Sequoias

On Friday, June 21st (the day after the reunion ended), we were able to drive up to Sequoia National Forest. The drive there is about 3.5 hrs. from our house.  Cheryl drove with us and we met Jared (on his way to Lancaster after moving from Coeur d'Alene) at the mouth of the canyon before heading up the mountain to meet up with Kyle, Emily, and Milo.  The area is so beautiful, but the windy road is a bear!!!  The Stotts have a huge problem with motion sickness, so that was a big concern as we rounded all of those curves.  Unfortunately, the windy road took about an hour to negotiate, but thanks to Dramamine, everyone kept their lunch.

The Redwood forest was amazing! Here are a couple of pictures taken on the way up (from inside the car).

After we met up with Kyle, Emily, and Milo at their campground, we went to another area and saw many other giant redwoods. 

 Alan & I at the base of a fallen, hollowed out giant redwood.

Kyle gazing up in awe of the size of the redwoods.

Look at the roots of that fallen tree!

Cheryl at the base of a tree.  It is much bigger than what is pictured here.

Kyle enjoying the view.

Kyle & Jared at the same tree.

We saw this bear close to the campground where the Crandall's were staying.  Kyle & Emily told us that a bear had come into their campground the day prior to our arrival.  Pretty scary situation for the whole family.

The Crandall's invited us to stay for dinner. It was an excellent Dutch Oven meal with sausage and potatoes.  We enjoyed the food and the company.  Since I hadn't seen Milo since he was about 3 weeks old, I , of course, had to maximize my time with him as much as possible. (Both grandma's pictured here)

Enjoying the campfire!

The trip down the canyon seemed worse than the one going up as far as motion sickness is concerned.  Although Kyle was driving, he still had to pull over to upchuck.  We felt so bad for him that he had to get back into the car and still drive for about another 20 min. before the nightmare was over.  Next time I think he will take the Dramamine a little earlier before hitting the windy roads.

Although we live only 3.5 hrs. away from these majestic redwoods, sadly we had never taken the opportunity to visit them until now. I am very glad that we had that opportunity and that I was able to share this experience with other family members. Memories and experiences are two things we can take with us when we die. Although my heart longs to live closer to all of my children and grandchildren in order to perpetuate more family memories, I realize I can't change where my children live. However, I can try to find ways to spend quality time with them when possible.

I am thankful for the beauties of the world in which we live. Yes, there is much wickedness among some of the earth's inhabitants which can make the world seem like and ugly place, but the earth itself is still a beautiful place to live.  We read in Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." If God created it, it must be perfect and good.  In Moses 6:63 we read: "Things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath; all things bear record of me." These scriptures are a reminder to me of what a great blessing it is to live on the earth. Heavenly Father has blessed us with so much beauty. We just need to open our eyes to see it and appreciate it. One thing I like about California is the diversity of its landscape. California has mountains, oceans, rivers, lakes, meadows, and yes, even desert (where I live). I have each of these landscapes within a couple of hours of my home and love it when I have the opportunity to enjoy all the nature surrounding me. This is truly a great gift from my Father.

On a side note:

A funny thing happened after we exited the canyon and checked into our hotel.  We had to order a roll-away bed for Jared.  Unfortunately, he was a little too big or too heavy for it and it collapsed on him.  Alan had to prop a suitcase under it for support so Jared could get some sleep.