After hours and hours on the road, driving around and/or through Los Angeles, a night in Bakersfield and then more hours on the road, I arrived in Three Rivers, California.
My destination was Three Rivers Hideaway, where I was going to stay for a few days while checking out Sequoia National Park. I had made a reservation, and talking with the camp host on the phone, it sounded like they were busy. Little did I know that they weren’t exactly busy, although they did have a few permanent residents. After discussing it with her, we settled on site 20, which I said was a lucky number, as my birthday is on the 20th.
When I got there, the site wasn’t available. It was occupied by a man working on getting the park ready for the season.
Since I was so disappointed, she surprised me by renaming my site for the duration of my stay.
Kerry even liked Cora and came by to chat with her. Cora seemed to like her, too.
The weather forecast for my stay wasn’t good, which kind of foreshadowed the weather for the next few months. Well – maybe it wasn’t months, but it sure felt like it!
Anyway, the day after my arrival was the best day for a visit to the park. After a night’s sleep, I got up and headed out. I drove past the shops advertising snow chain rentals. Well, if I need chains, I’m not going. I headed to the park headquarters to see what the road conditions were.
But first, time for the iconic photo op by the sign.
I stopped in at the headquarters and got my National Parks Passport stamped. Then I took a while to look at the displays.
This one caught my attention. Hmm…I was there in March. March is just about the rainiest month of the year. I have to say that the weather was holding true to type.
I drove up and up and up and around and around and around. I found a scenic overlook where there was actually a bit of a view. The weather was not the best.
After more up and up and up and around and around and around, I finally reached the Giant Forest.
Those were some BIG TREES!
I parked and went to find General Sherman – the tree, not the man. I parked and slogged up the trail.
Yep, that’s snow, and more snow was in the forecast. I was lucky to get there on a “clear” day.
So, I walked through the tunnel and on the path through the grove. Too bad there wasn’t a tunnel to drive through, but those trees are over near Eureka, California in the redwood forests.
General Sherman is the star of the show in this grove of trees. It is the world’s largest tree, measured by volume. I did a little research, and General Sherman contains over 500,000 board feet of timber. How much is that? Well, if you consider that the average house has about 5,000 board feet in it, the wood in General Sherman could build a small town.
General Sherman has the greatest circumference of any of the trees in the park – and has a circumference at the base of about 110 feet. The diameter is about 36 feet at the base. An interesting feature of sequoias is that the trunks remain wide high up. Sixty feet above the base, General Sherman is about 55 feet in circumference – or 18 feet in diameter. The first large branch is 130 feet above the ground and the tree is 275 feet tall.
General Sherman is estimated to be about 2,000 years old, which would make it a middle aged sequoia. Trees that make it to the end of their natural life are around 3,200 years old.
The weather was really less than pleasant. This is the path around the tree. It was not a great day, as you can see – and hear.
I was fascinated by these roots. Imagine what it must have sounded like when this tree fell.
I made my way back to the Bart and decided to head back down.
Like I said, it was wet, but I did like the view of the back end of the bus that wedged itself in front of me. I was able to maneuver out of the spot – I mean, they could have given me another foot or two – but I was able to get out and then reverse the process.
Down and down and down and around and around and around.
Incidentally, this was the mileage I got when I made it to the Giant Forest.
Also, take a gander at the temperature.
Here are the readings when I got back down. It’s a lot warmer and I actually have more miles to empty. I love it when that happens!
Once I was back down, I stopped in a picnic area and had lunch. In the truck. It was warmer, but the weather was not suitable for picnicking. (Or have you already gotten the idea that the weather was unpleasant?)
I had booked three days at Three Rivers Hideaway, so I kind of hung out. One day, I went to THE ice cream parlor in town. Several people told me that I had to go there. It wasn’t hard to find, as it was the only ice cream parlor in town.
The ice cream was good, and the lady who scooped my cone was pleasantly chatty. Sometimes, you just need someone to exchange pleasantries with when you are traveling alone.
I also spent some time using the internet at the library. The librarian was also very helpful. In fact, I showed up just as she was taking her dinner break, but she let me in anyway.
I decided to treat myself to dinner at the Gateway Restaurant and Lodge. I headed back toward the entrance to the park.
Just head to the end of the road!
The river was high. With all the rain and the snow melting, it was rushing.
I got the chili. Partly because I wanted chili, and partly because the prices on the menu were a little bit rich for my taste.
And then my time in Three Rivers, California came to a close. The weather cleared a bit, and I was able to pull over and take a picture of Lake Kaweah with the snow-capped mountains in the distance.
Next stop: Carmel-by-the-Sea.