First Visit to Sequoia National Park

Since Dave did all the driving yesterday, I treated him by driving into the national park today and where ever else the day took us.  Our plan was to go to the visitor's center, see the orientation movie, then find out about the different hiking trails and sites to see.  We are lucky we have booked our campground for more than a week, taking advantage of seeing both parks while here.

As a side note:  yesterday the owner of the campground asked if we were going to run up to Yosemite National Park while here, he said many people use this campground as a base for all 3.  I said no, were going to move up to there when we leave.  He warned us that good-luck finding a campground.  I spent 2 hours this morning trying to find something and finally got booked into a place about 20 miles from the south entrance to Yosemite.  At least we have something!!  Yay!!

At the Giant Forest Museum 

Amazing the comparisons

The Sentinel Tree 

Drove the General Highway we climbed until we came to the Foothills Visitors Center, moving up about 1100 feet in elevation from the campground.  We got disappointed that there was no movie - after May 6th the Lodgepole Visitors Center opens and only at that place that show the movie.  We were encouraged to drive up into the park and visit the Giant Forest Museum to learn about the trees.  Off we went. Oh my goodness!!!!

At the top of the tree.......

If you could lie that tree down - it goes on and on!

Talk about climbing!  Wow - we left the campground at 585 feet elevation, drove the switchback road up and to 6409 feet elevation to the museum.  Had to drive in either 2nd or 1st gear coming back down. Signs posted that said to use low gear, thank goodness we did or the brakes would have overheated. I think we got a little elevation sickness - we are very exhausted right now and I believe it's from the 6000 feet difference we experienced.  Will have to plan our visits accordingly - and, it's 20 degrees cooler 'up there'.  We froze - was 47 at the museum.

Just a sample of the switchbacks (the white ribbon is the road we drove)

Just love the wildflowers - this one is a bush poppy

Stopped to let the brakes cool down - we were above those clouds at the museum! 

Can't wait to see the rest of the park, and then to Kings Canyon.  So much to see, so little time!

Moved to Three Rivers, California

We left Twentynine Palms yesterday, earlier than we normally do, because we had a long travel day ahead of us.  Typically we pull out around 9am but we managed to drug up Buddy by 7:30 and had everything put away and just decided to get going.  Hooking up the car to the RV was a dream - everything worked fine and off we went.  Came along the north side of Joshua Tree National Park, and continued on until we came to Yucca Valley and then headed north and west.  Very desolate roads, nothing much around but an occasional house.  Lots of Joshua Trees.

Twentynine Palms has over 30 murials on buildings 

Artist is amazing - looks like a photo! 

Big lizard!

We wondered where the boating was (Emerson Lake - near Joshua Tree)

Goodby San Gorgonia Mountain

Landed in Victorville and again took a route due north for about 40 miles, then picked up a route heading west into Bakersfield.  But, we had to drive up and over the Tehachapi Mountains - I am so glad I wasn't driving, Dave said last night that his arms hurt from steering (the winds had picked up going through the passes of the mountains).  Fortunately the truck's engine held us back when we dropped down into the valley that is known for its fruit and vegetable growing.  And do I mean groves!!!  Grove after grove after grove - lemons, oranges, limes.  Amazing.

Victorville on original Route 66 

Thought this was a lake - was solar panels.

Growing lots of wind mills

Crawled along north once we got into Bakersfield on Route 99 into Tulare where we picked up route 198 and began creeping up into the Sierra Nevada mountains.  Pulled into our campground at 3:45pm,  exhausted.

Not only steep grades but was slammed by the winds

Dropped down into lush valley by Bakersfield

Buddy did okay until we stopped in Tulare to tank up the truck (RV) when he must have gotten sick and barfed all over the back floor.  Fortunately we put down plastic and paper towels to catch his accidents.  I had decided to give him the full amount of tranquilizer that morning because we knew we would be on the road for over 7 hours.  Dave drove 328 miles, one of our longest drives ever done.  But it's behind us now.  After we leave here our next stop will be about 2 hours going north - will be heading towards Yosemite National Park.

Passed Woodlake - not far from Three Rivers

Launch area right a campground

Oh so pretty!

We will visit Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park while here at Three Rivers.  We have seen the redwoods in Muir Woods near San Fransisco and while the redwoods are taller (can be as tall as 379 feet and has a base of 22 feet), the sequoia has a more massive trunk and is heavier (height as tall as 311 feet and base as wide as 40 feet).  Huge.  The sequoia is considered the earth's largest tree.

This - is a sequoia! Notice car at bottom of tree?

Keys View and Barker Dam - JTNP

We traveled back into Joshua Tree National Park yesterday and first drove to the southern vista view called Keys View.  As we drove along the park road we noticed the Joshua Trees were much older (taller) than in the rest of the park.  And it seemed a whole lot more.  We have visited the park at the perfect time - the wildflowers were amazing!  Yellows, purples, white, some deep pink, lavender, even the Joshua Trees were blooming (the white flower at the tips of the trees).  Very pretty.

Older Joshua Trees on way to Keys View

So many pretty flowers!

This is called the paperbag bush - does look like small paper bags!!

Once we climbed up to Keys View and got out of the car to look - Wow.  Saw below us the San Andreas Fault, the San Jacinto Mountain, the San Gorgonia Mountain - both snow covered.  Below sat Palm Springs (over 100 golf courses below!), Coachella, Indio and the Salton Sea.  Our view was the best that could be - always is a haze from smog and of course the radiant heat coming off the floor below.  Breathtaking!

Lone Joshua Tree looking westward - snow on the mountains

Looking towards San Jacinta and San Gorgonia Mountains

Drove back and headed to Barker Dam to hike, found out this trail is the most popular trail of the park - woot, woot!  The Barker Dam area is where the Keys family (ranched in the park until 1969) built up a natural dam that enabled the family to raise cattle and also to provide water for every day use.  This dam is in the Hidden Valley area, relatively flat with huge boulder mountains surrounding the basin but at elevation of 4300 feet.  I saw pictures of what the area would look like with normal rainfall (in a 4 year severe drought right now) and if there was water in the reservoir, would be spectacular.  As it was, we could see where the water marks were and how the run off would feed watering troughs for the cattle.  Interpretive signs were along the trail and we did see many lizards along the way.  No snakes, see and hear birds flitting around, but no other wildlife.  Many people hiking, even saw a large group of children about 8 to 10 years old who were coming back from repelling on one of the mountains - they looked absolutely exhausted (I would be too!).  Neat to see.

Trail to Barker Dam

Rocks everywhere

Man made dam

Watering trough below dam

Water just about gone 

Just a tidge left here - can see water marks from better days

Here, lizard, lizard, lizard!

Glad we stopped in the area and saw the national park.  It covers a huge area, has 3 visitors centers, the main center in Twentynine Palms.  Lots of people hiking.  We hiked 3 miles Tuesday and did 2.2 mile hike yesterday and I know that my knee is not healed yet (was really swollen last night).  After all, its only been 5 weeks since surgery but every day it gets better.  The surgeon said 3 months, I guess I am pushing it but glad I am able to do what I have been able to do!

Guessed the ages of kids were 8??  Wow.

Maybe 20 kids repelling, we were impressed

We pack up tomorrow morning and head towards a town called Three Rivers near the entrance to Sequoia National Park/Kings Canyon National Park, east of Fresno, California.  They had snow yesterday so hopefully our weather while there won't be as cold.

RV Fixed, On to Joshua Tree National Park

Monday morning we waited for the call from the RV repair guy, got a little disappointed when the time he said he would call passed.  But then, he didn't say what year  But then the phone rang and he said he would be by between 9 and 11am.  By noon we again thought, oh well, would have to find someone else.  At 12:10 he pulled up (phew!).  Another 45 minutes went by with Dave insisting that he move the electrical plug to another spot on top of the bumper, and vo-ah-la - done.  And working without a problem.  Thank goodness - and as Dave said, it was going to happen again, bad design of the people who installed the wiring harness on the RV.

USMC Base at end of the road, our campground is in clump of trees to right of road

At night we can see the lights of the United States Marine Corp Base just 2 miles north of our campground.  Every time I look that way I think of Jerry (my late brother) and Chris (my sister's son) who both spent time there in training while in the Marines.

This sculpture reminds me of our winter home -
lots of folks have wind sculptures

Yesterday we drove into town where the visitors center for Joshua Tree National Park is.  Got info on places to see and casual hikes to do and off we went.  The park is based on the transition zone between the Mojave Desert which is on the western part of the park where you see piñon pines, yucca plants, juniper trees and prickly pear cactus and lies at 3000 feet and above and the Colorado Desert below the 3000 feet level where you see ocotillo, palo verde trees, patches and patches of jumping cholla cactus (don't even think of touching one!!) and lots of sand. The San Andreas Fault lies right at it's southern border and this area is also where all the springs are (Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, and Palm Desert).  We concentrated on the northern, western and eastern areas of the park yesterday.

Did a quick hike along the Skull Rock Trail, the stones were eerie.  Looked like sandstone but it is all granite.  Animal life was hiding although we did see roadrunner, round tail squirrels, lots of small lizards, birds singing and flying around.  The Joshua Tree was named by Mormons when they ventured through this area in the 1870s.  Two ranches existed and thrived but are now part of the park and can only be visited by private tours, the ranches used the available oasis watering holes.  Since a drought has been ongoing for the last 4 years, these watering holes are dry unless there is heavy rain, otherwise what water there is trickles down below the surface.

The Joshua Tree

See the skull on the left side?

Have to say the Joshua Tree is very unique looking.  We have seen a number of them before when we drove from Phoenix to Las Vegas along the Joshua Tree Parkway (route 93).  Very dramatic views looking across at a forest of Joshua Trees and then seeing a forest of the jumping chollas.  Looking westward we could see San Gorgonio Mountain which sits just east of San Bernadino/Riverside in the Los Angeles area, snow topped.  Pretty.

Forest of Joshua Trees - as far as you can see

Barber Pole - the tallest Joshua - stands at 43 feet

Pretty! San Gorgonio Mountain in background

The park is a haven for rock climbers - over 5000 different climbs to do!

Saw the Silver Bell Mine in the distance

Wayyyy up there!

HUGE ocotillo plants

These jumping chollas looked so bizarre!

Up close (not touching!) of the cholla cactus