They Might Be Giant Sequoias!

We awoke again to blue skies, sun and trees all around and on our way to breakfast we watched an American (Pine) Martin jumping around a bush for something it thought was in there and after breaky we had a wee pre-walk around the trees by the lodge... bliss.

So off we went to the giant sequoias... we think we were first/last here in 1991 but possibly not for long. So first up was the Giant Forest Museum to get the background info... do you know they can live for over 3000 years, need fire to clear the ground for saplings to grow and the cones to release their seeds, reheal their bark after fire damage, bark can be 2 feet thick, usually only die from falling, only grow between 5000 and 7000 feet from sea level and only grow on a 260 mile strip of the Sierra Nevadas... no? Neither did we, or at least we forgot from 32 years ago!

We took a few trails to see the Sentinel, The Big Trees Trail, the Auto Log (they used to drive a car on top of a massive log), the Tunnerl Log that we drove through, both ways, twice, it wasn't busy, and finally General Sherman, the lastest by volume tree in the world. There are taller and wider ones, but this one is a chunky trunky! 52508 cubic feet, 2200 years old, 275 feet tall, 36 feet wide...OMG I'm full of facts me!

Somewhere in the middle of all this we walked up the steps of Moro Rock, which protrudes upwards and outwards from the forest looking down for almost 360 degrees. It was a bit hairy scarey going up, passing people coming down, about 300 odd steps, leaning this way and that way with steep drops either side. At the top it it just this walkway along the rock where you can just marvel at the views, and they were marvellous.

We could have stayed a few days here walking some trails, but alas we had to move on, south... again up and down 1000s of feet and a 5 hour drive and roads that were straight for 10s of miles and highways full of trucks in the early evening.... and finally arriving at Santa Monica for a few days sightseeing in Los Angeles for the first time. It's going to be quite a change from the last few days!