General Sherman

The General Sherman Tree, in Sequoia National Park, is the largest known single-stem tree alive on Earth today, by volume. (Apparently there are taller, fatter, and older trees, but since the 1930s wood volume has been the standard way tree size is determined.) 

This tree is a big tourist attraction (pun intended) at the park and there were many people waiting to get photos with it. (We waited in line between a family from India and a father and son from the Netherlands.) I was so impressed with how patiently everyone waited for their turn to gather behind the sign for photos. There was no grouching, no line cutting, nor general unpleasantness among people; everyone just happily waited their turn, and many groups took photos for each other.  It really reminded me just how lovely people can be.

GuideAlong

Two years ago when we visited Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, we discovered the GuideAlong app. I don't work for this company, nor am I being compensated by this company in any way - my family just really, really enjoyed using it, so I thought I'd share.

The app itself is free, then you purchase the tour, or tours, you want. The Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park Tour cost $25.00, and Yosemite was $20.00 - but they were worth every penny (or nickel, now that the penny has been discontinued.)

The app was easy; it uses your phone's GPS location to signal the app to start the audio tour when you reach a specific location. Each one of those white dots represents an audio file that opens, automatically,  when you get to that spot.

We loved the tidbits of history the narrator (we named him Adam) shared with us as we drove. The best part was, he had great information we wouldn't have known otherwise. He clued us before important turns came up and even suggested stops we didn't know about. His tone was funny and engaging and all of us, from the Baby Boomer to the Gen Zers, enjoyed the tours. The one and only downside was, when Adam started talking, all other conversations in the car stopped. If you find regular interruptions to your discussions irritating, this is not the app for you. Otherwise, I highly recommend it. If you are planning a road trip, it's worth taking the time to check out GuideAlong.

Waybound at Yosemite

Waybound Yosemite was our next stop after picking up groceries at Wal-Mart. Waybound is attached to Tenaya Lodge, but at Waybound, everyone has a private little cabin - which was perfect for us since we were a group of 11. Yep, eleven of us, three generations traveling together. (Grandma, her children and spouses, and our children, plus spouses (and a spouse to be.) We're all very lucky Grandma wants to leave her children and grandchildren with incredible memories.

The food was great, and Brett (the manager) took very good care of us. He was an absolute doll!

Janet (Grandma) loved drinking her morning coffee from her porch with a view of the river and the kids* loved the cabins, the s'more fixings at the fire pits, the archery, 

and tootling around in the golf cart.

Waybound was a great spot for us to have some fun and spend time together as a family!

* I call them "kids" but they really aren't kids anymore; they're all between 20 and 26.

Independence Day

 Wishing you a beautiful Independence Day from Mackinac Island!

Giant Sequoias!

 Giant is right! These trees are huge!

Allen found the perfect hike for us. At four miles, round trip, the hike up to the Muir Glen of giant sequoias was long enough for us to feel like we did something, but not so long that we'd be dragging on the way back.

Or should I say it would have been perfect if the campground where the trail begins hadn't been closed. Well we didn't let a silly thing like a closed sign stop us, we parked across the street, ducked under the gate and walked to the trailhead instead. (We made sure to note the sign said, "Campground Closed," not "Do Not Enter," so we felt it was ok to proceed.) 

As we walked through the campground we kept seeing these gigantic pine cones, so of course we had to get pictures with them. (One guess which of us are the cutups of the family.) We later discovered they were from sugar pines. 

The hike was gorgeous.

There were numerous landscape changes, 

each one prettier than the next. 

Halfway to the grove the trees opened up and we found ourselves on a granite dome with a lovely view.

Unbeknownst to me, my nephew planned to propose to his girlfriend on the trip - and the dome ended up being the prefect place for him to get down on one knee and ask. (I didn't get any pictures because I had no idea the proposal was coming. Luckily, that was the moment when we met up with the only two other hikers we met that day, and they offered to take a group picture for us.)

Aren't they cute?

Not long after leaving the dome we found ourselves surrounded by giants. 

We were completely awestruck by the sheer size of these endangered trees.

Reading about them doesn't really prepare you for just how gigantic, giant sequoias really are. Nine of us were able to get a little more than halfway around this one - halfway!

We'd read that the oldest known giant sequoia came in at over 3,200 years old and it made us wonder,  just how old was this tree?

In October 2021, a fire came through this sequoia grove. Many of the trees were scarred by fire, but they survived, and thrived, since these trees need the heat of forest fires to open their cones. This one was burned through, yet it is still growing.

We would have spent the entire day exploring the grove, but other adventures were calling. We had to bid the trees farewell and start the trip back to the car. We all did well until we got back to the campground, because the last mile through the campground was all uphill. For a few of us, fatigue, altitude, and the incline made that last mile, by far, the hardest mile of the day. It was worth it though; seeing those majestic trees up close, was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I'd rank it right up there with visiting the Pyramids of Giza and the Anne Frank House.