Welcome Back! Our goal for the week was to head to a campground in Fresno, CA to celebrate the Easter weekend. When we arrived at our campground, we found our site was at the entrance to the park and on a strip of the road, approximately 6″ of grass, and the neighboring area was surrounded by razor wire. Not exactly ideal for celebrating Easter, as we really wanted the kids to have an area to do an Easter egg hunt. We talked to the staff and they agreed to refund us our money and we decided to try and check out Sierra National Forest, as all other campgrounds were booked for the holiday weekend.

It’s funny, we always comment on how everything happens for a reason. This campground situation worked out for the very best. We were so stressed in not having a spot for the holiday and yet there were no spots to be had. It ends up we found the most ideal place anyone could possibly have to celebrate the Easter weekend. We drove and drove until we found a spot where we could park our camper on public land far enough from the road. By the time we found our spot, it was so dark we couldn’t really tell what it was like. The only thing we truly knew was that cows were hanging out there and we had to MOOOOO-VE them on out in order to park. They were not pleased. Since we were not planning on boondocking, Daniel had to run to get water for our camper after setting up camp. He said that he found the cows mosy-ing down the road in a single file line searching for a new spot to inhabit along the endless land of grasses (trust me they weren’t void of land to graze on). By the time he returned with water, the kids were asleep and we were able to enjoy the endless array of stars, more brilliant than anyone could possibly imagine in such a light void place.

We fell asleep to the sound of crickets and awoke to literally the MOST breathtaking view… I’ll just let you judge that for yourself.

Every inch of surface seemed to be covered in wildflowers and we were intoxicated by the scent. Lavender mixed with a citrus zing…WOW! We truly could not have requested a better spot to sit and enjoy the beauty God has created.

As we toured the rest of the national forest on Saturday, we were stunned with equally gorgeous views. In addition, my husband ran into a couple of older men who exclaimed that we arrived at the ideal time. In about a month from our visit, which would be May, the entire area would be brown from lack of rain and covered in rattle snakes. Thank the Lord we visited when we did. Specifically because we have rarely viewed such magical beauty in nature.

Prior to realizing our Fresno campsite was a dud, we had booked a day at the Fresno zoo for Easter Sunday. Instead of canceling we ended up making our way there, despite the curvy mountain roads. We currently have a reciprocal zoo membership that allows us to go to zoos across the United States at a discounted price. Usually for adults it’s an average of $7-12 a person, this price depending on the size of the zoo. Larger zoos usually charging more than smaller zoos. This pass has allowed us to visit several zoos already upon our journey, but up until this point, my husband has not yet been able to join our adventures. This time he was finally able to join our zoo trip and BOY did we have a blast! BUT FIRST- Let’s open to Easter morning.

Our Easter morning was unlike any other we have yet to have. The boys awoke, F immediately asking about the Easter bunny. The bunny had hidden the kiddos easter baskets in the wild flower grasses. The boys clearly enjoyed finding them. Afterwards, we held an Easter egg hunt, of course hidden at different difficulties for both boys. Alas, we talked about why we were celebrating Easter day and the excitement of Jesus rising from the dead. The kids were so excited as we packed up the truck to head to the zoo, thrilled to be able to see all of God’s creations.

Fresno zoo was on the smaller side, but it was well-maintained and honestly a beautiful experience. One of their dining zones was all open air with a roof for shade, but overlooked the African animals as they “freely” roamed in their sequestered area. It was tranquil seating for lunch after all our walking and being able to see the animals hang out in their habitat. The boys LOVED feeding the giraffes lettuce and those long tongues were unforgettable. We really enjoyed the dinosaur experience too. Unfortunately, it was an additional fee just like the giraffe feeding. However, it was worth it to watch the boys getting sprayed by a seemingly live dinosaur. The dinosaurs moved and made noises, which caused L to scream at the end and run “ROAR-ing” out of the exhibit. It was quite a fun experience and definitely a beautiful way to spend an Easter Sunday afternoon.

After returning to our camper, we had to pack up and head out to our next campground… BUT first we just HAD to bask in the beauty of our private little oasis for awhile longer…. even Chester and Birch joined in– as they could run free without fear. It truly was paradise and this place will no doubt infiltrate my dreams.

Our next destination Sequoia RV Park. Now, Sequoia National Park is located right next to another national park that many people aren’t aware of, King’s Canyon National Park. We were right on the edge of King’s Canyon, which allowed us to easily access both parks for the week. While our campground wasn’t always the most well kept, the grass remained tall and unmowed for many days of our visit. We truly enjoyed our stay and our many many hikes among the beautiful trees and mountains. The boot couldn’t begin to hold us back.

Our first hike was Grant Grove, named after General Grant. This is located in Kings Canyon NP. The most amazing highlight of this hike was a giant sequoia that was hollowed and layed on it’s side. It was so large that at my 5’7″ height, I just barely stooped walking through the entirety of the tree- end to end. It was incredible thinking how we were walking through something that was nearly 3,000 years old. The tales this tree has seen!

The typical reason many come to the grove is to see the General Grant tree which is 3,000 years in age and second in size to the largest tree on Earth. Second of course, to the the General Sherman tree we saw earlier in the Sequoia National Park (seen in earlier post for more details). We enjoyed seeing a cabin that has a great history built by pioneers of the land and later used by the calvary as quarters until it became part of the national park.

We learned while checking out the General Grant tree that it had been hit by the forest fires that devastated the region, yet because of it’s many layers and depth, it and many other of the “giants” were able to survive the blaze and continue on growing. We were so blessed to be able to see them and are so thankful that these amazing trees are still here today. L didn’t really share in our enthusiasm, unfortunately. He preferred to throw himself down on the middle of the trail multiple times throughout our hike, much to the sympathy and giggles of many onlookers. As you can see from the photos, he looks up to make sure everyone is watching then lays his head down… Oh, the drama!

Wildfires devastated the region last year, initially starting by lightening, it ended up burning over 20 of the old sequoia tree groves. Suprisingly, we did not end up seeing much damage along our route. Here is a few photos of the damage we did see. Viewing this allowed us to have a good conversation about how naturally wildfires are good for the forest. However, fires that don’t begin naturally are another story. Irresponsibility in nature was a huge topic of our adventures as we also ended up coming across massive amounts of litter in the parks. At one point, we went to a closed campground area to let the kids roam and play. F kept walking over trash and collectively we were so upset at how much clung to bushes, sat under rocks, and caught up in tree limbs. It is my assumption, that with the parks reducing staffing during the pandemic, there are just not enough staff to come and help clean up after these irresponsible people. Used toilet paper littered the ground, tampons, and wrappers lay about as if this were a public toilet. Obviously, people were backpacking throught the area and using our specific area as a latrine. It was horrifying. How hard is it to bring out the trash you bring in? I challenged F to help clean up some of the forest area (not the bathroom site) and do something good for our forests. Here he is, my shining 4 year old, who has the ability to pick up trash– just like the people who left it. Please, if you are reading this, don’t be that person.

Pack it in, pack it out. If you see trash, pick it up. It doesn’t matter if it’s yours. Be the better person and help this planet, little by little become a better, cleaner place.

Right between King’s Canyon and Sequoia was this wonderland of a view. It seemed like the more we looked the more layers and depth came into view. Just simply…. breathtaking.

Just at the entrance to King’s Canyon we explored what is referred to as Big Stump trail. Many of the older sequoias that had been cut down lined the trail and it was the perfect “stomping ground” for the kiddos. We had a blast chasing each other through the woods. F has an ongoing obsession with Mario and we used this trail as a game of “Mario Stomp”. A game we invented where Mama was Bowser throwing fire balls and daddy and F were Luigi and Mario. At one point, I turned into Mario CAT and meowed from atop a stump, which daddy happened to catch on camera. Truly a sight.

Our last sight and main highlight is the Hume lake. We drove deep into King’s Canyon NP and on the perimeter sits this stunning sight. A church camp sits on the property and I can just imagine all these young kids praising God in this place of peace. It truly is an amazing sight and our absolute favorite part of this week’s adventure.

Onward to Big Sur and San Francisco! Thanks again for following!