Babes in the BIG Woods

    Sequoias are BIG trees. You can appreciate how big they are by hugging one. They say that a mouse looking up at a six foot human would be like us looking up at General Sherman, one of the most famous of the Sequoias. 

    We drove up into the Giant Forest to see them. There were more switch-backs, of course, dozens of 10 mph hairpin turns over the course of a couple of hours of driving, and one section of very arduous road where we had to wait and then follow a pilot car past miles of road workers and their machinery, but Deborah's inner ear held up, and it was worth the drive. 

    We came home with 58 photos (you can tell how scenic an adventure you've had by how many photos there are to download and edit at the end of the day), so this time I've chosen 18 of the best for my album. 

    And there are lovely flowers everywhere, even in January. Back in the flatland, we drove past many homes with "pencil pines" - there are many varieties, and they seem to be very popular here. The climate is quite Mediterranean, and one kind is called Mediterranean Cypress, which might explain that. 

    By nightfall we'd arrived at the home of Danny, Mary and Andrew, and their three dogs Lucy, Ash and Sparky. Danny is Deb's cousin. They live in Clovis, just outside of Fresno. We'll be here for three nights. 

    Next Post: Yosemite