Pinnacles National Park, CA

We have all heard in the news that the southwest is in a 3-year drought. Reports tell us that reservoirs are drying up and those who live off the land are seeing harsh times. We see much evidence of that in California, in Lake Shasta which is unbelievable low, the Sacramento and Central Valleys where irrigation is the only source of water but dust devils plague the fruit and vegetable fields (reminding us of The Grapes of Wrath dustbowl scenes), and in these coastal mountain valleys where cattle are almost a distant memory. There is nothing left to eat here; the valleys are bare dirt. If ranchers didn't bring hay in from elsewhere, their livestock would starve. In fact, most ranchers have either lost their land to financial lenders or are hanging on by a thread and either selling off their cattle or taking them away to "greener pastures"! It's a very sad thing to witness and makes the news reports all the more real to us. Everyone here is praying for rain, which we do get for a full day, but will it be enough to help?
We find another awesome campsite - for free in California! While it is almost 25 miles from Pinnacles National Park, and up in the mountains a bit, it provides us with the solitude we seek. Brad sees a bobcat while walking Grady one evening - they are interested in each other, but the bobcat thinks better of trying to attack with Brad standing guard. Sorry I missed that. This sunset occurs two days after heavy rains, and on our last night here before heading to the coast.
Bear Gulch Caves Trail
	Pinnacles National Park must be a local favourite rock climbing spot. Many trails lead to climbing routes, although this guy (arrow pointing to him and he's impossible to see) is ascending the cliff over the trailhead parking lot.
	The clouds are incredible during our hike around the Bear Gulch Reservoir. They seemingly form out of nothing and the high-level wind currents wisp them into streams.
	A tiny oasis in Bear Gulch Reservoir above the caves.
	Brad inside Bear Gulch Caves (the bright blue dot in the centre, 1/3 of the way up from the bottom). The caves here are talus caves, meaning they were once narrow canyons that have been filled in by massive rocks, some the size of a two-storey house (not kidding!), falling during earthquakes. In some areas of the cave, it is totally black; in other areas the light filters in where no rocks have filled in the cracks. We are very close to the San Andreas Fault here, so earthquake activity is not unusual.
Balconies Caves and Cliff Trail
	While this is not an incredible photo showing the beauty of the park, I love the way the sun is backlighting these pine trees against the cliff wall. Just me being a little artsy.
	Brad at the end of the Balconies Caves (he's at the bottom middle of the photo). You can see the size of these boulders! We are lucky that we are here during the two weeks that the bats vacate the caves and visitors are allowed passage, although one bat does fly straight at my head while Brad is taking a photo. I guess they left someone home to stand guard while all the other bats go on vacation.
	The Balconies Cliff is huge (a girl is walking on the path in the foreground slightly left of the big tree on the right). We assume that the black grooves down the face are from water that runs down after rain storms. It would be quite impressive to see a waterfall in each of those slots.
	Marilyn enjoying a rest overlooking the canyon. The Balconies Cliff Trail climbs up from the floor of the canyon for this spectacular view of the pinnacles this park is named for.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, CA

These two national parks are conjoined twins with Kings Canyon sitting on top of Sequoia NP. They are surrounded by the Sequoia National Forest and Giant Sequoia National Monument. The entire area is spectacular and one of our new favourite destinations. These parks are situated in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and include Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the "lower 48" at 14,494 feet. We had views of Mt. Whitney two years ago when visiting Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills on the east side of this mountain range. We can't see the peak from the places we visit this year, but the other peaks are equally beautiful although not yet snow-capped as Mt. Whitney was.

Many campgrounds are closed in both national parks this time of year, but there is free dispersed camping in the national forest and we find a beautiful site along the South Fork of the Kings River, although it is at the bottom of the canyon so we don't get a lot of sun - about 3 hours each day only. Steep cliffs rise on either side of us with the two sides being less than 100 feet apart. Yes, we are beside the main road, but it dead-ends in about 10 miles, so the only traffic is rangers and other park visitors who want to be out before dark. The road coming in from Fresno (Highway 180) calls for some white-knuckle driving to be sure, at least with a 31-foot trailer. We ascend up over 6,000 feet, then back down to 3,000 where our campsite is through twisty roads with steep drops into the canyon (no guard rails). Many times we take up two lanes and pray no one else appears around the bend. That said, Highway 198 into Sequoia NP to the south of us is impossible for us to take as it has a maximum vehicle length of 22 feet (we are 50 feet).
	Bears are apparently all around us, but we never see one during the 5 days we're here. At many of the parking areas, bear lockers are provided to store food and, as many of the signs warn, it's the law!
	Of course, some signs are amusing, like this one warning us to not abandon our food if a bear approaches. I don't know. If a bear wants to eat my food instead of me, I'm all for that!
Grant Grove, Kings Canyon NP
link to video of the General Grant Tree	This grove is so named for one of the world's three largest trees, the General Grant Tree, which is also the Nation's Christmas Tree. It is third largest by volume at 46,608 cubic feet. It weighs an estimated 1,254 tons, stands 268 feet (82 meters) high and is about 1,700 years old. At its base, it is 107 feet (33 meters) in circumference and 40 feet (12 meters) in diameter. Its largest branch is 4.5 feet (1.4 meters) in diameter (the size of some trees!) and its lowest branch is 129 feet (39 meters) from the ground.
	Sometimes the trees are more interesting when they've fallen over. The root structures make beautiful abstracts. I'm inside this one, in fact, I can walk all the way through the trunk.
	Brad inside another fallen sequoia.
Redwood Mountain Grove, Sequoia NP
	This sequoia grove is not spectacular in itself, but what makes this hike on the Sugarbowl Trail special is that a mist rolls into the treetops, coming up the western slopes of the mountains. The strong sun burns off the mist almost over top of our heads and there is only clear, blue sky to the west. A somewhat spiritual experience. Oh yeah, we also spot bear tracks on this trail, but no bear.
Cedar Grove and Kings Canyon, Kings Canyon NP
	Kings Canyon is my favourite part of this huge mountain park with massive granite cliffs rising from the steep canyons. This crazy cloud formation moves in from the east as we head to Sequoia National Park for the day, which is southwest. Even when we return in the evening, the cloud seems to have remained in this location, never fully encompassing the canyon.
	Along the hike in Zumwalt Meadow near Road's End (the end of Highway 180) is a bridge that crosses the Kings River. Brad is on the beach in the shade, so he's almost invisible. It is such a pretty spot.
	Although this is meant to be a photo of Muir Rock (named for the Scottish environmentalist/adventurer John Muir who was instrumental in making this part of the Sierras the preserved natural area it is today), it is over-shadowed by the granite cliff wall behind it and the reflection. The rock is in the middle of the photo, beneath the trees on the right.
Giant Forest, Sequoia NP
	The General Sherman Tree is the largest tree by volume in the world. More tree facts: volume is 52,500 cubic feet; weight is 1,385 tons; circumference is 103 feet (31 meters) and diameter is 36.5 feet (11 meters) at the base; height is 275 feet, age is 2,200 years old. Sequoias are unique, growing tall as quickly as possible to reach the sun, then growing their protective, fibrous bark around the main trunk after they reach near-full height. The bark contains little sap and is very fire-retardant, allowing sequoias to survive forest fires. Tannins in the bark also resist disease, insects and fire. All this allows sequoias to live 3,000+ years, while other trees suffer old age after 300 years. A truly remarkable species.
	Moro Rock is a spectacular experience climbing a quarter-mile long staircase built into the granite peak. At the top is an incredible 360 degree view of the San Joaquin Valley to the west, and the high Sierras to the east (behind me in this photo). The Sierras are so rugged here that no roads cross their peaks, even in the valleys. There are hiking trails, but the trek would take many days or even a week! To get to the valley in the east, you have to drive north to Yosemite National Park, or south almost to Bakersfield.
	Tunnel Log on the drive between Moro Rock and Crescent Meadow. Of course, we have to stop to snap a pic.
	Tharp's Log is a cabin in which Mr. Tharp stayed during the summers in the 1800s while tending his livestock in the nearby meadow. He must have been very short. A little too rustic for me, but I suppose it suited Tharp's needs.
	The outside of Tharp's Log which is built into the hollowed out trunk of a fallen sequoia. I'll bet he wasn't married.