit much, but I’m determined to get caught up.
To sum it all up, I am in love with the foothills of the Sierras as well as the Sierras and all the beautiful treasures they hold. We’ll definitely be back!
Gorgeous! Oh how I wish I was still out there!
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