More Big Trees

Its time to move on to our next stop. It'll be nice to get out of this fog. It's been foggy everyday since we arrived. Apparently our visit to San Francisco was on one of the least foggy days in weeks. Lucky I guess.

Our next stop, about 180 miles south is much better; not! Apparently, this central area of the state is foggy a lot due to the moist ocean air being pushed up against the Sierra Nevada mountains. That's OK, that's where we're headed next, to see Giant Sequoia National Park.

As we leave about 60 feet in altitude and climb to over 7000 feet, we leave the fog behind. The road used to go under this rock, I suppose they had to go around because too many semi's got stuck. 

At Tunnel Rock, there is a huge cave under the big rock beside me. There was major excavation done and hundreds of Indian artifacts were found. The red on the rock beside me is ancient rock paintings.

This is at about 6000 feet. Notice the fog that fills the valleys at lower altitudes. 

Finally we arrive at the location of the biggest Sequoia trees. They grow at an altitude of between 5000 and 7000 feet. This is nothing after being in Peru.

At the altitude where the giants grow, its cool with a bit of snow. Sequoias grow in groves with a bunch together, then none for miles. Its the way their seeds distribute I guess. 

This is the worlds largest living thing. It's 275 feet high, not nearly as high as some of the Giant Redwoods we saw, but much larger around. Redwoods grow tall and slender while Sequoias are shorter and fatter. Still, 275 feet is still tall.  

The tree in the centre is General Sherman. It doesn't look that tall does it? You can see the huge diameter and how thick it stays as it rises. The branches near the top are over 7 feet in diameter, that's wider than your reach. 

Almost all of them have been through numerous fires in their 2 to 3 thousand years. The bark on the big trees is over 3 feet thick and fire proof. If fire gets to the tree through a crack or damage, the tree doesn't burn either and this type of burn doesn't hurt it. The surprising thing is the bark is soft and spongy.

At the other end of the park is another grove of huge Sequoias. 

This tree is called the General Grant and for years was considered the largest until the General Sherman tree was found. The General Grant is actually 3.5 feet wider at its base (40.3', which is wider than a 3 lane highway) than the General Sherman but not as tall or as old. Its considered the second largest living thing. If grammie was to stand right beside the tree, she'd be shorter than that black spot in the middle of the tree. Amazing, huh? 

Photos don't do it justice, but trust me, it's huge. Remember, the branches are over 7' wide. 

This tree fell in the early 1800's and was hollowed out by fires over the years. It was used as homes, a tavern, and used to house 32 horses by the U.S. cavalry. 

Here's grammie standing at the small end of the fallen tree. The tree fell around 200 years ago and is still solid. The light in the middle is the opening where the horses were stabled. Both the Redwoods and Sequoias are so impressive and we're so glad we were able to visit these giants.