Our First Look at the Sequoias

The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia Trees in Yosemite National Park includes trees that can be called "ancient."  Having seen pictures of these majestic trees in magazines, text books and movies made we want to actually see them up close and personal.

So once again Sandy and I headed up California Highway 41 to Yosemite.  It was a drop-dead-beautiful day in the High Sierras with temps in the mid 60s, lots of sunshine and a slight breeze.












The grove of trees is located two miles from the main gate.  But due to the fact that the soil is still wet from winter snow melt, the paved road into the grove is closed to all but small park vehicles.  The weight of big cars, small trucks and heavy shuttle buses would compact the wet soil and negatively impact the Sequoia roots where they run under the road.  So we began our hike.  We wear hiking shoes and I always wear Thorlos hiking socks with extra thick cushion soles. These socks are fabulous and help defer foot aches and pains.  We hiked 5.6 miles today, so there were some aches and pains.

By now you are probably remembering that there are also huge Redwood trees in California and wondering what is the difference between Sequoias and Redwoods.   The Sequoias and Redwood are all related, and if you are interested this site will provide more information:  http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/cook/sec2.htm.

Within the grove we came across the "Fallen Monarch which has been on the ground for at least 200 years.  From the ground to the top of the roots is about 15 feet.

We also stood in awe of the "Grizzly Giant", estimated to be at least 1800 years old (below).

The Grizzly Giant tree (top photo)  is 210 feet high.  This photo provides some idea of its immense size. You can also see some fire damage to the center of the trunk.  Fortunately, the Sequoias are very fire resistant due to their extremely thick bark.  Interestingly, fire is necessary to help their seeds germinate under soil conditions enhanced by fire.

Finally, I recently discovered that my new digital camera will also take video images.  So every once in a while I will try to capture something of interest.  Here is my first attempt.  It is a small stream running through the Sequoia grove.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JinM9qxt0_w

Stay tuned.

The Perfect Hike ... Almost

Before we started living in our motorhome Sandy and I would often talk about going on hikes. In my mind’s eye I took this hike a couple of hundred times. The trail would be wooded and not too steep, but challenging enough to provide some good exercise. And this imaginary hike always took place alongside of a rushing stream complete with a waterfall.

Fast forward to May , 2010.
Each time we drove to the Yosemite south gate we would pass a turn out on Route 41 that was at a trail head. Sandy and I decided we would hike the trail on a nice day. Today was the day we hiked the Lewis Creek Trail. It is maintained by the Forest Service, and considering all the budget cuts in the past few years, the trail was a dream come true.

We could hear rushing water, the trail was not too steep and at times we walked on a carpet of pine needles. We saw lots of first-time spring flowers. And we saw a really pretty waterfall. I promise pictures later. I did not bring my camera this time. Just wanted to hike.

And hike we did. Somehow we missed the return loop of the trail and ended on a lightly traveled county road. We were pretty sure we were headed in the right direction. We flagged down a motorist who confirmed that we had about another ¾ mile to get back to the main highway. But once we got to the main highway, we had no idea of how far it was back to the trailhead. After about 30 to 40 minutes of the steep uphill climb we were running out of energy. At this point we had hiked pretty close to five miles and both of us had sore feet.
Then we got lucky and saw a California Highway Patrol cruiser go by. We signaled to him. He did not stop but signaled that he would turn around and come back. He was nice enough to give us a ride for the remaining ½ mile back to our car. Whew. Now I really wish I had my camera as I could have taken a photo of Sandy getting into the police car’s back seat.

We will go back and do this hike again and I will take some photos. This is, after all, a near perfect trail and we almost had the perfect hike.

Stay tuned

A DISAPPOINTING TOURIST ATTRACTION

There is an old steam-driven narrow gauge railroad about 35 miles north on the way to Yosemite. It is in the forest and has been there since 1899. It used to serve as a method of hauling cut timber from the forest but by 1931 the forest was pretty much depleted and the falling economy dramatically diminished the need for new wood.

The term applied to this type of logging is “clear cutting” and by 1931 nearly 1.5 billion board feet of lumber has been taken from this forest. Occasionally a tree was spared, but not many. It has taken the last 75 to 80 years for the forest to renew itself.

The principal logging company was called The Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Company. Madera bought these small, narrow and extremely powerful steam engines to do the work. The engines were built in Lima, Ohio.  With proper maintenance these locomotives perform as well today as they did well over 100 years ago.

Today Engine No. 15 is still in use hauling wide-eyed tourists on a one-hour round trip into and out of the Yosemite National Forest. This type of logging did not take place within Yosemite National Park because the park has been protected since 1899.

                                          

We can’t really recommend the trip. It is over-priced and, frankly, a little boring. But it was better than a day at the office.

Stay tuned

Ten Reasons to Visit Yosemite

I am running out of words to describe this beautiful national treasure. So I will let 10 pictures do the talking.

Flowing streams

New moss on a Western Yellow Pine

Upper and Lower Falls viewed simultaneously

The highest waterfall in the United States

Seeing a bear munching on tender grass

Peaceful hiking trails

A mountain stream with a pleasant voice

A meal at the Ahwahnee, one of the great lodges of the Park Service

Great views everywhere you look

The unexpected

Stay tuned

The Grandeur of Yosemite

El Capitan is one of the iconic images of Yosemite

Going to Yosemite reminds me of the unseen force that swings the compass needle to True North.  We also seem to be pulled north to this magnificent land.  So  this morning we again drove north to Yosemite and we plan to go back tomorrow and several times after that.

It is a 30 mile drive from Park of the Sierras, where we are camped, to the South Entrance of Yosemite and another 35 miles into the area around Yosemite Village, just one of a few major areas inside the park that offer lodging and other facilities -- including medical/dental emergencies services.  We actually made the drive Saturday morning to see how much time we need to allow to arrive Sunday for a Ranger guilded tour at 10:00.  We'll be leaving early.

Ofcourse we took a few "snapshots" along the way. The above was taken at "Tunnel View". El Capitan is on the left and the small beak-shaped mountaintop just right of center is Half Dome. You might want to click on this one for a larger view.

Another famous feature of the park is Bridal Veil Falls.  Waterfalls in the park are now at their peak flow due to spring melt of winter snows. There is still snow on the ground at 5,000 feet and above.  And some roads in the park won't open until mid-May or early June. 

On the way out of Yosemite, I had to stop and take a photos of this beautiful river.

The Wawona opened in 1879

We decided to stop for lunch in the park and chose the Wawona Hotel dining room.    Real white linen table cloths, a great waiter and easily 3-star food (4 star dessert).

The dining room is charming and the multi-paned windows

 lend a distinct charm

The wall sconces are, unfortunately,

replicas of the hand-painted originals

that were replaced in the 1980s.  But
they are nonetheless very unique.

(L-R) Greg and Jan, George and Sandy

We ended the day on a high note by having dinner with new friends Greg and Jan White.  We first met Greg and Jan at the Gypsy Journal rally in Yuma in March.  They started thinking about full-time RV living in the summer of 2006, but got on the road a lot sooner than we did.  They are now well into their third year.  They are staying in our campground and discovered from our blog that we are here, too.  Small world.

Stay tuned.

When a Telephone Pole Becomes a Self Storage Facility for a Woodpecker

Our new front gate

The first day we were here, Sandy spotted a neat looking woodpecker. A little while later we both spotted the same type of bird and Sandy looked it up in our National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America. It is an Acorn Woodpecker. More about him in a moment.

An Acorn Woodpecker rests on a tree near our motorhome.

Yesterday when we went for a walk we passed a telephone pole. Something about the texture of the pole was different, so I walked back a few steps to take a closer look. Every nook and cranny and crack in the pole was stuffed with acorns. Aha, I thought, clever squirrels. As we walked away we could see four Acorn Woodpeckers land near the top of the pole. I assumed the woodpeckers were taking advantage of the hard work of the squirrels. What’s the old saying: never assume anything?

When we got back to the coach I looked up Acorn Woodpeckers on Wikipedia and learned some fascinating facts. First, Acorn Woodpeckers love the California Sierras as much as they love acorns; hence their name. According to Wikipedia, in some parts of their range (e.g., California), the woodpeckers create granaries or "acorn trees" by drilling holes in dead trees, dead branches, telephone poles and wooden buildings. The woodpeckers then collect acorns and find a hole that is just the right size for the acorn. As acorns dry out, they are moved to smaller holes and granary maintenance requires a significant amount of the bird's time.

Looks like some nuts have been consumed

The acorns are visible, and the group defends the tree (or telephone pole) against potential cache robbers like Steller's Jays and Western Scrub Jays. Acorns are such an important resource to the California populations that Acorn Woodpeckers may nest in the fall to take advantage of the fall acorn crop, a rare behavior in birds.

Kind of cool to learn something so unusual while enjoying this beautiful park.

There are many flowering bushes here in Park of the Sierras

Stay tuned.

A Sneak Preview of Yosemite National Park

Some days we just kind of wing it.  Actually, lots of days are that way.  Following breakfast we decided to drive into the nearby mountain town of Coarsegold and then on to Oakhurst. 

Typical scenery as we drove into town 

While in Coarsegold we stopped at the local post office to pick up our mail.  I needed to find a general dentist to make an appointment to get my teeth cleaned, and we hoped to find a dog groomer for Trixie.  Missions accomplished.

These flowers were outside the post office.  Doesn't look like the post office in Barrington, IL

We also wanted to drive the 30 some miles to the south entrance of Yosemite National Park to kind of check it out.  Now, you might ask: how does one "check out" a 12,000 square mile national treasure?

Well, we started by talking with one of the attendants at the south entrance and telling her that we had never been in the park and needed some information.  She gladly gave us a 4-color brochure and  the April 14 to May 25, 2010 Yosemite Guide.  We took those home to formulate our plans.

We haven't seen snow on trees since March of 2009

On our drive up into the High California Sierras we went from an elevation of 2,000 to just over 5,000 feet.  It had snowed at the higher elevations of the park last night and as we drove higher the trees became covered with snow and the air became colder.  We also saw signs informing motorists that tire chains or snow tires on cars were required. That was another reason we didn't want to drive into the park today.

We did see some great scenery.  We will be back to the park and more than once. After all we have from over 12,000 square miles from which to choose our visits.

So stay tuned.