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.

THREE RIVERS, CA (Day 3).  Drove into the west entrance to the parks to focus on Kings Canyon National Park.  We visited General Grant Tree, Grant Grove Village, Kings Canyon Visitor Center, and drove the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway, ending along the South Fork of the Kings River and Grizzly Falls.  The falls put out water volume reminiscent of Niagara Falls.  Water levels are so high this year that sections of parks are closed due to high water or high unmelted snow.

I am typing this June 6th now that we are at a park with Verison and web service.

Trailhead at Grant Grove

Hollow Dead Tree at Grant Grove

Betty Inside Hollow Tree

One of Many Huge Trees at Grant Grove

General Grant Tree

South Fork of King River

Closeup of Turbulent South Fork of King River

THREE RIVERS, CA (Day 2).  Drove into Sequoia National Park and stopped by the Visitors Center and Gift Shop.  We then sampled the large Sequoia trees, visiting Giant Forest Museum, the Big Trees Trail, General Sherman Tree, and Lodgepole Visitor Center and Village.  It is a very long drive in and back in terms of time.  The mountain roads wind and and twist, rise and drop, allowing a speed of around 25 mph throughout.  Many blind corners, with too many drivers rushing around dangerously.  It is an exhausting drive, and it is clear that to see this park completely would require a small motorhome capable of handling these roads that could move from campsite to campsite, of which there are many in the park.  Too much of a day is taken just getting into the park and up to the good sights.

Steven Out Front of Giant Forest Museum

Of all the places we saw, the Big Trees Trail is the best.  It circles a lush meadow with a beautiful stream and (of course) many beautiful big trees.

Entry to Big Trees Trail

Betty at Entry to Big Trees Trail

Meadow Encircled by Big Trees

Seeing a Sequoia at Full Height

Betty Admiring Huge Sequoia

Betty at Base of Huge Sequoia

Betty in Notch of Two Seqoias

That Is Betty Up There Between Rock and Sequoia

Stroll Along Big Tree Trail

Meadow Along Big Tree Trail

Avenue Through Trees Along Big Tree Trail

Betty at Base of Big Tree

Betty at Base of Another Huge Tree

Betty at Base of Sherman Tree
Said To Be World's Largest Tree

Betty Peeps Out of Tree Base

Big Tree Trail Panorama

Another Scene Along the Big Tree Trail

Another Scene Along the Big Tree Trail

Steven Standing on Footprint of Giant Sequoia

THREE RIVERS, CA.  We are at a small old "hideaway" RV park, meaning it is down narrow winding roads through old large trees, with a bumpy entrance and all back-in camp sites.  At least it is shady, since it is still really hot here.  The area is one of the spots of natural wonders that has spawned the nearby national parks.

We have no cell phone service, since this is the second place we have been on this trip with only AT&T service.  We have Verison, which most of the time has the best service.  The RV park does have unsecured web service, so we can make an entry on the blog.

We are parked along the Kaweah River, which has rapids of classes II through V.  We do not plan on riding the river, but will rather hike through and photograph the large redwood trees.  We drove up into Sequoia National Park and stopped at the Foothills Visitor Center to get a map and information for the next two days.  We shall update the blog as we learn more.

The Kaweah River Behind the Restaurant Where We Ate Tonight

Betty at the Restautant Table Tonight

Our Snug Site for Three Days

California Gas Prices Still High Here
(No Gas Sold in the National Parks)

BAKERSFIELD, CA (Day 2).  We attended church this morning at Providence Reformed Church (PCA).  It meets each Sunday in an industrial park, using the office space of another church named Sovereign Grace, a sort of unaffiliated Reformed Baptist group too big to worship there on Sunday.

In that same industrial park are other church services on Sundays, and we mistakenly went to one of the others this morning at first.  It had no signs out front to identify who they were, and Providence had only two small signs that we could not see from the road.  We went where most of the cars were parked and found ourselves at Discovery Church.  Things did not look right as we entered the building.  There were movie posters covering the windows.  The booming sound of the speaker's voice did not sound like a sermon.  We were led past food and drink stands by someone who seated us up close to the front.  The speaker was a large burly man in blue jeans and a white T shirt, preaching from the book of John on the subject of facing persecution in this life.  After a short while, he sat down and the screen behind him started showing scenes from Back to the Future, where Marty McFly is fending off Biff after a high school dance.  When that scene ends, the lights come back up and the "sermon" resumes about being courageous in the face of trial (or something like that).  We got up to leave, wondering if the PCA in California had totally lost its mind.

Once outside we rechecked the address of Providence.  Someone outside said "that church" was "over that way."  We walked a while until we saw another smaller group of cars.  We went over to discover a small sign saying that this was Providence Reformed Church.  When we went in, we were warmly greeted, but found out that the worship service was at 9:45 am instead of 11:15 am.  We had arrived for Sunday School instead, but the pastor did a nice job of teaching on the subject of Christian ethics/morality and the defense of truth among those who question not only the existence of God, but also the existence of morality (ethics), beginning with the age-old argument that if there is an all-powerful and totally-good God, then bad things (evil) would not happen.  Not many in attendance, but a good class.  Sorry we missed the sermon at 9:45 am, but we were informed that we can listen to it on the web site.

The church has actually been around for decades, but had a hard history here in Bakersfield.  The present pastor is part-time, sort of semi-retired, teaching at a Christian school nearby until the church can grow larger.

Bakersfield is half Hispanic now, with many Sikh Indians moving in.  We got our last diesel fuel at a truck stop in the Mojave Desert that was run by Sikh Indians, who wore the usual turbans and beards.  They were very friendly, but spoke little English, mostly motioning with their hands and making quizzical facial expressions.  The fuel pumps had no information about price per gallon or number of gallons pumped.  Only the total cost to be paid.  Very strange place.

On the way to church we also drove past very many oil pumps in action.  There is a refinery and several large storage tanks.  Agriculture and oil are the main sources of income here.  We had trouble getting to church due to all the road construction that routed traffic contrary to what the GPS showed us.  A lot of road work, with a lot of apparent growth.  And fast aggressive drivers.

I Suggested That They Get Larger Signs to Place by the Road

BAKERSFIELD, CA.  We are at an RV park just outside the Mojave Desert.  Glad finally to be out of the desert!  On our way here we passed Twenty Mule Team Road that leads to Boron, where the Borax plant is located. We took a photo of the plant from the rest stop where we stopped for lunch.  There were more Joshua trees along CA58 on which we traveled heading north from I-40 to get here.  We left I-40 and Route 66 well behind us.

Bakersfield is located at the southern tip of the San Joaquin Valley.  The last part of our drive here was down a steep decline through the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  What a difference in landscape and colors!  Rolling hills of greenery leading into farm country here.

At the RV park here are what we used to call "red tip" bushes, very popular in Jacksonville's Mandarin area in the 1990s, but a blight ("fire blight") killed them all.  The are alive and thriving in California (see photo below).

We now have added California to the map on our motorhome slide-out to show that we have motorhomed through it.  Next we shall add Alaska.

Bakersfield Is Well Into Southern California

Just Out of the Mojave Desert (Upper Left)

Pretty Trees at Rest Stop (Even in Drought)

But Some Trees Are Suffering from the Drought

In the Distance is the Borax Plant

At Our RV Park Are "Red Tips" Bushes
(Photinia fraseri)

We Have Now Added California to the States
We Have Visited in Our Motorhome