BIG TREES !!

Thu, 5/27/10. Not doing a thing all morning at Lake Isabella RV Resort in Weldon ..just gazing at the marvelous scenery of the Kern River Valley.

Take Rt. 178 to 155N and stop for lunch preparation. Where's Tim?? He thinks I don't see him, but with my zoom lens..I see that he is chopping and gathering firewood. Hwy190 takes us through Sequoia National Forest with rocky mountains, granite formations, and the roaring white waters of the Kern River that parallels the narrow steep road.










Home of the giants! Giant Sequoias are slightly shorter than the coastal redwoods, more massive, and considered to be the largest tree in the world in terms of volume. They mature to 2500-4000 years old. Imagine a tree still growing that was 200 ft. at the time of Christ.




Zipping along the steep narrow road through the forest, we see that Redwood Meadow Campground is open. It's a remote site--no hookups, no TV, no cell service, no internet--and we are the lone campers among the Sequoia trees. Magnificent! RV gets leveled, Tim-style.















Temperature is low 40's and dropping so we layer up before hiking the trails around us. Looking for mountain lions, bears, anything wild. The Trail of 100 Giants is a premier grove of giant sequoias. They are IMMENSE.
















Jack and Aiden!.here's what you've been waiting for, BIG TREES!






















































Ribs on the grill for dinner with sliced potatoes, onions and beets. It's 8:30 p.m. and pitch black outside. Pour the wine, Sinatra tunes (again?). It's 9:00 p.m. and the temperature is still dropping. Plan next week's destination. Check wine inventory. It's 9:30 p.m. and there is complete solitude. Tim is up in his library reading.














There is a forecast of 10 inches of snow tonight. It's 10:30 p.m. and we read to each other historical facts and highlights of our travel ahead (senior bedtime stories).



Friday, 5/28/10. There are other trees here besides the giant Sequoias-- spruce, cedar, white fir, ponderosa pines, and sugar pines. Did you know the sugar pine is the largest species of pine in the world and has the longest of pinecones, 18-22 inches long? Those cones are right outside the RV door, and I'm saving my collection for future creative use.























Continue on Calif 190 through Sequoia National Forest. Zack braces himself while we cautiously move along the winding road, up steep inclines and down close-your-eyes hills. Such melodrama! But there's a drastic scenery change as we wander into Springville and notice a car wash. Stop to clean up the RV.















Over a century ago Bass Lake was not a lake, but a lush meadow surrounded by hills and mountains covered in pine trees. The area was inhabited by Chuckchansi and Mono Indians for 1,000's of years. The lake was created in 1901 when the 1st earthen dam was built in Crane Valley.

Bass Lake sounds promising for an RV site!-- and it's booked because of the holiday weekend. We take a cancellation at Wishon Point and settle in, wondering what Yosemite will be like tomorrow.