September 20, 2014 Kings Canyon National Park

We left Yosemite and fortunately did not have to travel back on the same curvy mountainous road we arrived on.  Instead we took the road through the park which involved driving through four park tunnels which fortunately were high enough for the RV to pass through safely.  We had planned on stopping by Mariposa Grove as we exited the south entrance of the park.  Mariposa Grove was such a long drive from our campground we decided to wait and visit the grove as we exited the park since it was on the way.  Mariposa Grove is the park’s largest stand of 500 giant sequoias.  Since it was after Labor Day and not the weekend we felt confident we would have no problem finding a parking place for the RV and car.  To our amazement, as we neared the parking areas of Mariposa Grove, all the parking lots were full and rangers were directing traffic to other areas of the park.  This meant we would have to somehow find a parking spot for both vehicles and catch a shuttle bus to and from the grove.  This was all a bit much for a travel day, so we decided to save the grove for when we come back someday to see the falls in the park in late spring or early summer.

We continued on to Coarsegold, California where we spent one night at a very nice Escapees park.  We were warmly welcomed and immediately invited to their Happy Hour which we attended after getting settled into our campsite.  We enjoyed meeting and talking with many of the people living and visiting there.  We are so glad we became members of Escapees since we have enjoyed their parks, rallies and went to Baja Mexico with a group of Escapees last February.  The Coarsegold area had recently been impacted by wildfires and the air was a bit smoky while we were there.

The next day we left early for several days of dry camping at Azalea Campground in Kings Canyon National Park. IMG_2500  Once again we had to unhook the car and drive separately as we had a steady climb of 6,000 feet on Kings Highway to reach the campground along a curvy mountainous road.  We expected the park to be fairly empty since this park is not as popular as Yosemite and it was after Labor Day.  We didn’t have a reservation and we were quite surprised to find the park very crowded with weekend campers.  We had to ride around the campground for awhile before finding a spot that would work for us.  This is a nice campground but it is challenging to find level spots.  We finally settled on a spot that was not as level as we would have liked and we were unable to get satellite tv.  The next day was Sunday and the park emptied out and we were able to move to a much nicer site  that was level and the satellite tv worked great.

Sunday after changing campsites we decided to spend some time exploring Kings Canyon.  Kings Canyon National Park is located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountain range.  It includes some of the largest trees in the world, one of the deepest canyons in the United States, and some of the highest mountain peaks in the contiguous United States.  We started by watching the movie on the park at the visitors center and then set out for General  Grant Grove to see the General Grant Tree, the second largest living tree in the world.

General Grant Tree

General Grant Tree

It is 267 feet tall, over 3,000 years old and is known as our nation’s Christmas Tree.  General Grant Grove is comprised of 154 acres of magnificent sequoias and there are paved walkways where you can stroll the area.

Trees from the Grant Grove parking lot

Trees from the Grant Grove parking lot

Trees from the Grant Grove parking lot

Trees from the Grant Grove parking lot

The through the tree view

The through the tree view

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Inside the tree that is as big as a large room

Inside the tree that is as big as a large room

General Grant Grove is part of King’s Canyon National Park and was established by Congress in 1890.  John Muir first visited KIngs Canyon from Yosemite in 1873 and lobbied to have the area preserved.  We are so very fortunate that our forefathers had the wisdom to preserve these beautiful parks so many years ago!

When we first started up the pathway Bill was stung on his hand by a bee.  He never saw the bee but only felt the sting.  Later, on our way back down to the car I suddenly felt a terrible pain and stinging on my inner arm.  I looked down and saw what appeared to be a yellow jacket.  I think he must have been on my arm and when I put my arm down to my side he was trapped and stung me.  The strange thing was the bee would not let go or stop stinging.  As much as I frantically tried to get him off he was fighting to hold on and kept stinging.  I finally turned to Bill in desperation and he managed to get the bee off.  By this time the pain and stinging was horrible and I stood there amid the sea of tourists in General Grant Grove sobbing.  What a sight!  Fortunately we had a cooler of cold drinks in the car with several ice packs and I was able to get ice on my arm right away.  Even with the ice the stinging pain continued for several hours.  Never thought I would encounter killer bees in General Grant Grove!  Do you think it is because I am from the south??   This grove was named for Ulysses S. Grant and there is a tree in the grove named Ulysses.

There were many activities to choose from in the park and we debated whether we should next take the 46 mile round trip on Kings Canyon Scenic Byway into the canyon since the road was a curvy IMG_2491 IMG_2493 IMG_2494 IMG_2495 mountainous road which dropped 3,000 feet onto the canyon floor.  We were so glad we did since the views of the canyon were magnificent.  Bill is a wonderful photographer but even he found it difficult to capture the beauty of the canyon on camera.  I have no words to adequately describe the wonders of the canyon.  The canyon valley floor was carved by glaciers during the Ice Age. IMG_2485 IMG_2489 IMG_2496

Roaring River, very clear water

Roaring River, very clear water

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Looking into Kings Canyon

Looking into Kings Canyon

Along the way we stopped at Roaring River Falls.  We were skeptical whether we would see any running water but decided a little exercise wouldn’t hurt and made the short hike to the falls along a nice paved trail.  We were pleasantly surprised to see a rather nice little falls.

Roaring River Falls

Roaring River Falls

We continued driving on the canyon floor until we reached “The Roads End”. IMG_2509 Here they had many parking areas and a small building where you could get wilderness permits for overnight hiking trips into the canyon.  They had trails, one of which led to Muir’s Rock, Muir talked many times from this rock, the same rock where a picture of John Muir was taken and later used in the film on the park at the visitors center.

Muir rock, where he and others sat and enjoyed the Kings Canyon

Muir rock, where he and others sat and enjoyed the Kings Canyon

We headed back and marveled at the views of the canyon from the opposite direction.  It was now late in the day and the sun was reflecting off the canyon walls.

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