I forgot to mention that this was a surprise trip, planned by Julie. She knew that I wanted to see the Big Trees before we moved back home, but I didn't think we'd have time. The day before we were to go, she informed me that we were going somewhere for the weekend, but she wouldn't say where, and that I would need my winter boots and warm clothes. She then sent me on a mysterious trip to Napa Auto Parts to pick up something she bought, which remained a surprise until I picked it up. It ended up being snow chains for our tires. This sparked my curiosity - "Where are we going in California that we're gonna need boots and snow chains?"
Julie got a great deal on a room at the Wuksachi Lodge, which is right up in the mountains in the midst of the park. The elevation is 6500 ft., so there was a lot of snow, 7 ft. in fact, which is why they require snow tires. The road was only icy and snowy about 10% of the time, but you REALLY needed the chains that 10%! It was very winding and curvy and steep in several spots.
I don't use the term breathtaking lightly, but when we entered the area of the park where the Big Trees are, that word fit. Big trees here in Ohio are like twigs compared to Sequoias. You can't imagine that trees can get that big, but there they were. The biggest one is named General Sherman. They say that the width at the base of the tree is as wide as 3 lines on a freeway. Words don't it justice. Neither do pictures, really, but here are some anyway:
So, the trip was awesome. Oh, we also saw a coyote and a lynx...
more pics on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/camarillohillbillies/sets/72157603490668631/
