Into the Forest

We are stalling. We need to head out to Sequoia National Park but we do not want to leave Yosemite. Leaving Yosemite means that the trip is nearly over and we will be returning home soon. Passing through the park gate is acknowledging that we need to return to the world we have escaped from for over 20 days. It is something we do reluctantly and we are all a little quieter today.

We know we are lucky to have had this time to share with each other. It is not something many people can do. But that is what makes it difficult to end it. It is so special, it is such a blessing, who would want that to end? But it will end and sooner than we have prepared ourselves.

We headed out to Sequoia today. To get there we must travel down out of Yosemite, across the San Joaquin Valley and back up into the Sierra. As we drove down to the valley I kept an eye on the temperature. It started in the 70s. Then climbed to the 80s. As we got back down towards sea level we were in the upper 90s. When we went through Coarsegold, CA it hit 113 degrees. California has been in a drought for the past three years but this year's record snowfalls mean an end to that disaster. Not an immediate end, though. As we drive through mile after mile of historically fertile farmland it looks like we are in the heart of Texas. As far as we can see brown, dry grass. Small patches of green in the crease of two hills occasionally interrupt the monotony. It is sad. And the temp in the RV starts to rise as well. We have the AC cranked but we are all sweating it out.

We soon approach the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and climb into King's Canyon then further into Sequoia. Here is a fun item we have learned: the Google maps we were provided along with our directions in the itinerary tell us the mileage we have to travel but that is only park to park. In other words, if you wanted to drive from DC to Miami it would be like me telling you the distance from DC to the Florida state line. The amount of time and mileage we need to drive once we reach the park gates can be considerable. In this instance we need to go a further 30 miles into the park to reach our site. Not bad except it is all narrow switchbacks up and down the Sierras in a huge, not entirely sprightly, vehicle. This adds another hour and a half to the drive.

What also adds a bit of time is...wait for it... a bear! A small one, but it still counts. It crosses in front of us and is only a few feet from our window as the kids watch for about three minutes. They are excited to see one, finally, and we cross it off the list of things we wish we could see on this trip. Only mountain lions and pikas are left. 

By the time we arrive at our site it is 7:30  in the evening. Still light out but not for too much longer. The kids head down to the river which is deadlier than normal but they have found a safe stream that runs parallel to it. We made dinner reservations on the road knowing we would be pulling in late and head out for our first fine dining in many days. Dinner is good but the views are better. We head back to the site as it gets dark and hope to see more bear tomorrow.