In the Foothills of Sierra Nevada

Currently In:  Hollister, CA
Headed to Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Redding,CA on our way to Oregon and Washington


So one post here just to wrap up our time near Sequoia National Park (by the way, the second oldest National Park in the country).
We did take another hike in the Park along Paradise Creek .  Awesome waterfalls as the snow continues to melt on the mountains.

We also did a little off trail hiking.

The wildflowers were out and gorgeous.

Bush Lupine

Bush Poppy

Manzanita tree

??? but we loved it

Another shout out to the National Park Service.  The day we took this hike, they were having Junior Ranger Day.  Get those kids off video games!

And I found a cool photo at the visitor center of the entrance sign.  We missed seeing the real one since it is down for maintenance.

Johnny and I had a lot of fun in the town of Three Rivers.  We actually went to their historical museum.  
Lots of folks know that my favorite restaurant in Minocqua, WI is Paul Bunyon's.  Many a picture taken of Paul and Blue at that place.  I found another Paul Bunyon in Three Rivers! This one was carved out of a single sequoia in the 40's.

 

I also saw this cool tree stump that was part of the creation of the Mineral King Road that used to lead to the mines.  The 1882 survey of the road was carved on a tree (versus laid out on the land itself) due to the numbers of twists and curves.  Each surveyor also carved his name as a witness to the the difficulty of the job.

We also visited Reimer's Candies.  While the candy store has been around for 60 years, the building dates back to 1900.  Workers who built the Mineral King Road used to stay here.

Time for a night out!  Riverview Restaurant has live music each weekend.  Last Saturday we enjoyed the sounds of Triple Play- country and classic rock.

When the dancing started, it got a little wild.  A very eclectic group of locals and tourists.  Sexy blonde, 75 year old farmer, bare foot boy, head bobber, one lady with actual rhythm and a man with an oxygen tank were just some of the folks who graced the dance floor.  They tried line dancing, but gave up - couldn't do it together.

Wait, whose out there with them?

Just 2 other random photos that I really liked.  First, there is a beautiful lake several miles from our campground that fills with snow run off - Lake Kaweah.  By Fall, it has dried up and is practically empty.  But while we were there, just perfect.

Last of all, this photo was taken at our campground just steps from our RV.  So pretty.