What is very large, very thick and very old?

July 31st 2010

No don't say Rush Limbaugh, because he is not really very old. If you said the "General Sherman" tree in Sequoia National Park you would be right. In fact this 2500 year old tree probably contains enough lumber to rebuild the Atlanta it's namesake general destroyed during the civil war. Is this not ironic? The largest tree on the planet is named after a general who burned his way through the South on his march to the sea!

John Muir and George Stewart played an important role in preserving this beautiful part of the world. Stewart wrote this 10 years before the forests here were finally protected:

“The cutting down of one of these trees is nothing less than a sacrilege and should be prohibited by the most stringent of laws. This practice should be stopped before our forests are entirely denuded of redwoods…”Every lover of wild woodlands may cherish the hope that Congress will be induced to throw about our splendid forest at once the mantle of government protection.”

Sequoia became the nation's second national park when it was established on September 26, 1890, as a result of the same piece of legislation which created Yosemite and General Grant (now Kings Canyon) National Parks. It tripled in size one week after its founding, when the Giant Forest area was actually added to the park. In 1926 the park was again expanded toward the east to include the crest of the Sierra mountains, including Mount Whitney. The last section added was the Mineral King area in the southern portion of the park in 1978, culminating an effort to save the area from development as a ski resort.

We awake early this day and drive to the park entrance, just a short distance from our motel. after entering the park it is about a 30 minute drive straight uphill to reach the area named by John Muir as the "The Giant Forest". The giant Sequoia trees here cluster together in groves. In fact, all of the earth's sequoia trees are contained in just 75 groves which lay at an elevation between 5000 and 7000 feet in the Sierra. In this "Giant Forest"live four of the earth's 5 largest trees. (I have no idea if this is true or not but is sounds good and is noted in the park's brochure.)

If one avoids the "General Sherman" area where the tourists cluster, there are some beautiful hiking trails among the trees and meadows where you rarely encounter but a few other hikers. We chose a 5 mile hike that ended at General Sherman. We crossed paths with a family of four and a young Spanish couple with whom we talked about the recent World Cup and Spain's exciting victory and celebration.

Ever hear of the 80/20 rule that exists in the National Parks? When most people get out of their cars or bus at a point of interest, they will walk no more than 80 yards and take no more than 20 minutes and then get back in the car or bus. My observations ...this is true!

Before our hike in the woods, we stopped at Morro Rock, a smaller version of El Captain in Yosemite, and climbed the 400 steps to the top. Nothing too treacherous here, but you do better by avoiding the look down till you reach the summit. The view here is remarkable! check out Paula in the attached pic.

Before I leave Sequoia, here is an interesting tid-bit. Sequoias make for lousy building lumber. They splinter easily. So while much of the old growth forests with Douglas Firs, Redwoods and similar trees suffered the ravages of clear-cutting, the Sequoias were spared.

On the road Again..Oregon or Bust!

July 30^th 2010

On the road at last!

The last month in Arizona has been totally unbearable with temps regularly exceeding 108 degrees. Finally, we are off for six weeks in Ashland Oregon with a quick stop in Sequoia National Park.

This year the old Prius has been replaced by a newer, roomier, more powerful version, and with better mileage (52mpg) to boot. Son Jon is the recipient of the old 2008 version, and he will soon be off for Seattle returning to the Emerald City with the lovely, brilliant and lively Jessica at his side.

My trusty guide Sacajawea (AKA Miss Paula) occupies the seat to my right navigating thru the treacherous desert and mountains that lay in our path. In a time past she was my Magellan, artfully guiding my speedy Italian Alpha Romeo through the hills and villages of Tuscany, Umbria, Apulia etc. and that dangerous land, Sicily. It just seems more appropriate to call her Sacajawea on this trip.

BTW, speaking of the fine Shoshone woman, as I have discovered in my recent readings about her, she gets hardly any credit for all she did. Were it not for her skills and toughness, Lewis and Clark would have probably suffered the same fate as Amelia Earhart. What I find most amazing about Sacajawea was she was not quite sixteen when she joined L&C and carted around a newborn son on the entire journey. Sadly, she died at the age of 32. Until recently, she never really got the credit from historians she clearly deserved. Ever hear of the Lewis and Clark and Sacajawea Expedition? Well at least we put her on the dollar coin (which nobody ever uses) in 2000.

I have three letters to describe the first day of driving, YUCK…oops four letters. With few exceptions driving through SoCal is boring and you have to be constantly on your toes to dodge the trucks and crazy drivers on Interstate 5. The first seven hours or so that it takes to get to Bakersfield…boring! But once past this point it is beginning to get interesting. The stark contrast between acres of orange groves spaced between brown desert hills is remarkable. It is truly amazing how irrigation has transformed this part of California. Sure hope the water never runs out!

The last hour of the trip we climb out of the desert and see the looming peaks ahead. Our destination, Three Rivers sits at 3000 feet, not high enough to cool down much but it is just a few miles from the Sequoia NP entrance. We arrive at the Western Holiday Lodge, not exactly the Peninsula Hotel in LA but good enough and the price is right. Tomorrow a day in the park and the vacation begins…yea!

Before I close on this day, however, I would like to make one social comment. This part of California and the Central Valley is dominated by the Mexican American population. Many of the families here have lived here for generations. Most of them are here legally but many are not. I just wonder how many of those beautiful oranges that come from here and wind up tables across America are picked by these “illegals”. I also wonder who would pick these Oranges for meager wages so we can buy these Oranges, or lettuce or tomatoes etc. at reasonable prices? If you spend any time here you quickly come to realize that the issue of illegal immigration is far more complicated than the ideologues in Washington and on Fox News want you to believe. Put these people on a bus and send them back to Mexico and the repercussions to the local economy (and the business owned by legal U.S citizens) will be devastating. What will happen to the cost of produce? Unintended consequences? Will we decide to import more from South America to compensate? Whatever, we need Washington to stop arguing and come up with some practical solutions!

Arches by Sunset Sunday May 30, 2010

We returned to Arches just before sunset. Late in the day, as the sun drops low on the horizon, the park takes on an entirely different persona. In bright daylight all the massive rocks and arches take on a harsh, massive, quality. Arches in the mid-day sun reflects impending danger. One gets the impression that Mother Nature is telling us mere humans we are insignificant. She is in charge! She lets us know in no uncertain terms she built Arches to stand for millions of years largely unchanged. Arches will stand long after man has departed. Enter this place at your own risk.

But when the sun begins to drop in the sky, the landscape takes on a soft, serene, look. The colors of Arches become a patina of soft reds, oranges, yellows and purples. Look into the distance and you see a multitude of shades depending upon the way the light hits the rocks. Look farther and you can see the La Sal Mountains covered with snow. They light up in the “alpenglow” as the dying rays of the day strike their peaks. Arches at sunset is peaceful and welcoming, the hordes of cars and people are gone. Only a few die- hards like us remain to enjoy the beauty.

Tomorrow we return to Scottsdale and our adventure comes to a close. A perfect ending to a perfect trip. Thank you Mother Nature, thank you National Parks Service, thank you John Muir and Ansel Adams for turning me on to the beauty of the American West and a special thank you to Teddy Roosevelt for having the foresight and the balls to save and protect so much beauty for so many generations.

To Qute John Muir: Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.

Of course I will return..again and again.

Welcome all Visitors to Our National Parks. No it’s not Disneyland, but almost! May 30th 2010

Hey, I am happy that lots of foreigners like to come to the USA and visit our National Parks. In fact, when the opportunity arises, we should always thank them in person. It’s a nice thing to do and will make all feel like good neighbors.

BUT somehow with all the buses and all the people piling into a space and place that can hardly accommodate the hordes who come, the natural beauty of the surroundings is lost. And oftentimes foreign visitors not familiar with the fragility of the desert wander off trail and do inadvertent damage to plants that takes years to restore.

Take our day here at Arches NP, had we not taken the “primitive trail” to the back side of the Windows Arches Area, we would have been deluged by literally hundreds of visitors, mostly Japanese. By taking the road less travelled, climbing over a modest rock formation, we found a pristine area with only a handful of adventurous hikers. The unspoiled views here stretched for miles.

Here is my advice. If you want to visit the National Parks during a busy time, find the more difficult and more remote hikes or trails. You will be greatly rewarded for your efforts and enjoy nature as it was meant to be enjoyed in a peaceful , quiet setting.

Geology in Slow Motion: Arches National Park May 30, 2010

I want to make a request here. If there are any geologists among the masses of those who read this blog, please drop me a note to let me know if my facts are sound. If my narrative is correct, tell me how much it warms your heart to have me enlighten my readers about a subject that is near and dear to you.

Ever wonder how those huge balancing rocks appear on top of other rocks? Check out the picture of “balancing rock" in Arches National Park. No, this rock was not placed there by some divine force, or the Parks Service, or Steven Speilberg as a prop for his latest adventure movie. As it was explained to me by a friendly park ranger, “its geology in slow motion” .

In simple terms, water is absorbed faster by the rocks above which is more porous than the layer below. This part of southern Utah has of lots of rock strata that was formed over millions of years. The upper strata are not as dense as the compressed lower strata. When it rains the water goes through the upper strata and stops and pools when it hits the dense lower strata. When this happens erosion occurs between the layers. Once the water cuts a slight ridge between the layers, more rain and the winds begin to slowly do their work. Repeat this over a few million years and you wind up having a symmetrical and ever deepening space between the layers. Thus, one rock appears to be balancing on the other. As the ranger said, we see the results of" geology in slow motion".

Arches is all about erosion. There are over 2000 arches in this rather small piece of real estate. Arches is also about light and the amazing colors that are seen depending upon the way the light hits the rocks. For those of you who care, Steven Speilberg used Arches as a backdrop for his opening scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Check out Harrison Ford running for his life in front of the two giant arches.

Canyonlands National Park May 29th 2010

Canyonlands National Park was not designated as such till 1964 and is not nearly as well known nor as visited as the neighboring Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce. This was my first visit to this park and I must say I am very impressed. In fact, I cant wait to come back to explore its vast wilderness areas.

Canyonlands is much larger then Zion and Bryce and offers some amazing viewing points from the road or in designated viewing areas. From high above you get a real picture of how the Colorado and Green Rivers have carved and continue to carve the steep canyons that rise above their water’s edge. I had previously travelled through Canyonlands on a raft for a few days but never could get this sense of magnitude from the river below. The rivers literally snake their way for miles, sometimes taking a near 180 degree turn before heading back in the direction of their confluence just above Lake Powell.

Put this on my bucket list: explore the more remote areas of Canyolands and camp out for a night under a starlit night.!!

Bryce Canyon May 28th 2010

I want to add an editorial comment here. Why is it that so many of the National Parks in the Southwest are named after a white settler and almost none after the tribes who populated the area for hundreds of years before Columbus ever left Spain for the New World? Seems a bit unfair don’t you think?

Each of the National Parks we visit on this trip is different. Bryce is the most compact and the canyon rim is at the highest elevation, reaching over 9,000 feet at its pinnacle. The pictures attached speak to the beauty of the place. Bryce is very unique for its “hoodoos”, sandstone structures aligned in rows that look like the famous Chinese Terracotta Soldiers.

Bryce is small enough that one can experience its beauty within a few hours. The hike from the rim to the floor of the canyon drops steeply but if you are in reasonable shape you can do a good round trip up and back within three hours or so. And because of the elevation, Bryce is the coolest of the parks. In fact the day before we arrived the temps were as low as the twenties and it snowed!

No trip to Bryce would be complete without a stop at Ruby’s . Ruby’s is just outside the entrance to the park and has lodgings from tents up to reasonably fancy hotel rooms. The place has been open for more than 70 years. The restaurant is fun, decorated with all sorts of memorabilia from times gone by and the food is pretty good, especially the pie with ice cream.