REDCREST, CA (Day 2).  Today we drove the Avenue of Giants and pulled over for a few significant points of interest.  Just driving that road is quite an experience.  Betty shot a few videos that we shall include later.  It is an interesting area, but they are having a heat wave now.  The car dash gauge read 104 degrees as we set out.  Usually they have temperatures in the 70s.  The heat seems to follow us wherever we go.

We are camped at the Ancient Redwoods RV Park, which is interesting in itself.  We have included below a few phone snapshots of it and items in its gift shop.  Along the Avenue we took many photos with our DSLRs.

We continue to struggle with poor WIFI and Version service.  It really puts a damper on processing digital images and data, as well as communicating with the outside world.  The only reason we can update this blog is the limited WIFI this RV park provides.  I guess we should get used to it, since we hear it will be even worse in Canada and Alaska.

Betty Admiring Trees Here at RV Park

Antique Truck Reworked to Include Hollowed Tree

Betty Inside Hollow of Fallen 950-1000 Year Old Tree

Gift Shop Here Appeals to Bigfoot Fans

Redwood Items Galore Here at Gift Shop

An item at the Avenue Visitor Center noted the sad irony of the white man's impact on the land.  So certain of our superior contribution to the land we overtook, we had to found societies to protect the land from ourselves.  Before we came, there was no need to found official parks to protect the land from destruction and save the big trees.  The native tribes always worked to protect the land for future generations.  An exhibit from the local tribe states:

"When we kill meat, we eat it all up.  When we dig roots we make little holes.  When we built houses, we made little holes... We didn't ruin things.  We shake down acorns and pinenuts.  We don't chop down the trees.  We use only dead wood..."

When we were in South Dakota last year, the local tribes puzzled over the "yellow rock that drives the white man crazy," referring to all the violence and hardship brought by the breaking of treaties to get the gold on native tribal lands.  A sad and troubling history.

REDCREST, CA (Day 2).  I have updated the blog for the 10th and now am planning events for today.  We are parked along the Avenue of the Giants, a road built between large stands of giant redwoods.  These are not sequoias, but rather are darker-wood trees that are not as large but still impressive.  The density of the dark forest of large trees is the main attraction here.  The sequoias did not grow together so thickly, though there were several instances where two or more sequoias grew together into one structure.  More light surrounded the sequoias, while here it is dark.

We shall drive down the "avenue" today and take some photos.

A Gnome Named Betty

Betty Climbed Up a Tiny Stairway to Look Out

Our Gnome in a Second Tree House

Betty Inside a Hollowed Out Tree

Another Hollowed Out Tree

People Pay to Drive Through This Tree

Steven In Front of Large Tree

REDCREST, CA.  Arrived late due to long delays getting through the construction and other traffic slow-downs around San Francisco Bay area.  Then CA101 is very mountain road-like in its constant long climbs and declines, twists and turns, that slow down everything.  Takes much longer to drive than it appears on the map.  If I had known this, I should have planned two days of driving to get here instead of one.  Finally arrived well after 8 pm, but it was still light outside.  The park office closes at 5:30 pm (really early for a park office), so we picked a site and parked.  Turns out we were only one off what the manager had picked for us.  We picked site 19, and we later found out that site 20 had an envelope pinned to it waiting for us, but it was getting dark enough that we did not see it.

Another camper recommended a restaurant up the road "around 10 miles or so" that we pursued.  It was over 20 miles through construction in the dark.  What a drive to get to what I think was an ordinary restaurant.  We then drove back through more construction in the dark on CA101 to arrive back here around 10:30 pm.  Slept late, getting up around 9 am.  The park manager came to the door of our RV and gave us WIFI passwords so that I can write this the morning of the 11th.

RIO VISTA, CA.  Made it to a pretty location along the Sacramento River, the Rio Viento RV Park.  This park, if you were dropped down into it, would appear to be one of the best in the country, but getting into it is a nightmare.  The two mile road leading here on Sherman Island is in terrible condition, so that even at 5 mph you rock and bounce violently.  Would never come again, but there are few decent parks in this area.  Since all sites are back-in, we had to unhitch the Jeep, which also allows us to use it to return down the road to the road-side stands selling fruit, like cherries and blueberries.

We leave tomorrow for a place up near the Pacific coast named Redcrest, CA.  There we shall be near the redwood forests.  At this point, I am asking myself why I need to see more giant redwood trees, but I hear it is worth it.

Nice Grounds

Brick Roads

COARSEGOLD, CA (Day 3).  Once again we drove up to Yosemite National Park along all those tedious mountain roads.  The exception today was that it was Saturday, and we sat in over an hour of bumper-to-bumper traffic just getting into Yosemite Valley.  We were on a two-lane road, which after the first half hour a ranger on a bicycle told us was buses-only in the right lane.  We pulled into the left lane, then shortly thereafter motorcycles and other vehicles started passing us using the right lane.  In California, it seems to be common practice to ignore traffic rules.  But where was that park ranger during all this abuse of the buses-only lane?  And we only saw about 6 or 7 buses come down that lane the whole time.  Such was the madness in this park today.  I wonder how often this is the case.  Was not this bad yesterday, though finding a parking space at Glacier Point was quite a wait then.

We got back tonight around 9:20 pm after driving back in the dark the last hour of driving.  So much time spent driving, waiting, walking through crowds, etc.  It is a beautiful area but an old park designed for far fewer people and less automobile traffic.  Confusing roads and few choices.  Much fewer accommodations than newer parks have.  Once you get inside the park, you really need to stay there a week, rent a bike to get around or just use the shuttles.  Driving in and out every day on those roads should be avoided.

Betty at Washburn Point Overlooking Half Dome and Valley

El Capitan and Bridal Veil Falls

View of Half Dome and Valley from Glacier Point

Yosemite Falls from Glacier Point

 

Lower Yosemite Falls

Merced River Flowing from Lower Falls

Bridge Over Merced River After Falls

Upper Yosemite Falls

COARSEGOLD, CA (Day 2).  Left at 9:45 am for Yosemite National Park.  Like Sequoia and Kings Canyon, the roads are slow-going, winding, up-and-down mountain roads.  Long distances at 25 mph taking a long time to get anywhere.  The locals cope with this by driving as fast as they can everywhere no matter what they are driving. Even large trucks and tour buses careening around the bend.

Today we visited Mariposa Grove (more big trees), Glacier Point (wide panorama views of Yosemite Valley), Inspiration Point, and Bridal Veil Falls.

We went grocery shopping on the way back, making for a late supper.  Tomorrow we resume where we left off today.  Stay tuned. . . .

Betty At Entrance to Mariposa Grove

The Bachelor and Three Graces

Another Forest of Giant Trees

They Seem to Have No End

The Very Old Giant Grizzly Tree

Tunnel Tree Made By Carving Out the Center

Looking Up Inside Tunnel Tree

Many Trees Grow Together

Example of Damage from One of Many Forest Fires

COARSEGOLD, CA.   Arrived at RV park and rejoiced at having Verison and good web service again.  Went to bed early to prepare for early departure the next day for Yosemite National Park.