Kings Canyon (Part 1)

The drive to King's Canyon National Park (a lesser known sister to Sequoia known as a "warm up" for Yosemite) was supposed to take just under 4 hours. We stopped in a little town called Lodi for breakfast at a local diner. It was superb. We enjoyed the "hobo platter" (me) and the "hungry hobo platter" (Jackson). It was just eggs, potatoes, peppers, onions and cheese all scrambled together. Jackson's also had sausage in it. You know, for the hungry hobos. Anyway, we tried to eat a lot because we knew we wouldn't have a chance to eat again until much, much later. 

Once we were back on the road we powered right along. We passed a few fruit stands on the side of the road and I kept dropping hints to my driver that I'd like to stop. He kept driving. During this ordeal somehow the navigation assistant (me) neglected her duties and we missed a turn. We realized it once we ended up in a small town that was certainly not where we expected to be. Once the navigator checked her map she saw that they'd passed their turn by a mere eight miles. When she told the driver that she heard, "EIGHT MILES?!?! EIGHT MILES??!?!" She just laughed because what else could you do?

Do you want to hear the best part? If that driver had listened to his navigator's requests to stop at the fruit stand the turn would never have been missed as the fruit stand was the turn! In the end (as Jackson would testifies always happens) the navigator got her way and a stop was made at the fruit stand. 

The driver, annoyed, picking out peaches

One happy navigator eating a peach

The peaches we purchased were phenomenal! That was the last stop before we got to King's Canyon. The drive to which was mildly terrifying. We wound up the side of a mountain and only saw like two spots with guardrails. WHAT DO PEOPLE HAVE AGAINST GUARDRAILS?!?!?!?! I tried to busy myself with navigation efforts, but the cell reception was weak up there and even that outlet failed me. I was stuck watching us climb ever higher up this mountain. In the end we made it. Whew. 

A friendly park ranger gave us directions on how to see the entire park in one day. We got on our way and stopped at the General Grant tree which is between the 2nd and 3rd largest tree by volume in the world depending on which source you select for your information. 

The burn hole

The trees around it are so large that the perspective is hard to manage.
It is HUGE, though.

This is as close as you can get to the tree. 

The tree is roughly 1,650 years old and they don't want us walking on its roots. My thought is that if it lasted this long...(just saying).

Jackson approached a less famous tree to show its hugeness

There was a downed tree near the Grant Tree that was hollowed out in the middle and made for a great Petefish playgound.

Again with how huge the trees were- Jackson looks miniature!

Climbing inside what felt like a cave but was really just this tree

Jackson's climb from bottom to top (it was slopped)

Jackson at the bottom, me at the top shooting down

Nope, I'm not in a cave...I AM IN A TREE!!!! (a dusty one)

We had quite the time climbing in and around the downed tree (which was allowed, I might add) until Jackson found a large rock to climb. 

"Check me out!!!!"

I'm always amazed at his lack of fear of breaking a leg or ankle or something. Anyway, he made it and once we'd finished playing we headed back to the car for more exploring. The road through the park is about 37 miles and the speed limit is 35 mph (more on that later) so it is supposed to take just over an hour to see the whole thing. They clearly didn't factor in pulling over every few minutes to snap photos of the glorious vistas all around you. I drove this part as it was super curvy and I feel better when I am in control. Thankfully there was not much traffic at all and with all of the stopping to snap photos I never felt all that nervous on these mountain roads.

Part 2 will be coming whenever a hotel's wifi allows me to post the 40 or so photos I snapped yesterday. Stay tuned for that. We're off to Sequoia today to see some even larger trees. It is supposed to be 108 degrees today so here is hoping that we don't melt! :)