September 25, 2023
Morro Rock
Base of Morro Rock
We spent some time out here in the evening with lots of other folks. We were fortunate to find
a campsite not far from Morro Bay and returned in the golden light of the next morning ... fewer
people, more sea otters, and more pelicans than I have ever seen in one place before, possibly
thousands of them.
our shadows (the van, too)
sculpture of a family waiting for their loved one to return from the sea
It was captivating to watch the sea otters. In the morning, they were snoozing.
The evening before, they were feeding.
We walked along the base of Morro Rock until we reached the riprap of the jetty.
It seems that rearranging rocks is a thing out there.
We made a brief visit to Cannery Row on Monterey Bay before heading inland. We visited the famous aquarium there with our kids in 1995 but really didn't have enough time to visit this trip to justify the expense. (Note: senior discount doesn't apply until age 70)
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bust of John Steinbeck
Our first visit to Pinnacles (formerly a national monument, then upgraded
to national park status by Congress in 2012)
seen along the Condor Gulch trail
Condors were reintroduced to Pinnacles 20 years ago and there
are about 25 free-flying birds in the park now.
This is as far as we went on the Condor Gulch Trail. We are no longer up to hiking strenuous
trails involving great elevation changes.
We had many visitors in our campsite. The California quail are quite amusing to watch as they
scurry about and peck at the multitude of ants on the ground.
We also hiked the Bear Gulch Cave Trail up to a small reservoir. The talus caves in the gulch
required flashlights and some crawling and contortions, but we managed. A satisfying hike, for sure.
The sign is accurate in all respects.
After three days at Pinnacles with wonderful weather and clear, dark night skies with awesome star-gazing, it was time to head to the Sierras and the sequoias. We camped at Sequoia National Park with our kids 28 years ago and the clearest memory I have of it was being cold during the night. This time, we chose the Foothills campground at a lower elevation and it was great. Of course, we had to make time for the General Sherman Tree which was saved during the 2021 fire. Other trees in the area were not so lucky. The fact is, sequoias need fire to open their cones to disperse seeds and are well adapted to survive fire. However, about 20% of the planet's largest trees have been lost in the past two years by fires that are burning hotter and more intensely. I sincerely hope my grandchildren will be able to see the largest living organism on Earth, the General Sherman Tree, someday!
It is hard to find me in this picture, but I am admiring the largest
living organism on our planet.
The mosaic represents the "footprint" of the General Sherman Tree - 36 feet in diameter
smoky skies from wildfire somewhere in Sequoia NP
Moby fit with about a foot to spare
petroglyphs - Sequoia NP
We were able to get a campsite for only two nights because all sites were booked for the weekend so we retreated to a campground in the Central Valley over the weekend. We were able to get a site at Kings Canyon NP for one night after that. It is adjacent to Sequoia NP, but the road connecting the two parks is quite tortuous to drive and road repairs made travel time 3 hours each way. We paid a visit to the General Grant Tree and Grove, big stumps as well.
We walked through the "Fallen Monarch"
Brush piles ready for next month's prescribed burn in the Grant Grove
Most mature sequoias have survived many fires over hundreds of years and have
multiple burn scars like this one.
The Kings Canyon Scenic Byway through the national forest was closed, but we were able to access Hume Lake. It was quite pretty with a nice trail around the shore.
As we were driving toward Arizona on our last day in California, we made one more stop. I must admit I only knew a little bit about the man, but now that I know more, I realize how extraordinary and remarkable his life was.
gravesite
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| Castroville, CA |
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