Red Rock Canyon and Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park

By: Lars R.

Even though it was sad to leave Moab it was also very refreshing to be somewhere new.  Next, we got to Nevada and had to cross Las Vegas! It was crazy there! It was a cool experience though because I got to briefly visit a Casino for the first time! As we left the rambunctious Las Vegas, we got to our campground only 2.7 miles away.  We were absolutely blown away by how much humbler the campground was from Moab and Las Vegas. During the afternoon we went on a hike called Calico Hills 2 in Red Rock Canyon.  On that hike we scrambled around on red and orange rocks and walked along the sandy and rocky wash. That night at the campground was so humble and beautiful with the full moon and me and my family singing along to Ilsa playing Wagon Wheel on her guitar.

The next couple of days were spent getting to a National Park called Sequoia National Park. Sequoias is a very unique park because of its trees high up in a specific elevation in the Sierra Mountains. The 4 largest trees out of 5 are in Sequoia National Park. The biggest tree in the world is named the General Sherman. Here are some other facts I learned at the National Park:

Ø  The weight of 10 Grey Whales is about the same weight of just the trunk of a Sequoia.

Ø  A Sequoia can take up 3 lanes on a road.

Ø  Fires can actually help Sequoias because they burn off fungus and insects on the tree.

Ø  Fires also open up the pine cones releasing the seeds to grow more colossal Sequoias.

General Sherman Tree - largest tree in the world

Red Rock Canyon

By: Ilsa R.

The campsite we had in Red Rock Canyon was one of my favorites.  It had a really nice campfire with benches, and a canopy that blocked the sun during our stay.  The campground is closed during the months of June, July and August due to how hot it gets in Las Vegas during the summer.  We went on some exciting hikes with beautiful flowers that were so unique. 

The road to get to Sequoia National Park was pretty windy and we decided to go through some beautiful cow pastures.  Perhaps that was a mistake, as the truck and the Scamp both got covered in cow manure!  I saw the most green that I had ever seen in my entire life that day!  Sequoia National Park was cold because we were high up in the mountains. That’s the only place that Sequoias can grow successfully.  I learned the difference between a Sequoia and a Redwood tree.  A Redwood tree can be taller and skinnier than a Sequoia, but the Sequoia is known to have a thicker trunk.

Ray and Julie opt for the backroads - rolling cow pastures in California

Road Trip misadventures - backroads lead to car manure deluge followed
by Ilsa reacting to the windy roads with a deluge of her own in the backseat