Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park
Old Friends, World Famous Giants, and a Waterfall
The Walters headed deep into the Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon. We were lucky as the parks just opened several days prior and were nearly empty.
The first stop was the Mark Twain Tree Stump which the kids knew from the New York National History Museum Sequoia exhibit. It was like visiting an old friend. Apparently, when people in California wrote people back east about the Sequoia Trees, they were not believed and thought it a hoax. So to help the world understand, they would cut sections out and ship them to museums and world fairs.
We also saw the second largest tree by volume (General Grant Tree) and the largest tree by volume (General Sherman Tree). They are impressive. It was also nice to experience them WITHOUT all the tourists. It was also fun to think that these trees have been around since the birth of Christ. They have witnessed more than we can fathom.
Finally, we drove deep into Kings Canyon for a walk and to see an impressive waterfall. The driving was tough as the roads were windy and steep. We bought some backup gas at an old gas station with old gravity pumps.
Kids also got a bit of education. We learned that canyons have two primary shapes, V and U. V canyons are cut by rivers and U by glaciers. Kings Canyon exhibited both types. The most impressive is the U as the side of the canyons is 3,000 feet straight up as you walk in the bottom of the canyon.
Another thing we learned, Sequoia trees grow upward until they are topped by lightning or wind. At that point, they stop growing upward and start growing outward which leads to their giant girth. Their bark is also made of a fire retardant resin which protects them from fire. Nearly every tree was fire marked or had a burned-out hallow. Such resiliance is impressive.
