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Dick's Adventures of 2025 - Part 1 |
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| Photos Related Links More Travel Reports | |
| Adventures
of 2016 Adventures
of 2017 Adventures
of 2018 2Adventures
of 2019 Adventures
of 2020
Adventures of 2021 Adventures of 2022 Adventures of 2023 Adventures of 2024 |
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| Kings Canyon Grant Grove | |
| Kings
Canyon National Park - Grant Grove etc. We didn't exactly have cabin fever, but we were definitely ready to get out into the hills and mountains of Central California. So on January 12 daughter Teri and I headed east on State Route 180, into Kings Canyon National Park. Her son Johnny and wife Brittany had gone there a few days earlier, her first visit despite living in Fresno all her life. Their trip partly inspired ours. We picked up sandwiches at a Subway on our way out of town, and drove into the park and to the Grant Grove parking area. We had checked the weather and were dressed for the 38 degree temperatures, fairly comfortable as long as there was no wind. Despite the season and the temperature there were dozens of people enjoying the bright, clear winter day. Although there are longer loop trails around the grove, we just basically walked up to and around the General Grant Tree, designated in 1926 as the Nation's Christmas Tree. Although a relatively young 1,650 year old, it's the world's second largest Sequoia, after the General Sherman in adjacent Sequoia National Park. There are probably a couple dozen other impressive sequoias visible along the route. |
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| The top of the General Grant | A full view of the tree |
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Our next stop was the gift shop at Grant Grove Village, with a specific task in mind. When the Ramblers hiked to the General Sherman Tree in August 2023, my great grandsons Colton and Jack accompanied us. Jack acquired a tiny Sequoia seedling, which prospered for a while at his family cabin near Shaver Lake. However, either the summer heat or other unknown factors killed the tree late in 2024. His parents had hoped to get him a new one when they visited, but the gift shop was closed. Teri and I took it on ourselves to buy a replacement. We
ate our lunch at a picnic table on the plaza behind the gift shop,
then decided to drive a short distance south on the Generals
Highway, to the Kings
Canyon Overlook |
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| Snowy Sierra peaks from the Kings Canyon Overlook | Mt. Goddard is the highest peak in this view |
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After enjoying the view for a while, we started back down the mountain, arriving back home where it was above 60 degrees. Normally this would seem cool to me, but after braving the 40 degree high in the mountains, it was positively balmy. --Dick Estel, October 2019 |
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Photos (Click to enlarge; pictures open in new window) |
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Coming with the next adventure |
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| Related Links | ||
| Kings Canyon National Park | General Grant Tree | General Sherman Tree |
| Generals Highway | Kings Canyon Overlook | Sequoia National Park |
| Mt. Goddard | ||