The first stop of the day was The General Grant Tree area. Here are some parking lot photos....
First stop on our stroll was the Fallen Monarch. Even after the sequoias fall they can endure for hundreds of thousands of years without decaying. Cool huh?
Me on the inside, them on the outside. Thought it was a pretty cool picture...
Yup, I was there too...
Centennial Stump is a crazy piece of history. The tree was cut, sectioned, and reassembled at the World's Fair in Philadelpha in 1876 where it became known as a "California Hoax," by dubious easterners. This was a very old tree. It was known as a Hoax because noone believed that it was from a tree!
The next stop was Gamlin Cabin, built in 1872. It was used as a house for two people that grazed cattle nearby. It was then used as a storehouse and finally as a the first living quarters for the park ranger.
Next was the General Grant Tree, the second largest Sequoia.
More parking lot photos...
From there we drove to Zumwalt Meadows. Everything I read online said it was a must see spot. The drive was pretty long, it probably took us about 45 minutes. I have to say, there were many times that I wondered if this was going to be worth the drive. It was a little exhausting as the road was windy and long. But the kids did pretty good and we finally made it..
First thing we did was stop to eat right near where we parked. This part of Kings Canyon was not crowded at all. I bet most people don't make the trek, as it is quite off the beaten path from the other "attractions" in the park.
The walk to Zumwalt Meadows was pretty. It was so nice to be out of the car and out in nature. The girls were troopers as always.
And we made it. I had my doubts about this place...wondering the entire drive if it was going to be worth it. But then we came across "Zumwalt Meadows" and I have to say, it is spectacular. I was wow'd and that is pretty hard to do. It was simply beautiful. Pictures absolutely do not do it justice...
We stayed and took in the beauty of the scenery for quite sometime. It was just so beautiful that I didnt want to leave. I was actually shocked at just how gorgeous it was. Im so glad we decided to make the trek and Im sure we will be back at some point.
We stopped on the way back to stand amongst the large granite formations on the road. It was kinda surreal to be standing there. I actually got dizzy at one point with all the rock around me. Pretty neat experience to be standing here...
We went on to HUME Lake. We basically just drove through this because it wasn't all that spectacular. It was a pretty lake, but it was taken over by a Christian camp. There were a lot of people and while the lake was pretty, I didn't really have a desire to stay amongst the crowds. Here's the only picture I took there (from my car window nonetheless)...
From there we went to our last stop in Kings Canyon, which was Big Stump Trail.
This picture is looking up into one of the big stumps...
Pri looking up through the hole...
Walking the Big Stump Trail was pretty deserted. It was so quiet (well, besides our crazy kids) that you could probably hear a pin drop. It was the only moment the entire trip that felt a little eery. Then, we heard some rustling and I freaked out. I totally thought a bear was going to come out and we were going to have to run for our lives. My husband would've totally taken out a bear had one actually appeared; he's very brave and he came equipped with a knife. So I wasn't worried at all :) Luckily it turned out to be nothing and we enjoyed the rest of our time with the stumps.
The girls were done hiking by this point and we were done with our itinerary for the night, so we made the trek back to the La Quinta hotel. We got back to the hotel fairly early (430pm) so we decided to change things up a bit and do the pool before dinner.
Everything is WAY more exciting with a baby around!
Had a great time in the pool with all my girls!
We went to Applebees for dinner because on Wednesdays kids eat for 99c all day long! Unfortunately upon our arrival, Daniel quickly realized that there is really not many vegetarian options at Applebees. I can't remember what it was, but there was one dish that Daniel was going to order and just ask for it without meat. The server then informed us that meat is minced and added to the sauce! Applebee's sure does love their meat! Pri was in heaven! She loves Applebees! Mini burgers and mozzarella sticks and juice and she's in love! Sariah wasn't a huge eater on this trip. Girl just loves her mother's homecookin!
Wrapping up the night with some iPad time in bed...
Another beautiful vacation day!
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