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July 16, 2012
We got a good start this morning and headed out of Tulare toward Sequoia National Park. We took Route 98 into the southern end of the park and the scenery along the way was fantastic. We enjoyed seeing orange, apricot, and lemon trees as well as grapes, olives, and strawberries growing in groves all along the side of the road leading to the park.
Once in the park, we learned that road construction would limit our access to get through one area so we carefully timed our
drive to make it through the checkpoint at the top of the hour. It was beautiful driving through the park and before we knew it, we had arrived at the Giant Forest Museum. We learned so much about the enormous Sequoias by just spending a few minutes in the museum. We had no idea that the mammoth trees are protected from insects and fire by their thick bark and are really only susceptible to death by tumbling (due to a shallow root system). The General Sherman Tree, which we saw later in the afternoon, is dated at 2,200 years old. It is hard to imagine it was already around when Jesus walked the earth.
To be good stewards of the park, we parked our car and used the tram system to get around. Our first stop was Moro Rock and the 400 steps to the summit. Wow, what a view of 360 degrees from the top. It was definitely worth the hike up on such a clear day.
From Moro, we headed over to Crescent Meadow to complete that 2 mile hike. We loved seeing the gorgeous Crescent and Log Meadows as well as the Tharp's Log - the summer home of this first Anglican explorer to visit what is now known as Sequoia National Park. Hale Tharp made his summer home out of a giant hollowed out toppled sequoia log from 1858-1890 while he trapped and hunted in the area. We visited Chimney Tree while on the loop around the meadows and then headed up to see the great General Sherman Tree!
The General Sherman is impressive and until you see it, it is hard to comprehend its size. We loved having the opportunity to stare in awe at God's handiwork with the Giant Sequoias. From General Sherman, we headed to the Lodgepole to grab a quick bite of lunch and then to watch a film on black bears in the visitors center. It was really worthwhile and interesting to learn more about the bears that inhabit this area. By 4 pm, we were all exhausted so we headed to Fresno and our evening's lodging. Tomorrow is another big day as we plan to visit Yosemite National Park. We will be getting an early start to get that in!
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