Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks

Sunday October 8: Kings Canyon:
I drove into Kings Canyon National Park by way of Fresno in the afternoon and had no clue what I was getting into. I’ve heard of the Kings Canyon from friends but hadn’t really heard specifically what to do or see there. I chose Kings Canyon because it was connected to Sequoia and I was curious! It was a steep, winding drive up to the top and I set up camp at Azalea. It seems like these parks are all closing down for winter, so it was really lucky to have showed up this week. The main roads through the canyon and to Sequoia close in a couple weeks, that would have been a bummer!
As I arrived, I was a little unsure about the whole thing. I went to see General Grant Tree, which is a huge sequoia tree that FDR deemed the “nation’s Christmas tree”. I was overwhelmed by the size, it’s gigantic and no photo will ever do it justice! However, I was a little disappointed with the paved trail and lack of true natural setting. Does that make sense? I think I’m a little spoiled because there were so many beautiful redwood trees up north. Sequoias aren’t as plentiful. Which is really sad because they’re only found in these specific groves. On the entire planet!

Monday October 9: Kings Canyon:
My morning routine always consists of making a delicious cup or two of coffee and oatmeal. I am getting a litttttttle tired of oatmeal, but it’s easy and warm, so I’ll stick with it. I had just washed my dishes and saw a Subaru just like mine parked nearby and so I struck up a conversation about how our cars are the same, same cargo boxes, and same bike racks! He had fewer stickers on his box, so we talked about different places we had been. Turns out this guy is named Fred and is doing the exact same trip as I am. Fred is from Grand Rapids, Michigan and is 62! He retired and hopped in the car and set off for nearly the same route trip, but half as long.
It was such a treat to talk with Fred about thoughts on certain places that I haven’t been able to really talk about. He and I have been in the same spots with the same weather and everything, so it was SO great to talk about it all. Fred is a big bike rider and skier, so he knew exactly where Mullett Lake is and said he has always wanted to buy a cottage in Topinabee. We made plans to meet later in the day as we were both getting ready for our day in the canyon.
I had no idea what to expect in Kings Canyon but it was amazing. I drove through these meandering switch backs down to the bottom of a canyon. The canyon had towering, rocky, Sierra mountains and at the base was the Kings River. The river was clear and glacial, absolutely amazing. There were huge water falls and streams leading into the canyon. I went all the way to the end of the road, got out and walked around. Then I found a really sunny rock on the river and read my book for the afternoon.
As I was driving back towards the campsite, I saw Fred who invited me to dinner at the lodge. We talked about how surprisingly beautiful Kings Canyon was and how lucky we were to have caught it before the winter closures. We had a little campfire, talked about the future adventures and then parted ways. Hopefully, I’ll get to see Fred sometime next summer when I drive to Michigan for summer vacation!

Tuesday October 10: Sequoia:
I wasn’t sure where to stay in Sequoia on my last day, but knew I wanted to make my way south to make my drive to LA the next day not so bad. I stopped in Lodgepole, did my laundry and took a shower. It was glorious. However, Sequoia was having a prescribed burn, so this area in the park was super smoky. I asked if it would be less so further south, but no one really knew. I decided to do a quick walk through the sequoia trees and then head into the “foothills” section of the park. The sequoias are beautiful and OLD, but I really loved their red color. They stand out really well amongst regular trees in the forest, almost like they have a ray of light on them to point them out to you. However, it broke my heart that these sequoias were few and far between. It also was not a hike through groves and groves of them, more of a nature walk through a single grove. Maybe there are more groves that I didn’t see, but it seems like these sequoias are not going to be around very much longer. Their proximity to the big city of LA and others probably affects their growth because of air quality. Either way, it was a “wow” moment to be around them and I think we should all be venturing west to see them before they’re gone. The forests around them are dying from insects and drought at a really fast rate, hopefully the sequoias won’t be as affected.
I drove down a crazy, windy mountain road to get to Potwisha. It was HOT! I haven’t really felt heat in a long time, since the Badlands I guess. I was vey surprised. It’s hot and dusty down there but has another beautiful river that is freezing cold in it. I grabbed some icecream, chatted with Ella for a bit, and then went and dipped my toes in the river for a while before sunset.

Wednesday October 11: LA
I chose a route that looked different than main highways and made my way towards Santa Monica to see Jamie’s cousin, Mary Michael and the kids, Claire and Grant. MM’s husband, Dave, had to leave last minute to be with his family in St. Louis, so we’re missing him! I drove through some interesting California landscapes, dusty shrubbed mountains, and valleys filled with farms. California grows SO much of our food. This drought

is even more concerning to me.
I got on the California 1 and drove the coast to Malibu. I got some delicious fish tacos and hung on the beach for the afternoon. It was absolutely beautiful, 80 and sunny. It was so beautiful to watch people swim in the Pacific and enjoy the day. I wandered around Santa Monica and met Mary Michael and the kids for dinner. It was so great to see them, they’re always fun to be around. I’ll stick around LA for a few days and then see my cousin Grady before heading to the desert!