Sequoia!

I’m nestled all snug in my little RV/van! Snug being the operative word there! This RV is great, but it’s not spacious! The small van was great to drive, easy to back up and maneuver in tight spaces, however it’s a bit lacking in storage and living space.

The majority of the day was spent driving from Oakland to Sequoia NP! I didn’t get much sleep last night so today was rough, but I made it!

After going over all the finer details of my home on wheels I took off!  Took me about 30 minutes of driving in circles around Oakland before I got on the correct highway (there are at  least 5,000 highways in the Bay Area all with “80” somewhere in them – 888, 580, 380) heading in the correct direction.  When I first found 580 – the highway I wanted, I headed east.  I was after all going to the mountains, the mountains are east.  I was quite confused by the fact that the sign said “580 East Oakland” but I have no sense of geography for the Bay Area so maybe I still hadn’t gotten to Oakland, even though I was pretty sure I was done with Oakland.  A few seconds later I had my dopeslap moment….I’m on the West Coast….the mountains are EAST, the OCEAN is west!!!!!!  AGGHHH!!!!!! So, I had to figure out where to get off and turn around! (Andy, I know you are laughing at me, stop it!)

I stopped in Modesto to have lunch at In and Out Burger.  Everyone talks about how great that place is and I’d never been.  I don’t see the appeal.  Five Guys is WAY better!  I didn’t even eat the fries – they had no flavor! After lunch I hit the Save Mart for supplies then continued down Highway 99.

Highway 99 is rather forgettable.  It goes through the dry, flat, unattractive valley and there are tons of trucks.  It was double hard because I was so sleepy, but finally I made it to Fresno!

To get to Sequoia from Oakland you go to Fresno and turn left on 180.   Once I turned on 180 I drove out of town very quickly.  I knew I’d wanted to get gas before I got to far into the mountains so I asked Google Maps where I could find some.  I found a small town about a mile or so off course with both a gas station and a Subway so I could bring my dinner in.  Only problem was the road into the town was closed! agh!  I found a detour and bounced my way down a few backroads through farms and followed the handwritten “gas and food open” signs to a veritable metropolis out there in the nothingingness.  I pulled into the 1st gas station – it was cash or debit only.  I used my debit card, which was rejected. I’d had an issue with Bank of America earlier with the credit card and trying to charge (they thought it was fraud because I was so far from home), but I thought I’d worked it out.  So I had to go to another gas station – they took my other Bank of America Visa without a problem…hmmmm.  After picking up my sandwich, I decided that I should probably call the bank and make sure things are straightened out.  After 30 minutes, most of it on hold, thank goodness AT&T lets me surf the internet while I talk, I have been assured that all is well and functioning.  Here’s hoping.

After my gas stop the real fun began! The mountains!  They start out as little hills rising gradually up from the valley and they are all brown with little pockets of green, but mostly brown.  It’s very dry and hot.  At about 4000 feet (the road had a marker every time we gained 1000 ft of elevation) the ridges were capped with trees, and by 5000 ft there were evergreen (Sequoia?) trees all around – some were HUGE!  After checking in at the entrance station and discovering that I had enough cell signal to check in on Foursquare, I made my way through the park to our campground.   The scenery was great, but I was so tired I just wanted to be there and it was taking a very long time. 

Finally I pulled in and was surprised to see a mama bear and her two cubs right along the road!  The ranger says they are here a lot!  Each campsite has a bear box to keep the food in – even the cars aren’t safe (although apparently motorhomes are – go figure – if I post this I did not get eaten by a bear! :-)

Mom and Dad got here mid-afternoon so I walked over to their site to eat my dinner and catch up with them. 

My site here is less than scenic – it’s basically a parking spot! There’s another car parked right next to me even! But it’s all good! I have a view of another families campfire and the air is crisp and chilly, what more do I want?  I can hardly keep my eyes open and it’s getting cold in here – I need to get in my sleeping bag and get some sleep!  Tomorrow we are off to explore the park!

2011-07-11