Technically, we already told you about our first experience in California: Death Valley National Park. But the California to the west of the Sierra Mountains is very, very, unlike the desolate and dry park we spent time in near the Nevada border. To us, California began with another humble reminder of how huge and powerful mountains are.
We had 'escaped' Death Valley and made it to a little town to the west of the Sierras called 'Lone Pine'. It was there that we planned to head north along the mountains and cut through them at Yosemite National Park - and it was there that we learned we could not. The pass through the mountains was closed due to snow, and likely would not open for several weeks. So, we were forced to drive south.
Crossing the Sierras into the San Juaquin valley was one of the coolest (and yet, warmest) experiences of the trip. On the west side of the mountains, we were welcomed back to 'the green part' of the map. "Grass! Trees! Rivers!" we shouted, like idiots, out Appa's windows as we cruised through a majestic valley.
Luke's his favorite smell is lilacs in bloom in early June. Something beautifully close to that smell permeated the air from Bakersfield all the way to the roots of the Sierras again, on the climb up toward Sequoia National Park: orange groves. Even though California is in a terrible drought, the central valley's human-made irrigation canals carry life-giving water to thousands of miles of neatly organized orange groves. You could even smell the oranges from the seat of a noisy, slightly smelly Appa.
Please make a reminder to check out the blog again when “smellovision” technology is finally introduced - because we wish so, so, badly to be able to share that with you.
Did you know that California has more people than Canada? Now you do. And now you are prepared to feel how we felt when trying to get free camping in a state known for high prices, high population, and perpetually beautiful weather. After a driving day through the central valley we needed to find somewhere to camp near Sequoia National Park, and our usual methods were coming up empty. Thankfully, we picked up a technique from an Israeli couple we met in a New Mexican airforce base: go to Google's 'satellite view' and look for an empty spot. For us, that spot had to be suitable for a Class B camper van. We’re pretty proud of this boondocking spot:
A nice little cliff overlooking a beautiful river!
"Hello, you look like a big rock - mind us hiding behind you for the night? No? Grand!"
The next day we ventured through Sequoia National Park, home of General Sherman, the LARGEST tree in the world (Note: not 'tallest', but 'largest', biomass-wise).
Did you know that the leading cause of death' for Giant Sequoias is falling down?
Here he is: General Sherman. The largest living tree in the WORLD. If you can spot them, there is a little person at the bottom of the photo for context.
If you've read our blog up to this point you will have noticed that we spend a lot of time visiting America's National Parks. The Parks system is our favourite part of the USA - a message we've written in numerous Guestbooks in visitor's centres across the country. Naturally, we needed to visit Yosemite, the inaugural park of that system.
It was exciting to be in 'the park that started it all' - a favourite place of environmentalist John Muir, and prototype for preservation of wild places. Yosemite boasts gorgeous waterfalls, impressive granite rock faces, and miles of hiking trails. Due to an impending storm, we were unable to hike as many trails as we would have liked, but enjoyed a fantastic taste of what the park had to offer by traversing switchbacks to the foot of Yosemite Falls.
Luke enjoying a drink from Yosemite Falls.
View of Yosemite Falls from the meadows below.
One of the many incredible granite cliffs in the park.
We parted ways with Yosemite and headed to San Francisco, where we would meet up with our good pal, Martin. Martin works for a company with headquarters in Berkley, so that became our home-base for our weekend in San Fran. With a safe place to park Appa, we enjoyed the freedom of travelling in a city by foot, transit, and bicycle. The weekend flew by, but it was a truly fantastic time that included the following:
- Renting bikes for a full day and riding across the Golden Gate Bridge
- Getting lost in the city and learning the true meaning of a 'hill'
- Vintage shopping in the Haight- Ashbury district
- Biking across Golden Gate Bridge and getting our first great view of the Pacific Ocean
- Visiting TWO farmer's markets and enjoying delicious food
- Speaking of food: attending a massive food truck festival that happens every Sunday in a San Fran park
- Playing frisbee for hours overlooking the 'Frisco Bay
- Getting to see the 'Full Houses' while the show's theme song blasted from car windows
- Meeting some of the most wonderful people who opened their homes and hearts to us, and sharing great laughs and conversations under an eclipsing moon
So, in sum, our first taste of California was delicious and sweet. We can't wait to tell you about the rest of the Pacific coast in Northern California that we explored with Martin.