Sequoia Kings Canyon and Yosemite

Bright and very, very early on day 1 we drove to Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park. It took about 7 hours. We didn’t have to stop a lot. We had left so early that the kids were still a sleep for nearly all of the freeway driving. Once we arrived at the entrance of the park, it was clear this was going to be beautiful.

The road narrowed to just 2 lanes, but that was okay because it gave us time to look at the scenery. Since the kids needed to keep up with their modified required homework, we had to bring along Brian’s geography book. As we drove through the area we managed to cover chapter after chapter without any effort. Both our children were learning, having fun and on vacation. Wow!

Into ancient redwood forest and through one-hundred year old forest burn areas. Signs explained erosion and regrowth. Then, we climbed to the top of Morro Rock. I had seen pictures of my husband, Kevin, on Moro Rock when he was just 8 or 9 years old. I remember saying as we climbed the hundreds of stairs to the top, “I bet it’s a lot safer at the top now, than it was 35 years ago when you were here". Thank goodness no one took my bet, I would have lost. Just as you finally arrive at the top, short of breath and sweaty, you realize that the same style pipe railing is the only thing between you and 4,000 feet straight down. I was shocked. It didn’t seem to really matter though, the kids were too tired to care. We just held hands and read all the historical markers and signs. From here you could see for hundreds of miles in every direction.

We were trying to do this on a budget, so we decide to camp. Our campground was just a couple of hundred yards from the village and our tent was in a grove of redwoods. We made dinner and entertained ourselves with a project. Since we had forgotten to pack a pillows, we stopped at a Wal-mart on the way. Not wanting to spend very much, we purchased 4 small pillows, 4 pillow cases, and a package of fabric markers. Under the glow of our lanterns we each painted a picture on the pillow cases until it was time for bed. Ten years later, we still take those pillow cases with us on camping trips. What a great memory! Earlier in the evening, a couple of Park Rangers visited our campsite. “How are you doing? Having fun?” We were having a great time we told them. “Okay, see you later. Have a nice vacation.” Then the ranger stopped and said, ”Don’t worry if you hear gun shots in the middle of the night. That’s just us scaring the bears away from camp.” Sure enough, in the wee hours of the morning, Bang! Bang! Bang! Kevin and I both rolled over to be sure the hatchet was close by and went back to sleep.

Morning came, no bears and we were off to Yosemite. We entered Yosemite from the south. My husband had a plan. He wanted us to see this spectacular view of Yosemite as he remembered it, (as a kid 35 years ago). We were primed and excited. As he drove us through a tunnel, he stated “this is going to be the best view of Yosemite Valley you’ll ever see without hiking”. We were all sitting up and ready. Here comes the end of the tunnel! “This is going to be great” he said. Then out of the back seat the kids shout “DAD!” What did we see? Three giant tour buses parked and blocking the view of the valley. So we parked next to the buses and walked to the edge. It was the best view anyone could have of Yosemite Valley. Magnificent. We journeyed into Yosemite Village and had a bite to eat. We walked and watched people. We saw at least a half a dozen deer in the village. Yosemite Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, the meadows; it was all so beautiful. John Muir, the man who saved Yosemite and got it into the National Park system was right: this was a one of a kind place. It was getting late. It was time to find a place to set up camp. We had no reservations; kind of stupid considering this was Yosemite. But we got lucky. We were camping at Crane Flat campground.

This was a short trip; way too short, but we need to get back to San Diego. In the morning we packed up and left. Seven hours later, and after a stop at a truck stop for a pay shower, we were home. We wanted to stay longer maybe some other time. Tomorrow was a school day.

Why Should I Go to Yosemite?

There are many places that a person can go when they are planning a vacation. Why would you want to go for Yosemite park lodging? There are many reasons that you may not know about.

What’s At Yosemite?

There are many things that are in Yosemite that you may want to see and places that offer lodging in Yosemite Park. There are many places that you may want to visit that are in Yosemite, such as wildlife and camping. Yosemite offers many places for you to set up your RV or tent, depending on what you like to do. Many people will camp at Yosemite in their RVs so that they can still get the outdoor feel that they were looking for when they went there in the first place. You can also camp in your tent, but these sites are becoming hard to find, because RV’s are becoming more and more popular for camping. You may also be able to rent a hotel room for your trip because the area is considered a tourist area that people want to visit.

Why Should We Go There?

There are many reasons that you should go there for a vacation. These go back to the great views as well as the animals that you may find there. You also may have a great experience with your family that you may not ever have again. People see this area as a great and fun place for the family to visit for that once in a lifetime experience. If you do decide to go to this area for your vacation, you should visit all of the sites that you can so that you have seen them in case you don’t get to come back at a later time to see the things that you may miss.

How Do I Find Information?

You can find information on Yosemite park lodging and fun from the Internet as well as people that may have been there already. These are great ways to learn about what there is there and what it may be able to give you. Many people will look for this kind of information on the Internet and may have a great source for information in the people that you know already. Once you know what you want to do when you get there, you can have a great time with your family and friends.

There are many things that are at Yosemite Park that you may want to visit. The key is finding the time to look at everything that is there and making a plan for visiting it. Many people will not understand the importance of planning their trip and getting the most out of your trip. If you have a family you will need all the time and planning that you can get, but you want to be sure that you do leave some time for just fun stuff as well so that you are adding a flexible time for play.

Jerry Fink, a proficient Oregon outdoors writer, is a frequent contributor to yosemite lodging. This site has information and advice on yosemite"> http://www.yosemitepinesrv.com/yosemite-camping-rates.htm">yosemite park lodging the Oregon Coast.

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