I thought I'd be back to add the next leg of my trip sooner than this - I've got to get better! We left off last time as Jenn and I headed out of Los Angeles towards Sequoia National Park. One of our favorite places. Jenn had given me the 3 nights there as a Christmas present and I had been looking forward to this trip since then. Watching the weather reports for the week, it looked very much as if we were going to run into snow, so we stopped at a little auto parts store in Exeter, CA - near Lindsay, CA, home to the famous olives - and purchased chains for the tires. That turned out to be a wise move. We arrived in late afternoon and checked into
Wuksachi Lodge, the only place open before the summer season begins in May. It was a very nice place and our room was large and WARM. Our bags were taken to our room - they are all in different buildings - by the great staff and we unpacked. The restaurant and a small bar are in the main Lodge and we headed there to grey clouds filling the sky. We looked around for a bit and then had dinner. Reservations are a good idea and it was only because it is a slow time of year that we were able to be seated. As we sat down to dinner, the snow began - we were thrilled!
Our first view of the snow during dinner. We walked back to our room in the powder like snow - we loved it. Below is the view of our window the next morning - what a beautiful sight.
We waited, walking around the lodge enjoying the snow for a couple of hours until we could drive without chains.There were hotel employees, the AAA and a couple of guest volunteers helping people dig their cars out of the snow and put on chains when needed.
Our poor little Nevada car was shivering!
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| I thought my hair went well with the Sequoias:o) |
We had a great time going to the Giant Forest Museum, taking the easy 1 mile loop trail around Round Meadow and remembering what it was like when we visited in the 70's and 80's. Because of our late start, we didn't have much time. We had planned on driving to Grant Grove, but the road between the two parks -
Sequoia and King's Canyon - was closed the entire time we were there.
Although we enjoyed the meals at the Lodge, they are a bit pricey. The next day we requested lunches to go and ate them for dinner! On that day we had "our" tree to visit - we always have our picture taken at the
General Sherman tree and couldn't miss that this time.
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| Jenn and I at the General Sherman tree |
That night we walked to the Lodge as it snowed to enjoy a glass of wine at the bar. The bartender, T.R., lives in
Three Rivers, just down the hill from the park. He and his wife Nicky will be operating a new Food Truck in that area while they wait for their new restaurant, The Old Buckeroo, to be completed. He was a great guy and we'll definitely check out their restaurant when it opens.
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T.R. enjoyed the snow also.
The next day it was time to leave. I confidently went out to find the AAA person and .....surprise!.....no AAA representative! So, it took Jenn and I an hour and a half to dig the car out of the snow (again!) and then put on the chains. All in all not too bad. We were very happy to have the chains and the drive down the hill was beautiful.
For me, The Sentinels (below) mark the mental division between Sequoia and just the National Forest. Once we go through, we will be out of the park, although the actual entrance is at the bottom of the hill.
So, on we went to Winters, CA and Jenn's home. The next chapter, Northern California to Oregon and the Ashland Shakespeare Festival will be next.
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| The Sentinels |
JiRaffe at 502 Santa Monica Blvd , Santa Monica, CA 90401 310/917-6671. A few days later the Facebook Samohi AlumniAssociation page announced that JiRaffe Head Chef/Owner Rafael Lunetta had been named Chef of the Year by the California Travel Association (CalTravel). If you're in the area be sure to give them a try.