The Great Road Trip:  California and Oregon 

Days 9 and 10

	Day 9, September 1, 2007
Start mileage:  2510, Sacramento, CA End mileage:  2831, King's Canyon National Park, CA Day 9's trip was a race against time.  It was the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, and we were hoping to spend the night in Sequoia/King's Canyon National Park.  Most of the campsites there are first-come, first-serve, so we hoped we could get one if we got there early enough.   As it happened, we got in around noon, and there were still a bunch of tent sites left at the Morain campground.  We picked a nice spot, pretty close to the river.  The most difficult thing about this campsite was that we had to remove all of the food and scented items from our bags and the car and put them in a bear locker.  You wouldn't think of things like first-aid kits or tissues, but they all had to go in- even our cooler!  So, we pretty much ended up unpacking most of the car to keep the bears out.   That night we built a fire and made smores.  It was so dark at night that you could see tons and tons of stars- many more than the 6 or 7 we can usually see in LA!		Day 9 Map View Larger Map
	King's Canyon
Blinded by the light		King's Canyon
	River running through the canyon	That tan strip going horizontal is the road
		There's a rock formation there that looks like an owl
	This was the view from 15 feet behind our tent- luckily neither of us sleepwalked that night
	We hung out in the water for a while
	Day 10, September 2, 2007
Start mileage:  2831, Kings Canyon National Park, CA End Mileage:  3158, Manhattan Beach, CA Our final day on the trip!  We got up and enjoyed the campsite and the scenery a bit before packing up.  Then we got on the road.  Driving in and out of King's Canyon is tricky because the size of the mountains and the road curves.  You get vertigo pretty easily, but it's hard to take your eyes away from the views.   At mile 2861 we got to the General Grant Tree- it's the widest tree in the world.  The burn marks on the back are probably more than 100 years old (according to the Ranger).  We didn't realize they took so long to heal.   At mile 2896 we got to the General Sherman Tree- it's not as wide as General Grant, but by volume, it's the largest living organism in the world.   It adds enough wood growing each year to create a large tree by normal standards.   We took the 198 out of Sequoia, but the road was under so much construction and so windy that if we go there again, I'd take the northern 180 route.   At mile 3158, we got back into the South Bay.  I don't know if we've ever fallen asleep so quickly!		Day 10 Map View Larger Map
Bear locker
	General Grant- the widest tree in the world	General Grant
General Grant	General Grant	General Grant
	General Sherman- the biggest living organism (by volume), in the world	General Sherman top
General Sherman
This is a branch that fell off of General Sherman