Are we there yet? Day 10

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Our postings are late as we do not have Internet or cell phone access until we arrive at the hotel-we crash and have no energy left by then.

This day we traveled to the Giant Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. It took over 3 hours from Barstow to get here, so we stopped on the way to have lunch at a neat little restaurant along the Virgin River. The restaurant is not impressive from the front, however it has large outside dining areas along the river which provides a breathtaking view of the river. We enjoyed wild caught Alaskan salmon burgers. After lunch we headed to Giant Sequoia National Park. Mount Whitney, which is 14,500 ft, is in the park but only visible from the Eastern entrance so we did not see it today.

After entering the park we drove sharp switchbacks to reach the higher elevation. There was road construction which could result in one half hour time delays if your travels are not timed correctly. Ascending the switchbacks you have the right-of-way on the half hour (those descending have the right-of-way on the hour). We timed it correctly. After traveling the switchbacks, a prominent view is Moro Rock, which is actually a mountain peak.

The views from the park are spectacular, but our pictures do not do it justice. The trees are truly giants. We hiked to the earth's largest tree by volume, named the 'General Sherman' tree. It is estimated to be 2200 years old and grows new wood each year equivalent to a 60 foot tree of normal proportions.

We visited Kings Canyon rather late in the day, it was not completely open so we did not see the 'Kings' granite mountain peaks from the canyon floor. However, we did visit the giant 'General Grant' Sequoia tree.

We spent the night in Fresno looking forward to our visit to Yosemite tomorrow.

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Photos

Windmill farm
There are many "farms" like this in the windy Southern California area