Maz NZ and Oz: The Sierra Nevada - Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Friday, August 12, 2005

The Sierra Nevada - Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

On Thursday the 21st of July, we left San Francisco to travel around California a bit. We got a bus to Fresno and then rented a car so we could see some of the National Parks. The first place we went was a town called Three Rivers just south of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. In these parks, the largest living things are to be found; giant sequoias. While some redwood trees grow taller, in terms of volume, this tree here; General Sherman, is the largest living thing on earth. It just wasn't possible to fit the entire tree into one shot, so I took two:

The size and beauty of these trees just isn't possible to capture on camera. It's really difficult to understand how trees of this size can grow in a place that's just a few miles away from desert and scrubland. Absolutely amazing. Here's a picture of me beside a fallen Sequoia. This tree has been hollowed out over the years and it's actually possible to walk through the tree... pretty cool, I thought:

The driving in the Sierras could be pretty hairy at times; 10 mile an hour hairpins with sheer drop offs can take it out of you! Here's an example of the type of roads I had to drive. Note that the road I've just switched back on is immediately below me as I take the photo:

We spent two nights in Three Rivers, allowing us only one full day in the Parks, but we took plenty of photos to make up for the lack of time. Here are just a few: