After the insanity that was Yosemite on Labor Day weekend,
Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks felt empty. Our first night spent at
the bottom of Kings Canyon was calm and quiet, and one of our neighbors played
a guitar softly into the night.
The next day we hiked through a lush green meadow and came
across this awesome swimming hole. Unable to resist, Ryan and I dug out our
swimsuits and braced for the cold water. It actually somehow felt colder than
Crater Lake, probably because the hot sun made the contrast that much worse.
When we jumped off the log spanning the river, our reaction was immediately to
paddle as quick as possible for the shore, shouting curses between gasps for
air. It was a blast though, and provided great entertainment before heading
next door to Sequoia National Park.
Another highlight of course was General Sherman, an absolutely
huge tree that by girth puts the Redwood giants we’d seen on the coast to
shame.
Our favorite part of the trail however, was the wildlife. We
saw deer, snakes, squirrels, and this little guy…
We were absolutely ecstatic to see a black bear in one of
the last places we had the opportunity to do so, but then our next thought was,
“where’s mama?” It would have been a bitter irony after all our worry about
Grizzlies to be mauled by a mean mama black bear defending her cub. Fortunately
though, mom either wasn’t around, or didn’t consider us much of a threat as the
cub wondered off among the giant trunks, illuminated by the dappled light.
After that experience, the walk among the trees seemed sweeter.
Our camp that night was in a tent only campground, Buckeye
Flats, which was another nice break after the insanity that was Yosemite and all
the RVs. Buckeye Flat is well worth returning to, since it’s located next to a
happy babbling stream that reminded Ryan and me of Johnson’s Shutins State Park
in Missouri. The water tumbled over rainbow colored rocks and formed in cool
pools perfect for swimming. The moon rose full over the stream as we played “hot
lava” jumping from rock to rock to avoid the water to see as much of downstream
before it got too dark. Buckeye Flat is certainly a place to return for the
natural water park next to it.
After these two national parks it was time for us to say
goodbye to California, which we did through the barren landscape of Death
Valley.
Not much to say there other than it looked a lot like death,
but it did lead us to the green oasis of Las Vegas, Nevada, where we did a
horrible job of sinning in Sin City. Neither of us have much interest in
gambling or drinking, though we did celebrate being halfway through the trip
with a bottle of champagne gifted to us by Ryan’s uncle. The one splurge we did
make though, was via my grandparents’ birthday present to me, some cash
designated for use in the Las Vegas. We put the money towards a nice dinner, an
all-you-can-eat seafood and sushi buffet. One of Ryan’s hidden talents is that
he is able to eat more sushi than any human should, and between the sushi, crab
legs, BBQ ribs, salad and dessert, Ryan and I ate more delicious food than we
thought possible, to the point where we still can’t stop talking about that
meal. As for the sin of gluttony then, Ryan and I did accomplish that on the
trip.
Otherwise, Vegas for Ryan and I was mostly people watching,
marveling at the casinos and shops, and checking out the sports books as
post-season baseball is close at hand. While seemingly a lame Vegas experience,
Ryan and I were happy for the reprieve before heading into the Southwest, where
we knew it would be hot and dusty, and mostly without the opportunity to
shower. Little did we know the paradise we were about to find the next day…
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