Driving from Oceanside, Ca, we saw miles and miles of citrus trees and many workers harvesting the fruit. Our new destination, Sequoia RV Ranch, was charming with a mountain stream that flowed next to our campsite. The music of the rushing waters made for some really good sleeping!
The drive to the Sequoia National Forest and for miles inside the forest was characterized by rocky mountains and small hardwoods. We questioned if we were even in the right area to see the trees.
The road into the forest was very curvy. As the elevation increased,
we began to see the terrain change from barren mountains to beautiful, lush forests with spectacular views! Eventually, we saw the majestic rust-colored bark of the Giant Sequoias standing vigorously among the other conifers. These robust trees, ranging in age from 1800 to 3000 years old, were astonishing!
With our hiking boots laced up, we
delighted in hiking the General Sherman Trees Trail along with people from all over the world to see more of God's creations!
Here, Doug and Lili are barely visible standng at the base of one of the giants!
Here, Doug is checking out the cross section that had been cut out from a giant tree
Unfortunately, a fire ignited by lightning in another section of the forest in September, destroying some trees and left some areas still smoldering, filling the air with smoke. Redwoods actually benefit from some fires to contol the undergrowth, so they can grow to a massive size.
The fires caught us by surprise but fortunately it was only smoldering fires!
No biking on these winding roads, but heading east now back to Talking Rock, Ga with a few special stops aling the way!