After leaving Joshua Tree we headed to Sequoia for 3 days. It was beautiful & I think it ended up being our family's favorite. But first let me back up a bit...
As we were driving down the freeway on our way there, between the music playing & the kids talking, & the a/c blasting, Tyler & I both thought we heard something but then dismissed it. A few minutes later we had a car flagging us down pointing at our tire. We had a total blowout on one of the trailer tires & Tyler managed to change it on a precarious edge of the freeway. After a 3-hour detour finding a tire place & getting a new tire we were back on the road again, way behind schedule. Just as we pulled up to the entrance of the park, a Park Ranger informed us we couldn't enter on that side of the park with a trailer because the switchbacks were too narrow. So, we had to go back down the way we came & go to the other side of the park. It was another 2+ hour detour & we decided to take a road that looked like it would be a little shorter of a route (even though the Park Ranger had suggested a different one). It started out great, & we couldn't figure out why we were the only ones on this incredibly beautiful road. After about 30 minutes we realized why - it was a never-ending winding road that actually wasn't a short cut at all. By the time we finally reached our campsite, it was pitch black, I felt like I was going to throw up, & the kids were bouncing off the walls. I think that was the first time I was genuinely concerned about what I had gotten myself into.
But, we survived the night & somehow the sun always brings renewed hope with it. And in the light of day, we realized just how beautiful the park was - it was incredible!
Our first stop was the Sherman Tree Trail (the world's largest tree) & it was such a great family hike. The trees in Sequoia are so unbelievably huge!
Then we hiked to the top of Moro Rock. It was a hike up a lot of stairs with an awesome outlook at the top. The kids both hiked it completely by themselves & we were so proud of them.
Hooray for bus systems with a/c!
Look how huge that pinecone is!
The next day we hiked to Thorp's Log in Crescent Meadow. We saw some deer & a yellow-bellied marmot & the meadows in Sequoia were so beautiful! It was such a family friendly park with a little creek the kids could play in right by our campsite & the weather was perfect.
Thorp's Log - years ago a man built his hunting cabin in the trunk of a fallen tree.
I think Sequoia may have been the favorite National Park for our family - we had such a great time here & there was so much to do. And those trees - there's nothing else like them! After 3 nights in Sequoia we left for our next stop in Yosemite. As we were pulling out of the campground and reached the top of a hill, all of a sudden we heard a terrible sound & turned around to see our camper coming off the truck hitch & sliding down the hill. It was headed straight for a van that was parked at the bottom of the hill that had people sleeping inside. I can't even describe the sickening feeling as I watched it all happen & I started praying out loud (which is when you know things are serious!) that it wouldn't hit the van. Miraculously it slowed & came to a stop about 6 feet away from the van without hitting anything. We were so fortunate.
Here's what the tailgate looked like after it happened.
And then here's our camper at the bottom of the hill. Tyler just stood there in shock staring at it, not even knowing where to begin. It took me about 5 minutes before I could even work up the courage to get out of the truck & face the situation. Thankfully RV'rs are some of the kindest people on the earth & in a few minutes we had a group gathered around helping us problem solve the situation. There was the cutest older man who was patting Tyler's back & saying, "It's okay. It's going to be okay." Meanwhile the people in the van we almost crashed into came out & surprisingly hadn't heard a thing. They looked out their window & thought they had gotten neighbors so came out to say "hello". As all of the possibilities of what could have happened were rolling through my head & I was fighting back the tears, these older men were so kind & reassuring. They kept saying, "Everything is going to be okay. You're going to look back on this someday & have a great story to tell. Everyone is okay, & that's what really matters." I've never seen angels who looked like unkempt men in flannels & crocs, who smelled like campfire until that day. And I couldn't have been more grateful for those beautiful faces & the kindness they showed us. They helped us get the trailer back on & wished us well as we sheepishly drove away, continually looking over our shoulder to make sure the trailer was in fact, attached. When we got back in the truck the kids were totally unphased by the whole fiasco. In a tone of impatience & irritation Ruby said, "Dad, can you finally help me find a spot to put all my stuffed animals in?!" Ummm, wow. Those kids live a charmed life. I promptly burst into tears & once again wondered, "What on earth am I doing here??" Then we were off to Yosemite or bust! Which suddenly seemed like a very real possibility...
