Sequoia National Park

King’s Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park have been combined into one large park. When entering Aleksey and I came to the consensus that we have both had enough canyons to last us a little while – therefore we went straight for the immense and awe inspiring Sequoia trees. Sequoias are frequently confused (myself included) with redwoods. Sequoias are shorter but MUCH wider: the widest redwood is about 17 feet wide while the widest sequoia is close to 40 feet in diameter.

The interesting thing about these trees is that no picture can ever capture their grandeur. We did our best to share our experience with you through pictures, but alas, we can only touch on how incredible these ancient living beings are.

We drove through the park stopping periodically to go on a short hike or to simply stare at the trees, listen to the sounds, and once to watch a bear! We stopped at several Sequoia groves, but one of the most impressive was the grove that included Sherman Tree. Sherman tree is the largest Sequoia in the world (largest = most cubic feet of wood). This tree is an astounding 35 feet wide. We stood looking at it for 30 minutes, and could have spent another 30 minutes, but i ad to go to the bathroom by then.

After a bit of hiking we got in the car, ate a melon and s
tarted driving towards Yosemite National Park.

Road to Sequoia National Park

The road to Sequoia national park was stunning. I always wanted to see fields of gold, and that is exactly what the road was like – so beautiful.

Death Valley is HOT

The drive to Death Valley was a simple 4.5 hour drive from Chad’s house. During the drive, every so often, we would notice the temperature rising. By the time we got to our campsite about 10 miles outside of the park the temperature had reached 100+ degrees at 9 P.M!! We slept in our underwear that night and were still hot. I (Eugene) had the worst night of sleep so far. I woke up no less than 15 times that night – to a night without wind, and a mattress wet with my own sweat. In addition, I hurt my shoulder during the restless sleep. When Aleksey got up I expected a similarly awful experience on his part, but on the contrary, he had a peaceful and restful night. (The tables will turn in Sequoia National Park – wait until the next post!)
We drove into the park through a desolate landscape until we reached the lowest point in the United States: The Badwater in Death Valley – a location situated at 282 feet BELOW sea level. This is a location where salt water pools, dries, and creates salt flats: large expanses of salt.
Death Valley is a HOT HOT place. The temperature topped 110+ degrees F – a very interesting temperature. When driving in the car, the faster we accelerated the WORSE it got! The wind is HOT! The engine began to overheat a bit so we turned the car’s heat on full blast and compared it to the wind outside of the car: almost no noticeable difference (the car’s heater was slightly hotter).
We continued to another salt flat where the salt was not flat! It formed in interesting mounds. The visit to Death Valley was finished with a short hike up a hill where Aleksey and I had the chance to view rock and sand structures shaped by the wind.
Off to Sequoia National Park – a 7.5 hour drive to travel 130 miles!!!