If you are looking for the new blog on Australia and New Zealand you need to use the new url:
wesnorm2.blogspot.com
Enjoy and stay in touch.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
06 - 10 Oct 2010
We are on the final leg of our trip home. A few weeks ago Wes and I made the decision to be in Kelowna in time for the BMO Okanagan Marathon. When I heard that Alicia was running the 10K we decided that there was no reason for me not to do the same run. By planning on being home about 3 days earlier than originally planned, we could be in Kelowna for Oct 10 run. So as soon as that was decided we started to make the plans. I signed up for the 10K run online, went shopping for running shoes and started with plans to surprise Alicia and Anne.
Now that you are reading this blog it means that we are home. We have carefully continued to spread the word that we would not be home until after the 10th but before the 15th. We are trying to figure out how to locate Alicia and Anne in Kelowna on Saturday at some point and surprise them of our presence and my plan to run with Alicia.
As a result we started homeward seriously from Boulder Creek with a stop at Crater Lake. Crater Lake is a caldera lake located in the south-central region of Oregon. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fills a nearly 2,148 foot (655 m) deep calder that was formed around 7,700 years ago by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama. In the center of the crater is an ‘island’. We drove in to the park and along part of the rim road. The pictures do not do justice at all and I have seen some pictures of winter views which are spectacular. The weather at that height was around 12 degrees but the wind on the rim made this feel much cooler. We would have enjoyed spending more time exploring and have marked this as a future place to explore but will do it in July or August when it would be warmer.
We continued up the highway 97 towards Washington where we plan to spend a night. The drive from southern Oregon to southern Washington with a visit to Crater Lake National Park was a long day but we have plans to be back into Canada by Thursday (tomorrow) and at Wade’s for Thurs and Fri night. When we decided that we would be in Kelowna for the run on Oct 10 noting that this was Thanksgiving weekend, we decided that it would be great to have Thanksgiving dinner with Wade, his boys and their friends. Wade agreed since he immediately started to put the plans into place for Fri and Sat.
Driving through central Oregon and central Washington was very interesting. The landscape is basically hilly but has a dried desert feel to it. The Columbia River and the dams provide a chance to see different landscapes but in we discovered several types of agricultural and other types of industries in the states. In particular the Okanogan Valley (note spelling different than in Canada) the fruit industry appears to be flourishing. But windmills are also showing up.
Once we crossed back into Canada, we stopped to visit old family friends on Road 15 south of Oliver (Dave and Jean). This gave Wes an opportunity to visit the orchard that we lived in for a couple of years in the late 60’s. While we were visiting Jean took us on a quick tour to see the Oliver mudslide damage that occurred this past June. The slide hit one street over from Dave and Jean’s orchard so they had no damage but their neighbour lost their house. It is very close for them.
We arrived in Penticton to spend the next couple of nights with my brother Wade. (He is camera shy so no pictures.) Wade is living in a really nice apartment and we learned that his sons Mike and Stephen (who share an apartment in the same building) are in the process of buying their own places which is exciting news. Of course Mike took us for a walk to see the place he is buying and Stephen described the apartment he is buying. Who says kids don’t grow up fast?
Our evening and Friday went quickly as Wes took a couple of walks, we all went to see the movie “Secretariat” and Wade prepared a pasta dinner that was a joy to eat. During Friday afternoon Wes and I drove into Kelowna to pick up my running package and see if we could get a hotel room close to the park where the run started. We lucked out in finding a room right by the park.
Saturday was the day for the Thanksgiving dinner which would include Wade, Angie and her two daughters, Stephen and Wes and I. The meal was a collaborative effort in preparing since Angie prepped the turkey and dressing and had it in the fridge at Wade’s and it was my job to put it and the stuffing into the oven at the appropriate time. Wade prepared the potatoes and veggies. Dinner was set for 3 since we all had commitments for the evening.
Since Wes and I have decided to be in Kelowna for the BOM run and planned to surprise Alicia and Anne, we needed help to figure out where they might be and when. So I had contacted our mutual friend Lando who agreed to work at finding out information for us. What I did not know, but Lando did, was that a friend of ours, Tracy, would be going with Alicia and Anne to Kelowna, so he hooked her into the support group to get information for me, like which hotel, which room and when they would be around etc. This made it easy and as it turns out we were walking over to their hotel with the idea of knocking on their door when they came out of the hotel and we literally bumped into each other on the sidewalk. Needless to say we totally surprised (and thrilled) both Alicia and Anne. Alicia expressed her joy at being able to run with me.
Wes and I joined the Runclub members as they had a social/dinner time Saturday evening. Then we arranged to meet in the morning with Alicia and Tracy to head to the run start gate. Alicia and I had a really good run finishing both feeling really good physically. We both felt this was one of the most comfortable runs we have done – what a high it was to finish the race ahead of the goal set ahead of time. We also found that the weather (cloudy but not cold with a bit of drizzle at times) was really a comfortable temperature for running. We also found that standing in the water doing cold water therapy was actually fun since the water was not freezing.
After we showered, had lunch, it was time to finally complete the LAST stretch of the road home back to Kamloops and the process of unpacking, organizing, shopping, etc. We have now been gone for 3 months leaving July 10 and returning Oct 10. We had turned the water off in the house while gone and when I turned it on we discovered a leaking pipe....nice to be home isn’t it. Oh, I fixed the leak so all is ok.
For those who have been following this blog, I hope it has been informative and enjoyable. We are off to more adventures so stay tuned for stories from Australia and New Zealand.
Now that you are reading this blog it means that we are home. We have carefully continued to spread the word that we would not be home until after the 10th but before the 15th. We are trying to figure out how to locate Alicia and Anne in Kelowna on Saturday at some point and surprise them of our presence and my plan to run with Alicia.
As a result we started homeward seriously from Boulder Creek with a stop at Crater Lake. Crater Lake is a caldera lake located in the south-central region of Oregon. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fills a nearly 2,148 foot (655 m) deep calder that was formed around 7,700 years ago by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama. In the center of the crater is an ‘island’. We drove in to the park and along part of the rim road. The pictures do not do justice at all and I have seen some pictures of winter views which are spectacular. The weather at that height was around 12 degrees but the wind on the rim made this feel much cooler. We would have enjoyed spending more time exploring and have marked this as a future place to explore but will do it in July or August when it would be warmer.
We continued up the highway 97 towards Washington where we plan to spend a night. The drive from southern Oregon to southern Washington with a visit to Crater Lake National Park was a long day but we have plans to be back into Canada by Thursday (tomorrow) and at Wade’s for Thurs and Fri night. When we decided that we would be in Kelowna for the run on Oct 10 noting that this was Thanksgiving weekend, we decided that it would be great to have Thanksgiving dinner with Wade, his boys and their friends. Wade agreed since he immediately started to put the plans into place for Fri and Sat.
Driving through central Oregon and central Washington was very interesting. The landscape is basically hilly but has a dried desert feel to it. The Columbia River and the dams provide a chance to see different landscapes but in we discovered several types of agricultural and other types of industries in the states. In particular the Okanogan Valley (note spelling different than in Canada) the fruit industry appears to be flourishing. But windmills are also showing up.
We arrived in Penticton to spend the next couple of nights with my brother Wade. (He is camera shy so no pictures.) Wade is living in a really nice apartment and we learned that his sons Mike and Stephen (who share an apartment in the same building) are in the process of buying their own places which is exciting news. Of course Mike took us for a walk to see the place he is buying and Stephen described the apartment he is buying. Who says kids don’t grow up fast?
Our evening and Friday went quickly as Wes took a couple of walks, we all went to see the movie “Secretariat” and Wade prepared a pasta dinner that was a joy to eat. During Friday afternoon Wes and I drove into Kelowna to pick up my running package and see if we could get a hotel room close to the park where the run started. We lucked out in finding a room right by the park.
Saturday was the day for the Thanksgiving dinner which would include Wade, Angie and her two daughters, Stephen and Wes and I. The meal was a collaborative effort in preparing since Angie prepped the turkey and dressing and had it in the fridge at Wade’s and it was my job to put it and the stuffing into the oven at the appropriate time. Wade prepared the potatoes and veggies. Dinner was set for 3 since we all had commitments for the evening.
Since Wes and I have decided to be in Kelowna for the BOM run and planned to surprise Alicia and Anne, we needed help to figure out where they might be and when. So I had contacted our mutual friend Lando who agreed to work at finding out information for us. What I did not know, but Lando did, was that a friend of ours, Tracy, would be going with Alicia and Anne to Kelowna, so he hooked her into the support group to get information for me, like which hotel, which room and when they would be around etc. This made it easy and as it turns out we were walking over to their hotel with the idea of knocking on their door when they came out of the hotel and we literally bumped into each other on the sidewalk. Needless to say we totally surprised (and thrilled) both Alicia and Anne. Alicia expressed her joy at being able to run with me.
Wes and I joined the Runclub members as they had a social/dinner time Saturday evening. Then we arranged to meet in the morning with Alicia and Tracy to head to the run start gate. Alicia and I had a really good run finishing both feeling really good physically. We both felt this was one of the most comfortable runs we have done – what a high it was to finish the race ahead of the goal set ahead of time. We also found that the weather (cloudy but not cold with a bit of drizzle at times) was really a comfortable temperature for running. We also found that standing in the water doing cold water therapy was actually fun since the water was not freezing.
After we showered, had lunch, it was time to finally complete the LAST stretch of the road home back to Kamloops and the process of unpacking, organizing, shopping, etc. We have now been gone for 3 months leaving July 10 and returning Oct 10. We had turned the water off in the house while gone and when I turned it on we discovered a leaking pipe....nice to be home isn’t it. Oh, I fixed the leak so all is ok.
For those who have been following this blog, I hope it has been informative and enjoyable. We are off to more adventures so stay tuned for stories from Australia and New Zealand.Wednesday, October 6, 2010
04 & 05 Oct 2010
We left Seaside to head to Boulder Creek to visit our friend Bruce Damer. Bruce is the son of our good friend in Kamloops Enid and also attended Cariboo College with Wes. Bruce is a very interesting fellow with a wide range of interests both intellectual and artistic. His intellectual pursuits are varied and he has developed a world-wide notoriety in such fields as computer programming, simulation for NASA, avatars and is now investigating (as part of his doctorial thesis) the origins of life theories. Artistically he could be described as someone who enjoy nature and decorating his yard with a variety of mosaics with nature as the themes.
Recently when he became interested in clothing design him, he took up sewing and has demonstrated a skill and imagination for creating his own clothes. He is supported in this by his talented wife Galen who unfortunately was not in California during our brief visit.
We arrived to Boulder Creek via interesting secondary highways that took us through a variety of farm lands. We were able to see artichokes growing in the fields as well as the large variety of other fruits, nuts and vegetables.
We travelled into an area that is very close to the San Franscio Bay area and yet because it is on the south side of a mountain from the Bay area it has a total country feel. Boulder Creek itself apparently has had very little change in the last 100 years and the one street town of about 4000 people feels extremely laid backed and rural. Yet, within 25 minutes driving you could be in one of the busiest urban areas on the west coast of the USA. The sense of isolation was evident to us when we left and drove hwy 9 (which is over the mountain to the Bay area) and discovered that it was EXTREMELY windy with lots of sharp switch backs for a distance of approximately 25 miles. If you were a sports car enthusiasts you would love this road with the corners and no straight stretches.
Now we arrived at Bruce and Galen’s place called “Ancient Oaks” around lunch time to be greeted by Bruce in his eclectic garb reminiscent of the 60’s and 70’s. Immediately we were priviledged to be given a grand tour of the property starting with the yard with a variety of areas designed and developed with an artisitic view. I can only mention a few of the many impressions that we enjoyed.
The old International bus that has a 2nd bus top welded on top making it a double decker of sorts (called NoFurther). This is Bruce’s art studio and we were thrilled to be given an opportunity to sign our names in the bus as many others have done.
Up the hill above the bus is a small studio that sits alone overlooking the property. This contemplative studio has a great location for mediation and study.
When we returned to the house we were able to see a few of the ‘gardens’. One of the gardens is called a rondelle which was designed by Galen. The artwork using carvings, glass and pottery is incredible. The plants and pots are placed around in such a way they complement the goal of creating a relaxing and spiritual garden. One of the features is the ‘rock sofa’ which Wes and I checked out.
There is much more to be described about outside that could incude the newly paved driveway, the redwood trees, the fruits, the vegetables or any of the flower beds.
The house is not a huge house, but feels solid and well built. The original full length porch has been enclosed and added as living space to the house. We noted that Galen’s collection of pigs ornaments are extensive and displayed prominently throughout the house. The Christmas tree in the dining room surprised us. The feature of the house that really caught our attention was the Turkish Lounge off the kitchen equipped with futons and tuffets.
After the house tour we visited the mascots, three Viennese Potbellied Pigs outside the Digibarn. Then we were given a tour of the Digibarn. The Digibarn is a collection of computer hardware with an emphasis on personal computing. This collection represents a history of personal computing and is recognized by many authorities as a valuable resource and collection. Both Wes and I were transported back in memory as we looked at many of the computers in his collection such as the Radio Shack TRS 80, VT180 by DEC, the WANG, etc. Many pioneers and developers of computer technology have visited the Digibarn and donated equipment. No doubt Bruce can share many stories of the history and the people he has interviewed as he has developed this museum. If you are interested in more information see www.digibarn.com.
Bruce has been involved in renovations on the property since May of this year and has made many improvements. It is his hope to complete this phase of tasks by the end of this week, but he has many more ideas. As we left, one task they were working on was the patio with a mosaic of a peacock in the center. Bruce has creatively envisioned the use of pottery plates and glass rocks to create the mosaic which they were experimenting with as we left. We are excitedly waiting for a picture of this in a completed form. Other samples of works of art can be found around the property.
As we organized to leave the next morning we recognized how fortunate it was that we were able to have such a pleasant visit where Bruce was not on any speaking engagements and had time to visit. He is a very busy speaker on an international scale so spends time traveling as a guest speaker around the world. Thank you Bruce.
We traveled from Boulder Creek to northern California following Boulder Creek Road which would have made anyone with car sickness issues a challenge. We did enjoy some of the mountain views. We camped at a KOA Klamath Falls which interestingly no longer has any falls. The falls disappeared when the water was diverted at some point in the history of the area. We are starting to feel the fall and the chiller weather.
Recently when he became interested in clothing design him, he took up sewing and has demonstrated a skill and imagination for creating his own clothes. He is supported in this by his talented wife Galen who unfortunately was not in California during our brief visit.
We arrived to Boulder Creek via interesting secondary highways that took us through a variety of farm lands. We were able to see artichokes growing in the fields as well as the large variety of other fruits, nuts and vegetables.
We travelled into an area that is very close to the San Franscio Bay area and yet because it is on the south side of a mountain from the Bay area it has a total country feel. Boulder Creek itself apparently has had very little change in the last 100 years and the one street town of about 4000 people feels extremely laid backed and rural. Yet, within 25 minutes driving you could be in one of the busiest urban areas on the west coast of the USA. The sense of isolation was evident to us when we left and drove hwy 9 (which is over the mountain to the Bay area) and discovered that it was EXTREMELY windy with lots of sharp switch backs for a distance of approximately 25 miles. If you were a sports car enthusiasts you would love this road with the corners and no straight stretches.
Now we arrived at Bruce and Galen’s place called “Ancient Oaks” around lunch time to be greeted by Bruce in his eclectic garb reminiscent of the 60’s and 70’s. Immediately we were priviledged to be given a grand tour of the property starting with the yard with a variety of areas designed and developed with an artisitic view. I can only mention a few of the many impressions that we enjoyed.
The old International bus that has a 2nd bus top welded on top making it a double decker of sorts (called NoFurther). This is Bruce’s art studio and we were thrilled to be given an opportunity to sign our names in the bus as many others have done.
Up the hill above the bus is a small studio that sits alone overlooking the property. This contemplative studio has a great location for mediation and study.
When we returned to the house we were able to see a few of the ‘gardens’. One of the gardens is called a rondelle which was designed by Galen. The artwork using carvings, glass and pottery is incredible. The plants and pots are placed around in such a way they complement the goal of creating a relaxing and spiritual garden. One of the features is the ‘rock sofa’ which Wes and I checked out.
There is much more to be described about outside that could incude the newly paved driveway, the redwood trees, the fruits, the vegetables or any of the flower beds.
The house is not a huge house, but feels solid and well built. The original full length porch has been enclosed and added as living space to the house. We noted that Galen’s collection of pigs ornaments are extensive and displayed prominently throughout the house. The Christmas tree in the dining room surprised us. The feature of the house that really caught our attention was the Turkish Lounge off the kitchen equipped with futons and tuffets.
After the house tour we visited the mascots, three Viennese Potbellied Pigs outside the Digibarn. Then we were given a tour of the Digibarn. The Digibarn is a collection of computer hardware with an emphasis on personal computing. This collection represents a history of personal computing and is recognized by many authorities as a valuable resource and collection. Both Wes and I were transported back in memory as we looked at many of the computers in his collection such as the Radio Shack TRS 80, VT180 by DEC, the WANG, etc. Many pioneers and developers of computer technology have visited the Digibarn and donated equipment. No doubt Bruce can share many stories of the history and the people he has interviewed as he has developed this museum. If you are interested in more information see www.digibarn.com.
Bruce has been involved in renovations on the property since May of this year and has made many improvements. It is his hope to complete this phase of tasks by the end of this week, but he has many more ideas. As we left, one task they were working on was the patio with a mosaic of a peacock in the center. Bruce has creatively envisioned the use of pottery plates and glass rocks to create the mosaic which they were experimenting with as we left. We are excitedly waiting for a picture of this in a completed form. Other samples of works of art can be found around the property.
As we organized to leave the next morning we recognized how fortunate it was that we were able to have such a pleasant visit where Bruce was not on any speaking engagements and had time to visit. He is a very busy speaker on an international scale so spends time traveling as a guest speaker around the world. Thank you Bruce.
We traveled from Boulder Creek to northern California following Boulder Creek Road which would have made anyone with car sickness issues a challenge. We did enjoy some of the mountain views. We camped at a KOA Klamath Falls which interestingly no longer has any falls. The falls disappeared when the water was diverted at some point in the history of the area. We are starting to feel the fall and the chiller weather.
Monday, October 4, 2010
03 OCT 2010
This morning we awoke in Seaside, CA and planned to head off to the Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We headed down to the Cannery Row which is of interest because of John Stenbecks novel “Cannery Row”. For those not familiar, his book was based on a fictional street lined with sardine fisheries in Monterey known as Cannery Row (Ocean View Avenue in Monterey, the thinly disguised location, was later re-named "Cannery Row" in honor of the book).
This area of town now is a tourist attraction area with small shops lining the street and lots of reference to the history of the canneries in the community. Sardines were the primary fish being caught and canned in this area creating a huge industry in the early 1900’s. Apparently the bottom fell out of the industry due to over fishing in the 50’s and only recently has started to recover. The canneries are now more converted tourist shops.
The aquarium is housed on two floors and each floor has been carefully designed to display and here are some of the areas: Kelp Forest, Octopus, Monetery Bay Habitats, Sea Horses and Sea Dragons, Pink Flamingos and Penguins, and Coral Reef exhibits. One of the first things you see when you arrive is a 2 story fish tank with so many different types of sea life, fish and plants that I cannot even begin to mention them – but there are sharks which I found really cool. While we were there we were able to watch a diver feed the anomies.
After we finished this scenic tour which took a couple of hours with all our stops, we wondered over to look at Carmel-By-the-Sea. This seems to be a town for artists, poets and writers. Apparently in 1910 it reported that 60 percent of Carmel's houses were built by citizens who were "devoting their lives to work connected to the aesthetic arts." Early City Councils were dominated by artists, and the town has had several mayors who were poets or actors. What is interesting is that the streets that we walked along really had a ‘Gastown’ feel and we saw no large chains – not even a coffee shop chain. I believe the town has specifically maintained a goal to continue with the current commercial style and have not allowed big business to get established.
This area of town now is a tourist attraction area with small shops lining the street and lots of reference to the history of the canneries in the community. Sardines were the primary fish being caught and canned in this area creating a huge industry in the early 1900’s. Apparently the bottom fell out of the industry due to over fishing in the 50’s and only recently has started to recover. The canneries are now more converted tourist shops.
We walked around by the wharf and checked out a few shops on our way to the Monterey Bay Aquarium which is housed in a former cannery. I can describe all the areas we went to through the aquarium but the pictures have been grouped by topic and may not be in the same order that we walked through.
The aquarium is housed on two floors and each floor has been carefully designed to display and here are some of the areas: Kelp Forest, Octopus, Monetery Bay Habitats, Sea Horses and Sea Dragons, Pink Flamingos and Penguins, and Coral Reef exhibits. One of the first things you see when you arrive is a 2 story fish tank with so many different types of sea life, fish and plants that I cannot even begin to mention them – but there are sharks which I found really cool. While we were there we were able to watch a diver feed the anomies.
Another feature that is really nice was the amount of ‘children activities and hands on opportunities’ designed into the some areas such as the Touch Pools, Splash Zone and the Discovery Zone. This really is a great place to bring children to see, touch and explore.
While we were there we were able to observe and enjoy a First Nations dance. Apparently today there are several different presentations by the First Nations band on display at the Aquarium.
We finished with the aquarium and made plans to explore along the 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach (right next door). This drive is a 17 mile loop that goes along the coastline in Pebble Beach and back through the Del Monte Forest area of Pebble Beach. It touches on and goes through several golf courses: Poppy Hills Golf Course, Spyglass Hill Gold Course, Peter Hay Par-3 Golf Course and Pebble Beach Golf Course.
Again I have created a collage of pictures taken from our drive which gave views of such areas called: The Restless Sea, Bird Rock, Seal Rock, and the Lone Cypress. We really enjoyed looking at the waves that crashed onto the shore that were large enough to encourage surfing. We had a chance to watch a few surfers and get some pictures.
We did stop at Pebble Beach Golf course to walk around and look for Tiger Woods. We did not find him, or any other celebrities. However, we did have a chance to note the houses along the drive which were small mansions in many cases. We learned that the prices of the houses ranged from a low of 1.5 million to 22 million. Guess we will not be moving here soon.
While here we decided to visit the Basilica of Mission San Carlos Borromeo. The Mission, first established on June 3, 1770 in nearby Monterey (near the native village of Tamo), was named for Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan, Italy. It was the site of the first Christian confirmation in Alta California. In May 1771, the Viceroy approved Father JunÃpero Serra's petition to relocate the Mission to its current location near the present-day town of Carmel-by-the-Sea. The buildings are still in use today although they may have been renovated many times. I was impressed with the court yard, promenade or parade grounds depending on who you talk to. The outside perimeters are buildings all facing inward so there is total privacy internally.
The history in the museum part was very interesting as usual. We spent an hour just exploring and enjoying. After we finished here were headed back to the hotel having spent a very busy day but accomplishing the goals we had set for the day.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
02 OCT 2010
This morning we awoke to mostly sunshine which was good. Everything was wet and we needed to think about packing up for our move to the other end of the park so we could explore there. One of the things about this National Park is the poor facilities available. There are only 2 bathrooms for the entire complex and in each one there is only a couple of stalls with only one sink without a counter, for washing. This means that it is difficult to get time and a place to clean up except at the tent site.
So we both felt the need to have a shower (available for $3.00 at the Visitor’s Center a short drive away) and made plans to do that while the tent dried off a bit. This meant delaying traveling, but we felt that it was better to pack dry than wet. Man the shower felt great!
By the time we got all this done and tore down the tent and packed the car, it was almost 11 and the clouds were back. We got things put away wondering if we would beat the rain that was coming back in and expected according to the forecast.
We drove through such areas as Lost Grove where there were more sequoia trees, Redwood Mountain overlook (where there are not redwoods but actually Sequoia trees) and on to Grant Grove. Now the question we had to figure out was why the Redwood Mountain was misnamed since Redwoods only grow on the coast and lower elevation. So we stopped at the Visitor’s center to ask that question. Apparently when the Sequoia trees were first found they were mistaken as redwoods and in fact for along time called Sierra Redwood trees. In actual fact they are very different although they are of the same family, large and red with long lifespans.
Height: Redwoods – 368 feet vs Sequoias – 311 feet
Age: Redwoods – 2000 years vs Sequoias – 3200 years
Weight: Redwoods - 1.6 million lbs. vs. Sequoias – To 2.7 million lbs.
Bark: Redwoods - To 12 in. Thick vs. Sequoias – To 31 in. thick
Branches: Redwoods - To 5 ft. Diameter vs. Sequoias – To 8 ft. diameter
Bases: Redwoods - To 22 ft. Diameter vs. Sequoias – To 40 ft. diameter
Reproduce: Redwoods - By seed or root sprout vs. Sequoias – By seed only
Seed Size: Redwoods - As large as tomato seeds vs. Sequoias – As large as oat flakes
Cone: Redwoods - Shaped like a large olive vs. Sequoias – Shaped like a chicken's egg
Foliage: Redwoods - Single needles that fall off vs. Sequoias – Small, overlapping, awl-shaped needles
Now you know more than you likely wanted to about these two incredible trees.
Ok, on with the journey. We wanted to spend some time wandering around Grant’s Grove and in particular look at General Grant’s tree. We enjoyed the walk through the trunk of a fallen tree that had rotted out down the center. We looked a several different sequoia trees that had been burnt, marred or disfigured in some way. We even had a chance to enjoy looking at an old historic building on the site used originally by loggers and cattlemen.
General Grant is a taller tree then General Sherman of yesterday, but not as old and not as large in volume.
We left the park very much impressed and discussed what we might do the next time we return. We would want to do more planning ahead and even look at doing a couple backpacking hikes to some back country locations. This trip was good but the weather did hamper some of our plans.
As we drove we looked at Monterey for our next stop. We had considered staying at a KOA campground until we found out that the tent site would be $52 per night - for a tent site. Not sure what an RV site would be. I got onto the Blackberry and did some research and found a really good opportunity to stay in Seaside for $42 a night with complementary breakfast included and a lot closer to Monterey than the KOA. Thus guess where we are?
So we both felt the need to have a shower (available for $3.00 at the Visitor’s Center a short drive away) and made plans to do that while the tent dried off a bit. This meant delaying traveling, but we felt that it was better to pack dry than wet. Man the shower felt great!
By the time we got all this done and tore down the tent and packed the car, it was almost 11 and the clouds were back. We got things put away wondering if we would beat the rain that was coming back in and expected according to the forecast.
Now Sequoia Park abuts Kings Canyon Park and our thought was to head to Kings Canyon Park at the west side and find a campsite for one night so we could explore that end of the park. However, since it was expected to rain, and the clouds really did confirm this, we decided to explore on our way through and travel on to Monterey for a couple of nights.
Height: Redwoods – 368 feet vs Sequoias – 311 feet
Age: Redwoods – 2000 years vs Sequoias – 3200 years
Weight: Redwoods - 1.6 million lbs. vs. Sequoias – To 2.7 million lbs.
Bark: Redwoods - To 12 in. Thick vs. Sequoias – To 31 in. thick
Branches: Redwoods - To 5 ft. Diameter vs. Sequoias – To 8 ft. diameter
Bases: Redwoods - To 22 ft. Diameter vs. Sequoias – To 40 ft. diameter
Reproduce: Redwoods - By seed or root sprout vs. Sequoias – By seed only
Seed Size: Redwoods - As large as tomato seeds vs. Sequoias – As large as oat flakes
Cone: Redwoods - Shaped like a large olive vs. Sequoias – Shaped like a chicken's egg
Foliage: Redwoods - Single needles that fall off vs. Sequoias – Small, overlapping, awl-shaped needles
Now you know more than you likely wanted to about these two incredible trees.
Ok, on with the journey. We wanted to spend some time wandering around Grant’s Grove and in particular look at General Grant’s tree. We enjoyed the walk through the trunk of a fallen tree that had rotted out down the center. We looked a several different sequoia trees that had been burnt, marred or disfigured in some way. We even had a chance to enjoy looking at an old historic building on the site used originally by loggers and cattlemen.
General Grant is a taller tree then General Sherman of yesterday, but not as old and not as large in volume.
We left the park very much impressed and discussed what we might do the next time we return. We would want to do more planning ahead and even look at doing a couple backpacking hikes to some back country locations. This trip was good but the weather did hamper some of our plans.
As we drove we looked at Monterey for our next stop. We had considered staying at a KOA campground until we found out that the tent site would be $52 per night - for a tent site. Not sure what an RV site would be. I got onto the Blackberry and did some research and found a really good opportunity to stay in Seaside for $42 a night with complementary breakfast included and a lot closer to Monterey than the KOA. Thus guess where we are?
01 OCT 2010
This morning we woke up to thickening clouds and the question about whether or not it will rain today. However even with the broken clouds it promises to be a nice day with moderate temperatures. Wes has been looking at the options for us. There appears to be two types of hikes available in this park, the backpacking longer hikes, and shorter day hikes that often are relatively short. We decided to go to the Giant Forest to hike the General Sherman trail which leads to the General Sherman sequoia tree which is the largest tree in the world by wood volume. There are taller trees and trees with a wider girth, but none that has the volume of wood that this tree has. In addition, this tree is considered to be about 2200 years old, has a base circumference of 109 feet at the base, It has one branch that is 7 feet thick. Ok, we were impressed and craned our necks to see the dead top so it is not growing taller only broader.
There is a slice cut from a stump of a tree on display to give a sense of the size of the trees too. We then hiked the Congress trail which is a 2 mile loop through the forest with views of many other large sequoia trees.
After we hiked around for a bit we decided to continue on to see a few of the other sites in the park. The AutoLog is a tree that feels and for fun the top edge of the log was levelled and cars could drive up the log for a picture. The tree is so far gone that this is no longer possible but the ‘road unto the log’ is still visible. From there we traveled up to the tunnel log where we were able to drive the car right through the log – amazing.
We continued on the park drive to locate Moro Rock which is a huge granite rock that we could see as we travelled up the road yesterday at the top. This rock has steps and stairs leading to the top which is over 400 steps climb. If the view did not take your breath away, the climb did. And what a view it is at the top with almost 360 degrees of vistas.
We returned to the car to head back to the Visitor’s center and Park Museum where we learned more about the park and the sequoia trees. It is hard to imagine that at one time in the early 1900’s there was a move to lumber the trees. Only because of a few individuals who lobbied to have the area turned into a park saved these ancient trees from being logged. However, the same cannot be said about other area in the state. The trees grow so huge and relatively quickly but because they are bug and disease resistant, have a fire retardant bark and can adapt they have a very long life span. However, since they do not have a tap root, they are susceptible to being blown over and with their height can have lightning strikes. The Sierra Mountains have an ideal climate for sequoia trees in the 7000 to 8000 foot range.
While at the visitor’s center we talked about the hike to the Watch Towers which is in the alpine area. The hike would start about 7000 feet and we would climb about 1600 feet in the 4 miles. We decided that this should take about 4 hours for the full 8 miles round trip and since it was only 1 pm, why not. Well at about 3+ miles before we hit the alpine Mr Weatherman decided differently and we turned back amidst a thunderstorm. Not a great way to finish the time we had in the park. Here is the GPS readings from that trek for those interested. Wes uses his GPS and then downloads the tracks onto a topo map. This is a 3 dimensional view.
When we got back to our campsite we had to help our neighbour sort a few things out. He had not put the fly over his tent and was not there when it started to rain. His air mattress was floating to give you an idea of how much water was inside. We helped him pick up the tent and drain it and he got the fly on before spending time to dry things out.
It rained basically the rest of the day and into the evening. We did get a reprieve around dinner time so we were able to cook dinner and clean up before the rain started again. With only the tent and no electricity it was a quiet night or us and early to bed.
Wes was a bit disappointed that in the last couple of major stops we have been unable to do some of the hiking and sightseeing we planned. The weather as we travel north is definitely looking like fall and is becoming less predictable. We had planned one more day in the park, but are now going to judge in the am if we will stay or move on. Fortunately we have not paid for another night yet. We still have a few places on our list before getting home, but we have less than 2 weeks. Well we will do what we can do.
There is a slice cut from a stump of a tree on display to give a sense of the size of the trees too. We then hiked the Congress trail which is a 2 mile loop through the forest with views of many other large sequoia trees.
After we hiked around for a bit we decided to continue on to see a few of the other sites in the park. The AutoLog is a tree that feels and for fun the top edge of the log was levelled and cars could drive up the log for a picture. The tree is so far gone that this is no longer possible but the ‘road unto the log’ is still visible. From there we traveled up to the tunnel log where we were able to drive the car right through the log – amazing.
We continued on the park drive to locate Moro Rock which is a huge granite rock that we could see as we travelled up the road yesterday at the top. This rock has steps and stairs leading to the top which is over 400 steps climb. If the view did not take your breath away, the climb did. And what a view it is at the top with almost 360 degrees of vistas.
We returned to the car to head back to the Visitor’s center and Park Museum where we learned more about the park and the sequoia trees. It is hard to imagine that at one time in the early 1900’s there was a move to lumber the trees. Only because of a few individuals who lobbied to have the area turned into a park saved these ancient trees from being logged. However, the same cannot be said about other area in the state. The trees grow so huge and relatively quickly but because they are bug and disease resistant, have a fire retardant bark and can adapt they have a very long life span. However, since they do not have a tap root, they are susceptible to being blown over and with their height can have lightning strikes. The Sierra Mountains have an ideal climate for sequoia trees in the 7000 to 8000 foot range.
While at the visitor’s center we talked about the hike to the Watch Towers which is in the alpine area. The hike would start about 7000 feet and we would climb about 1600 feet in the 4 miles. We decided that this should take about 4 hours for the full 8 miles round trip and since it was only 1 pm, why not. Well at about 3+ miles before we hit the alpine Mr Weatherman decided differently and we turned back amidst a thunderstorm. Not a great way to finish the time we had in the park. Here is the GPS readings from that trek for those interested. Wes uses his GPS and then downloads the tracks onto a topo map. This is a 3 dimensional view.
When we got back to our campsite we had to help our neighbour sort a few things out. He had not put the fly over his tent and was not there when it started to rain. His air mattress was floating to give you an idea of how much water was inside. We helped him pick up the tent and drain it and he got the fly on before spending time to dry things out.
It rained basically the rest of the day and into the evening. We did get a reprieve around dinner time so we were able to cook dinner and clean up before the rain started again. With only the tent and no electricity it was a quiet night or us and early to bed.
Wes was a bit disappointed that in the last couple of major stops we have been unable to do some of the hiking and sightseeing we planned. The weather as we travel north is definitely looking like fall and is becoming less predictable. We had planned one more day in the park, but are now going to judge in the am if we will stay or move on. Fortunately we have not paid for another night yet. We still have a few places on our list before getting home, but we have less than 2 weeks. Well we will do what we can do.
30 SEP 2010
We left Palm Springs to the unusual site of rain. However, as is usual, when it rains there, it really is mostly a sprinkle. This means of course that the temperature is much lower today – a mere 27 as we hit the road. We both feel a bit let down with our visit to Palm Springs because so much of what we planned to do was not possible.
We are constantly amazed by the number of wind mills there are in the valley. If it is called a windmill farm it would be considered well populated. I have never figured out how it is that there can be some turning and others amidst that are not. Wind must be selective I guess.
We headed towards to Las Angeles but we have no intention of going into the city.
The drive is not overly note worthy even though there is lots of country side to see. What did amaze us was the variety of farming we passed. We went through groves of lemon or orange trees (we could not tell the difference), fruit trees of a variety of fruits, olive groves, grape vineyards, and market gardens. We saw the most interesting grazing landscape for cattle where the grass is long and golden color reminding me of ripe wheat in the prairies in color. As well we were really surprised about the number of oil wells along our drive.
We arrived at Sequoia Park to be assured there were still campsites available in Lodge pole Campsite. So we continued on watching the weather with broken clouds. The temperatures have dropped as we climbed to around 22 and this is a very comfortable hiking temperature. The first obstacle we encountered was the road reconstruction. Traffic is only being let through on the hour and of course we reached the flag person about 10 minutes after the hour. This is not a bad thing since everyone is stopped and you end up having a street party while waiting. We met and chatted with several couples and that made it an enjoyable stop. The party downers were little tiny flies that swarmed and on occasion would bite.
When we finally got started we headed up the side of the mountain in switchback. The corners are so tight with the construction in place anything longer than a 22 foot was not permitted to travel up this road. At one point Wes commented that it was like the road you would expect to see on a James Bond movie but we were driving considerably slower. This road has beautiful rock faced cliff guards that was being rebuilt as well as work on the roadbed in some places.
We arrived at the campsite to discover that as of Sept 30, today, they had cut the number of camp sites down in half and the camp grounds was almost completely full. We got one of a very few left and it was one that you parked your car and walked about 50 feet the site. Now in this park, ALL food must be stored in the food bins and NONE is to be left in the cars or outside. To facilitate this, each campsite has a food bin. So it was not too bad to have a campsite overlooking the creek once we got settled in and everything moved from the car.
The sunset this evening was relatively early but with the clouds it was very pretty.
We are constantly amazed by the number of wind mills there are in the valley. If it is called a windmill farm it would be considered well populated. I have never figured out how it is that there can be some turning and others amidst that are not. Wind must be selective I guess.
We headed towards to Las Angeles but we have no intention of going into the city.
The drive is not overly note worthy even though there is lots of country side to see. What did amaze us was the variety of farming we passed. We went through groves of lemon or orange trees (we could not tell the difference), fruit trees of a variety of fruits, olive groves, grape vineyards, and market gardens. We saw the most interesting grazing landscape for cattle where the grass is long and golden color reminding me of ripe wheat in the prairies in color. As well we were really surprised about the number of oil wells along our drive.
We arrived at Sequoia Park to be assured there were still campsites available in Lodge pole Campsite. So we continued on watching the weather with broken clouds. The temperatures have dropped as we climbed to around 22 and this is a very comfortable hiking temperature. The first obstacle we encountered was the road reconstruction. Traffic is only being let through on the hour and of course we reached the flag person about 10 minutes after the hour. This is not a bad thing since everyone is stopped and you end up having a street party while waiting. We met and chatted with several couples and that made it an enjoyable stop. The party downers were little tiny flies that swarmed and on occasion would bite.
When we finally got started we headed up the side of the mountain in switchback. The corners are so tight with the construction in place anything longer than a 22 foot was not permitted to travel up this road. At one point Wes commented that it was like the road you would expect to see on a James Bond movie but we were driving considerably slower. This road has beautiful rock faced cliff guards that was being rebuilt as well as work on the roadbed in some places.
We arrived at the campsite to discover that as of Sept 30, today, they had cut the number of camp sites down in half and the camp grounds was almost completely full. We got one of a very few left and it was one that you parked your car and walked about 50 feet the site. Now in this park, ALL food must be stored in the food bins and NONE is to be left in the cars or outside. To facilitate this, each campsite has a food bin. So it was not too bad to have a campsite overlooking the creek once we got settled in and everything moved from the car.
The sunset this evening was relatively early but with the clouds it was very pretty.
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