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.

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.

Wuksachi Lodge

My mother-in-law, Janet, loves to travel. She has a bucket list of sites she wants to see and places she wants to stay; and this year that list took us all to Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks. 

Our first stop on this grand adventure was Wuksache Lodge, located right inside Sequoia National Park.

Sequoia National Park was breathtaking. I'm a Michigan girl through and through, and while I can't imagine not living in the midst of the Great Lakes, I can appreciate the beauty of the mountains. In this part of California, they're gorgeous. When we landed in Fresno, the air quality was so poor we couldn't see the mountains, but once we left the city, the smog disappeared.

Wuksache Lodge was a lovely spot. It was in the high nineties (about 35 C) when we left Fresno, but up in the mountains it was in the high seventies (about 25 C.)

The buildings have the feeling of a historic hotel, but they were actually built in the 1990s.

The hotel is located at 7,050 feet. Mackinac Island has an elevation of about 600 feet, so we were concerned the elevation might bother us. Thankfully, we were all OK.

The food was great (especially lunch), the rooms were clean and well maintained, and the staff was quite helpful. When my son's roll-away bed was delivered, the staff person apologized, "I'm sorry it took so long," he said, "I'm new and I don't know where everything is yet." 

"No worries," we told him, and let him know we would happily make up the bed. Later on, when we tried, we discovered he'd given us 16 pillow cases instead of sheets; too funny! Comfy beds were important - our first hike in the Sierra Nevada Mountains started at 7:30 the next morning.

 

Getting There is Half the Fun

Lots of people wonder what people who live in a vacation destination do when it is time for their vacation. For us, it means visiting other vacation destinations. It's our chance to remember what it's like to see amazing things for the first time. This year that meant a trip to California. (A state none of us had visited.) After traveling by horse-drawn taxi, a ferry boat, and by car, we boarded a plane in Traverse City.

Except for a few crying children, a four year-old seat kicker, and a short delay, we landed in Fresno without incident. (Luckily, I'm one of those people who can often tune those noises out; the rest of my family, not so much. But the flights were short...) Thankfully, the car rental's computer system decided to start working again five minutes after we arrived at their counter and we were on our way. (We were a little worried because it was 10:30 pm and we thought we might have to come back when they opened in the morning - at 7:00 because, "We can only hold your reservation for 24 hours." Thankfully it all worked out.) My husband is not a fan of traveling by air, so I was thrilled that we had no major hiccups.

If you've never been in the Fresno airport, they have a really neat display of a sequoia grove to walk through on your way out. They were fun to look at, but I'm looking forward to seeing real ones!

Too Close for Comfort

Putting up the window candles for the holidays is typically a fairly dull task, but this year it brought a bit of excitement when the light* pictured above caught fire. Luckily, the fire started quickly and my daughter was still close by. After she came down from her adrenaline rush, she found it quite ironic that the object intended to mimic a flame had actually burst into flame.

She grabbed it by the as-yet-not-on-fire base and ran outside. Luckily, her fleece bore the brunt of the damage, and apart from a scorched spot on the sleeve and some melted plastic on the window, all is well. Thankfully. Had my daughter put that lamp up in a different room and then walked away, this would be a very different post. So, today I am feeling extra grateful for my quick thinking daughter who, while thoughtfully trying to lighten my holiday load, quite literally saved the day. 

*The lamp was UL listed, had the correct wattage bulb, and was plugged into a wall outlet (not an extension cord.)

Current Situation

I'm hanging out in Marquette for a few days with my son. He was brought by ambulance last night from Houghton to the hospital here. Apparently the medical center in Houghton isn't really a "hospital," so they thought it best to send him to a place able to provide a higher level of care. We didn't know where they were going to send him until after the last boat yesterday; and since Grand Rapids, Marquette, and Green Bay were all listed as possibilities, I couldn't really start driving driving I had a clear direction to go. After catching the first boat off the island this morning, I headed north and caught up with him at about noon.  Please don't worry - he's going to be OK, and is in good spirits.

Fun Times

I'm so glad mt front yard looks like this tonight. If you are passing a house on Mackinac Island and you see that many bikes in a yard, you know something fun is happening inside.

My kids and a bunch of friends are all gathered around my dining room table playing Dungeons and Dragons tonight; and it makes me really happy.

Are they loud? Yes. Do they make a mess? Sure, but I don't care; not in the slightest. They are socializing, in person, and only using technology to project a map and look up information about monsters, cantrips, and race abilities. (Yeah, don't ask, I'm not sure either.) 

I love that twice a week, my dining room is the place to be for fun.

Camping at Brevoort Lake

We spent last weekend camping at Brevoort Lake, which is in Brevort, Michigan. I have no idea why the lake has two letter Os, while the city only has one, but it was a beautiful place to spend the weekend. Hands down, my favorite part was listening to the loons in the morning. 

I don't think I posted about it, but last year we bought a Hiker Trailer from some friends who had outgrown it. Owning a teardrop camper had been a dream of Allen's for a while and when opportunity knocked, we jumped.  We've been trying to camp, at least once a month, to get a feel for it and learn what gear we need and what we can live without.

I've really enjoyed getting to explore places close to home. Northern Michigan is such a lovely place, and there are so many places, like Brevoort Lake, that I've never gotten to see. 

Creepy

My son raided my sewing room the other day to create...

whatever this is. I know it has something to do with the Dungeons & Dragons game he is playing with his friends, though a tiny part of me still hopes it isn't a Voodoo doll of me.

Out and About

Today was a beautiful sunny day so Allen and I decided to take the dog for a walk. It's not our dog - she belongs to my mom, who is heading to Australia tomorrow. So the dog is ours for the next month.

I'm not sure who enjoyed spending some time outside more - Allen & I or Wrenn. 

Birthday

A very special somebody had a birthday this week. Nothing fancy, just a low-key evening with family and pie. A pistachio pie, made with this recipe. It wasn't the most amazing desert in the universe, but it was good. I really appreciated that the crust didn't get mushy, even after several days.

So if you see Allen out and about, be sure to wish him a very happy birthday!

Link: https://dancearoundthekitchen.com/pistachio-pie

Thankful

I am so thankful to have this husband. He singlehandedly planned and cooked Thanksgiving dinner for nine. All I had to do was make desert (cheesecake and pecan pie, if you're wondering.) And yes, his cooking is delicious! 

Unbelievable

We have had the most amazing fall in northern Michigan. The weather has been incredible! Today, Allen and I ate dinner outside, without coats, because it was 67 degrees! Later, while I was scrolling on Facebook, I was reminded that eleven years ago on October 22, Mackinac already had snow. We're supposed to get cooler weather later in the week, but for now we are happily soaking up these warm days.