After roughing it for the past several nights, we splurged on a little bit of luxury by staying in one of Tenaya Lodge's cottage rooms just outside of Yosemite National Park. That's right. I got a shower. And some tasty BBQ. But the next morning we saw giant sequoias. Redwoods! They've been on my 'to do' list since 2009.
Still tired from our 17 mile hike, we managed to add another 3 or 4 miles and 1,000 ft upwards to our tally with this day hike around Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. We were still able to see: the fallen Monarch, the Bachelor & the Three Graces, the Grizzly Giant, the California Tunnel Tree, the Faithful Couple, and the Clothespin Tree. There's some interesting stories about preserving the redwoods, and how naming the trees actually ends up forcing the park to protect certain sequoias to the detriment of the others. So, the National Park Service has slowly been removing name signs from in front of certain giant sequoias so that the grove may persist.
The trees are as tall as a airplane is long, and some of the sequoias have branches that are thicker than any of the other species of trees' trunks. It's wild. They're really just simply beautiful.
More photos of the giant sequoias up on my flickr account.
Manchester Beach State Park, 1.5 daysNapa Valley, 1 dayYosemite Valley, 3 days- Mariposa Grove, 1 day
- San Francisco, 1 day
i live about an hour an a half from yosemite! What a great northern california check list you have :) enjoyenjoyenjoy
ReplyDeletep.s. when you are in San Fransisco make sure you go to tartine. you WONT regret it
ReplyDeletewww.tartinebakery.com
gorgeous pictures!! sounds like a great time :)
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to explore this area - even more so after seening this
ReplyDeleteWow! These pictures are great!
ReplyDeletethose trees!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! There is something so majestic about giant trees aren't there?
ReplyDeleteIn New Zealand there are trees that are 9 meters in diameter - they are just HUGE and so incredibly amazing.
We lived near (as in, maybe a mile away) the redwoods for a bit when I was very young. One of my first distinct memories that doesn't come from a picture is of me standing at the foot of a giant redwood and looking up, trying to see the top. Even at 5 years old, I understood that there was something majestic about those trees :) I still love them!
ReplyDeleteI got to go here when I was so little. But want to revisit it now. Great photos, nature really is great :)
ReplyDeleteI love Yosemite!! I went there when I was seven, but I have never forgotten it. It's so beautiful there :)
ReplyDeletethese are awesome photos of the yosemites. i've always wanted to go there....some day. :-))
ReplyDeleteHave a sweet day!
Reese
http://rambleswithreese.etsy.com
http://rambleswithreese.blogspot.com