Kings Canyon National Park

 

 

Thanks to the President's Day extended weekend and Rudy getting

a day off work for his birthday, everyone

was free a few Fridays ago.

We took the opportunity to head south and then east

to Kings Canyon National Park despite a majority of the park

being closed for winter.

We decided a small view of the park was better than

dealing with the hoards of visitors in other seasons.

 

The park is located south of Yosemite

and contains similar terrain and features minus the spectacular valley and amazing waterfalls.

Our trip in was very beautiful as we drove along the
narrow and gently winding road enjoying the green
of spring and the newly emerged wildflowers.

 

Our first stop in the park was to eat our picnic lunch.

Despite the snow, the sun was shining so our lunch time was pleasant.

 

The Visitor's Center was buried in snow.

The backside of the avalanche off the center's roof.
It had a lovely blue color through the tunnel.

 

We were able to visit the General Grant Grove
because the trail had been cleared.

Snowed-in parts of the park were open to cross-country skiers

and those with snow shoes but we were neither so we stuck to cleared trails.

 

We climbed through this downed tree.

It gives one perspective on how big Sequoia trees really are.

 

 

The burned out backside of the General Grant Tree.

We climbed up a mushy hill to get here and slid down icy
patches on the other side to meet up with the main trail.

Seedlings poking through the snow.

 

After our little hike, the boys did flips from the railing into the soft snow

and lobbed snowballs at each other.

We climbed back in our vehicle for the long drive down to Hume Lake.

That turned out to be a road where you hoped you never met anyone coming

from the other direction.

It was narrow, potholed, winding, and although it was plowed

there were shady areas that were full of snow and ice.

It was a good area to get a view of the Sierras and the park's backcountry.

 

Hume Lake is dry in the winter

when the water flows through the dam.

You can see where the wildfire burned right to the northern edge

of the lake last summer.

There's a large Christian camp and conference center on the southern

end of the lake that wasn't sure if it would survive or go up in flames.

Thankfully, it survived.

One side of the stream receives sun and the other doesn't.

 

It was late afternoon when we left the park and

made our way home from the clear mountains into the cloudy valley.

I've heard of the misty hills of the Appalachian Mountains

and this is how I imagine they must look.

 

As we approached home, we realized that spring had hit the valley in

earnest and almond blossoms were bursting out in orchards.

We were blessed with winter and spring in one day within just a few hours drive.

 

*******************

In our Bible story readings after supper we have been reading about

the Old Testament judges.

It was Tiana's night to read and she was reading to story of Gideon

but whenever she would come to the word, "Midianites" she would read

it as, "Mennonites."  It made for an interesting time as she

talked about the wicked Mennonites that oppressed Israel
and how Gideon was to destroy them.