Home - Day 7

Cathy - Grant Grove

Left John Muir Lodge at 6:30 am. A clear day and little traffic. We had gone up the mountains taking the southern route, which is all hairpin turns for the last half hour of the drive. But coming home, we took the western route and it is a much easier drive. As we descended from 7,000' elevation, we began to see wildflowers--Gloriosa Daisies, Purple Lupine, California Buckeye, Sacred Datura, Yucca, Yellow Monkey Flowers, Black-eyed Susans. Also saw Mountain Quail crossing the road, Steller's Jays, hummingbirds, Fox Sparrows, and Mourning Doves.

Gloriosa Daisies

Arrived at Marie Callender's restaurant in Visalia 7:45 am. I always have a Belgian waffle with fresh strawberries and Steve had French Toast with fresh strawberries.
Continued on our way. The drive goes through the heart of California agriculture country so drove through miles and miles of orange groves, lemon groves, pecan groves, even corn and soybean fields.

Arrived home at 12:30 after a quick stop at Trader Joe's to buy milk and bread and stuff. Unloaded the car and left all the suitcases in the laundry room as they are now all full of dirty clothes.
We had major road construction delays, major weather anomalies, and a random assortment of other major obstacles on the trip and so didn't do any of the things we usually do in Sequoia but we ended up doing other things and enjoying them every bit as much. WiFi was freely available in all the lodges but totally unpredictable so could never count on it.
It was a wonderful trip. Most memorable were the morning we woke up to several inches of snow, the roaring rivers and waterfalls, and -- as always -- the magnificent Giant Sequoia trees.

Grant Grove - Day 6

Yellow Monkey Flower

Left Cedar Grove at 7:15 am and stopped several times to take photos on the drive to Grant Grove.
Saw lots of wildflowers: Mountain Misery, Gloriosa Daisies, Indian Paintbrush, Yellow Monkey Flower, Western Wallflower, Yucca. Arrived at Grant Grove at 8:30 am and had breakfast at the restaurant.
Breakfast: scrambled eggs and hash browns with a biscuit.
Drove to General Grant Tree (1/2 mile from the Visitor Center). Walked the loop trail around the Grant Tree, although part of the trail was roped off because of trail reconstruction. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. The weather was perfect -- completely overcast -- for photographing Giant Sequoia trees.

Steve - Grant Grove

Drove back up to the Visitor Center for lunch.

Lunch: Sandwich and tomato bisque soup. Steve had granola and yogurt.

Checked into our room in the John Muir Lodge--room 212. Very, very nice building. Has a fabulous lobby with massive wooden beams and huge stone fireplace and lots of rocking chairs and comfy sofas. Photos of and quotes from John Muir on the walls. Built in 2000 and still looks brand new. Wide corridors. Neat and clean. Balconies with rocking chairs and gliders on both levels. Spacious rooms. Really like this lodge except that there's no luggage ramps--I have more endurance than strength and don't mind pulling a roll-along any distance but dislike having to haul it up a staircase. None of the lodges out here have elevators, except possibly in the restaurant because of ADA.

John Muir Lodge

Walked around the lodge and took photos of birds for the afternoon. Saw a Mountain Chickadee, Acorn Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, and lots of American Robins. Saw five deer browsing in the meadow. Only a few wildflowers are in bloom--Sierra Gooseberry, and Thimbleberry and Mustang Clover just emerging. Sat on the 3rd floor balcony and felt like I was in the treetops. Very peaceful, watching the sun drop low in the sky.
Dinner: I had pork with mashed potatoes and grilled zucchini. Steve had grilled chicken with rice and grilled zucchini. Dessert was New York Cheese Cake and Triple Chocolate Cake. All very good.

We leave early in the morning for home. Will take CA 180 down to CA 63 and continue south.

King's Canyon - Day 5

Steve - Zumwalt Meadow

High 76. Sunshine all day.

Sunrise is about 5:15 and daylight starts about then but the sun doesn’t get over the mountains till about 7:15.

Woke up at 5:20 and opened the drapes so we could see the river roaring by. Opened the window for a while so we could listen to it but it’s quite chilly early in the morning.  At 7:20, the sun was sparkling off the river. Beautiful.

Our room is a model of efficiency. I don’t think there’s an extra square inch of floor space but everything is tidy and efficient. I love the outdoor ramp to get to the second floor rooms. There are no elevators here and the ramp is more fun than an elevator.

There are only 20 rooms in the lodge so there aren’t many people here at Cedar Grove. Lots of campgrounds around but only a few campers come over to the lodge so it’s very quiet. I’m a little bit worried about being out on the trails with so few people around because this is active bear territory and the more people the better, I say.

Breakfast: short stack of pancakes and a Snickers (I'm on vacation). Steve had oatmeal and fruit and coffee.

The neurologist e-mailed me with the results of the EEG I had on June 1. It shows "brain wave abnormalities." It means I need to continue taking the medication. This is not good. It means taking medication for the rest of my life that makes me feel half-drugged all of the time. While we were having breakfast, Steve wondered aloud what percentage of the population eats their pancakes starting in the center and working their way out, as I apparently was doing. I told him that it was because "I have abnormal brain waves." Now Steve wants to be tested so that he can use the "I have abnormal brain waves" excuse for a lot of the odd things he does. But, anyway, the New Me--the one with "brain wave abnormalities"--doesn't care if anyone thinks it's odd that I eat pancakes from the center out.

Cathy - Roaring River Falls

After breakfast we drove to Roaring River Falls and walked up the little path to the falls. The falls are flowing very, very hard and fast. As I said, they've had 340" of snow this year and all that snow on the mountains is melting now and coming down in waterfalls. Quite beautiful and very loud.
Next we drove to Zumwalt Meadow. Yesterday we had stopped when we got to the stream flowing across the trail but today Steve rock-hopped and I just walked through the water. A ranger saw me do that and looked amused. My balance isn't the best and it's not worth the risk of a fall. The air is hot and dry so my boots dried out in minutes. The meadow trail is beautiful. It goes through a Ponderosa Pine forest. It's a one-mile loop trail and half the trail is granite rocks, which I was not expecting, and was more strenuous than I would knowingly get myself into but I did fine. No wildflowers--Shooting Stars, Leopard Lilies, Cow Parsnips--in the meadow as it's so early in the year.

Kings River

We drove back to the lodge for lunch. The restaurant isn't open for lunch so we went to the market and bought food bars and yogurt and sat on the third floor balcony and had our lunch there. It was a delightful setting--we were surrounded by Ponderosa Pines and Cedar trees so felt like we were dining in the treetops and watched the river roaring by just below us.
After lunch we drove back to Zumwalt Meadow (it's just a few miles but it's a 25 mph road and there were construction delays) to take pictures of birds so did not hike around the meadow--just stayed at the entrance. I saw one Red-winged Blackbird and that was all.

Returned to the Lodge for dinner. I had grilled chicken and Steve had trout--both delicious. For dessert we walked over to the market (same building as the restaurant--there's only one building in the whole "village") and bought Reese's Peanut Butter Cups--I had white chocolate and Steve had milk chocolate.
It’s mesmerizing to watch the river. So much turbulence and power bundled with so much beauty. Sat out by the river side after dinner for a while and enjoyed the roar of the river and the Steller's Jays that perched about 10 feet away from us. They were waiting for handouts.
Expect to leave early tomorrow morning for Grant Grove--it's a one hour drive--and hope to see some birds there.

King's Canyon - Day 4

Woke up at 7:00 and walked over for our last breakfast at the Wuksachi Lodge. I had an English muffin with cream cheese, cantaloupe, honeydew, kiwi, and strawberries, peach yogurt, and a cream cheese pastry. Steve had oatmeal, granola, yogurt, melon, and everything else on the buffet table. Everything was wonderful.

Checked out at 10:25 and drove to Grant Grove. Saw another adult bear -- it was munching away in  a meadow oblivious to the road crew doing heavy equipment road repair work on the pavement adjacent to the meadow.

Yucca

The sun was sparkling as we drove through forests of giant pine trees. We ascended to 7300 ft elevation, dropped to 3,000 ft, and then drove up to about 4,000. It was clear driving except for a short stretch at about 6,000 ft with fog. We could see clouds above us and below us but only for a short time did we have to drive through them. Arrived at 11:30 and made a quick stop at the Grant Grove Ranger Station to ask about birds. The bird specialist was at lunch so we continued driving to Cedar Grove and arrived at 12:30.
Cedar Grove is the end of the road. It really is. The paved road descends 4,000 feet over a distance of 30 miles to Cedar Grove Village and then there is no more road. The only way out is to drive back 30 miles on the same road. Because it's 4,000 feet lower than Giant Forest, it's about 40 degrees warmer here. And wildflowers are already in bloom: Yellow Monkey Flower, Yucca, Mountain Misery, Pussy Paws, Miniature Lupine.

Pussy Paws

The restaurant doesn't open for lunch--breakfast and dinner only--so we bought sandwiches at the market--which is at the other end of the same building as the restaurant--and enjoyed them on a picnic table next to the roaring King's River. Steller's Jays are quite bold here and perch on tables and benches waiting for food crumbs. Last time we were here, the river was a trickle. We could walk out the door of our room and 20 feet away was the river running gently to wherever it runs. This year there have been record snowfalls and the waterfalls are spectacular and the rivers are roaring white water. They have already had 340" of snow this year and average is 190".

Zumwalt Meadow

After lunch, we drove to Zumwalt Meadow for a .3 mile walk but streams feeding into the meadow are more like minor rivers. Steve rock-hopped but I turned back. Stopped at the ranger station to ask where would be good to photograph birds and the park ranger recommended Zumwalt Meadow. So tomorrow we will try again, hoping the water levels have dropped a little. We had dinner at the restaurant and it was great--vegetable soup, grilled chicken, baked potato, zucchini, and ice cream for dessert. Prices are unreal here, understandably, but the food is fine.

Cedar Grove Village

After dinner, I sat on the balcony and checked email. It was fun sitting so close to the river and watch it roll by and listen to it roar. Our room looks over the river and we have the window open this evening. I wonder if we will have to close it so that it's quiet enough for us to fall asleep. But the sounds of nature are soothing.

Sequoia - Day 3 - Snow!

Wuksachi Lodge

Snow!!!!

Woke up at 5:20 am and opened the drapes. It was daybreak and there were several inches of snow on the ground and still snowing. It was heavenly. I opened all the drapes wide and went back to bed and just watched it snow. We got up at 6:00 and went over to the Lodge and I took lots of pictures on the way. The sun came out about that time. Sat in the lobby and checked email until the dining hall opened at 7:00 for breakfast. Got a window table and watched the sun glistening off the tops of the snow-covered trees. Just heavenly.

Wuksachi Lodge

Couldn’t believe that I was here. By the time breakfast was over the snow had melted from the roads and it had warmed up so much that snow was sliding off of tree branches. 

I’ve always dreamed of being in Sequoia during a snowstorm and here we are. We stumbled into it but here we are. Snow in June.

High tomorrow of 56 so it will be all gone soon but we get to enjoy it while it’s here.

Wuksachi Lodge Shuttle Stop

Breakfast: Lodge buffet--melon, yogurt, cranberry juice, pecan danish. All excellent.

Saw a White-headed Woodpecker on our way back to the room after breakfast so Steve went out and photographed it--got some good shots. Also saw a Fox Sparrow--more good photos. The little Chipping Sparrow I saw yesterday was out again this morning.

Lunch: Turkey and avocado sandwich with cole slaw.

Low-lying fog all afternoon so walked over to the lobby in the lodge and sent e-mails and tried to post photos. Internet access is painfully slow.

Sequoia - Day 2 - Bears

Steve & Cathy at Round Meadow

Breakfast: Lodge buffet - cantaloupe, watermelon, fresh pineapple, English muffin, pecan pastries, cranberry juice.
Steve saw two Mountain Quail from our window. While having breakfast in the dining hall (lots of windows), we saw a Steller's Jay and a White-headed Woodpecker.
Sun came out at 8:00 am. Forecast is for a high of 42 today and chance of rain. Will bundle up.

Round Meadow

Drove to Round Meadow. Saw four adult bears in the meadow and as we were watching them a mama bear brought her cubs right up behind us to cross the path to go into the meadow and chow down for dinner. They do not react to our presence at all. I guess they know that if they want us to move they can scare the living daylights out of us with a simple glance in our direction. We were about 20 feet from the mama and cubs--way too close but they moved on before we could react.
Round Meadow trailhead was completely covered with snow, so much that the trail was not discernible. We climbed over the snow, about two feet deep, and got to the trail but there was still more snow covering the trail.
The road to Crescent Meadow has not been plowed so it is not yet open for the season.

Saw two new birds today -- Chipping Sparrow and Fox Sparrow. Had Lavash Pizza for dinner. Ice cream for dessert.

Sequoia - Day 1

Saturday - June 4

Wuksachi Lodge

Left home at 6:05 am. Stopped for breakfast at IHOP at Santa Clarita from 7:00 till 8:00. Stopped for gas just past Visalia at the Shell station at the intersection with CA 63. Reached the Sequoia National Park entrance gate at 11:15 am and arrived at Wuksachi Lodge at 12:30 pm just in time for lunch. It was 45 degrees. Lots of snow on the ground. 

I hesitate to say that it was an easy drive as it is mountain driving and mountain driving is never easy but the drive went smoothly. There was road construction from 3,000 ft elevation to 4,000 ft--had to wait two minutes for green light as there is one-lane traffic only through that section of several miles--we were very lucky to have hit it just before a green light came on for our direction. 

Overcast all the way. A few sprinkles but no real rain. Pavement was dry all the way. About 5000 ft started seeing snow alongside the road. At 7,000 ft there are hillsides covered with snow. Not new snow--covered with dust and dirt but several feet deep. 

Lunch: Had lunch at the Wuksachi Lodge--cream of broccoli soup and Caesar salad for lunch.

American Robin

Checked into our room -- Stewart Building, room 111. Entry level, suite. Super nice. From our window we noticed two birds so we went outside and walked along the back path and saw 6 more different kinds of birds--White-crowned Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Robin, Steller’s Jay, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Oregon Junco, Green-tailed Towhee, and Mountain Quail. Amazing. They don’t seem to be at all skittish -- maybe we can get some good photos.

Had to stop bird watching so we could make our 5:15 dinner reservations at the Lodge -- reservations are required as there is only one place to eat. We both had trout.

After dinner we sat in the lobby and accessed the Internet but it was very, very slow.

8:25 pm -- almost dark.