Sequoia National Park

Sunday 4/15/2012

Our first drive into Sequoia National Park was very gloomy, but at least not raining.

The park entrance was only about 5 miles from our backyard, Kaweah Park Resort. Here we are waiting to show our annual national pass to get in. The only reason I put this picture in, so you can see the difference in the next day's pictures.

 

 

We were told that if we didn't have chains for our car, we could only drive 9 miles in to Hospital Rock Picnic Area. The park had received 2 foot of snow further up; we had recieved rain all day at our RV park.

 

We were not able to visit any of these places on our first day, because of the snow.

 

A few miles in, these wild flowers were lining the road.

 

 

Our next stop was Tunnel Rock.

We don't know for sure, but we were thinking maybe this use to be the main road in, years ago because it is paved. You can see scratch marks on the bottom side of the rock as if some tall vehicles had rubbed against it. Maybe now with all the big RV's they moved the main road over to avoid this hazard.

 

We walked under Tunnel Rock where the road soon ended with this Red Bud tree.

 

I love Red Bud Trees! I planned one in our front yard of our last home, on Willowbend Rd in Cedar Rapids, IA.

 

The Red Buds were scattered all over the mountainsides with the evergreens and other trees.  They just don't show up in long distance pictures, so I didn't bother posting a mountainside picture.

 

This hillside had what looked to be Russian Sage. I also had Russian Sage in the back yard of our last home.

 

A close up of previous picture shows the true purple colors.

 

We arrived at Potwisha Campground. Joe had drove up to Potwisha Campground on the first day we had arrived at Kaweah Park Resort in Three Rivers, CA. The road to Potwisha had very tight curves and the campground had no hookups. Potwisha cost $18 a day. If we came here with the Nest, we would not have any phone, internet and maybe no satellite because of the many trees. Joe said there were only 3 sites that we would fit in. We had already decided that we would just stay in Kaweah Park Resort and do the extra 14 miles drive in the Honda on our day drives into the park. The sites at Potwisha are all first come first serve. There were only a couple of big rigs and a few tenters this day. Ranger said the crowds dont show till sometime in May depending on the weather.

 

 

View of the mountainside and the snow at the top in Sequoia.

 

If you look very close you can see some tint of red from the Red Bud trees in the forest below. It showed up much clearer in real life.

 

The number one cause of death in Sequoia is accidental drownings.

 

In the spring the streams and rivers are cold from mountain snow run off and have fast currants. The rocks are slippery and many fatalities from slipping and falling into the cold fast currents.

 

We got to Hospital Rock and turn around. We didn't realize it at the time but there were pictographs near the Hospital Rock picnic area that we missed.

 

There were some steep grades going back down toward the entrance of the park.

 

Most of the roads were not to bad because there were stone walls.

 

As soon as you leave the park entrance, you enter into Three Rivers, CA.

 

But actually it takes 6 miles to get to the main town area.

 

Between the park enterance and the town area of Three Rivers, you cross the Historic Pumpkin Hollow Bridge built in 1922.

 

The Pumpkin Hollow Bridge crosses the Kaweah River.

 

On the park side of the bridge is lodge and restaurant.

 

The restaurant seems to always be busy, so they must serve good food.

 

The Gateway Restaurant and Lodge

 

We walk out onto the bridge and saw these kayakers.

 

We thought these guy's were nuts. It was very cold that day, and I am sure the water was freezing.

 

Even though they have skirts on their kayaks ( a plastic material that is draped on the kayaker and then snaps onto the kayak, covering the opening) the kayaker still gets wet. When Joe and I kayaked in Arcadia National Park in Maine we were both still wet when we got back to land. We had skirts on us and the kayak , so we know it doesn't hold all water out.

 

We stopped at the Three Rivers Museum and Chamber of Commerce, because there was a sign outside that said free WiFi. This statue of Paul Bunyan was outside the museum and Chamber of Commerce. Our internet service in Three Rivers was pretty slow, so I had hoped their WiFi would be faster to upload some pictures for my blogs. Unfortunately it was not!

 

Carroll Barnes used only a hammer and a chisel to carved this statue. Barnes spent 18 months creating it. It has been in several locations, but now stands in front of the museum.

 

We drove down to one of the four places that was holding the 39th Annual Jazz Festival. The three day event cost $90 or $25 for Friday or Sunday, and $45 for Saturday. This sight had dry camping right there next to an open air arena where the bands played. It was too bad the weather was so rainy and cool for the those who came to the event.

 

Back home for the night.