Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park

California is so diverse....Yesterday we were in the high desert at 4000+ feet with little that is green but still very beautiful....Today we are due west but over the Sierra Nevada Mountain range where all of the rain falls. Everything here is green and lush with crops growing everywhere. Oranges, nuts, olives, peaches, cherries and lots of grapes. Mostly raisin grapes I think..Envision driving through a grove of orange trees in blossom...The smell is a sweetness you can't describe until you have been there. We stayed at an Elks Club in Visalia a town filled with the most colorful blooming plants. From here we rode the motorcycle to Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks. We left sea level at 90 degrees and were traveling in the park with snow banks all around us. We can tell you about the big trees.We can show you pictures but all of this does not tell the story. They are magnificant! It takes 25 people holding hands to surround the base of the General Grant tree. These trees can be 3000 years old, 40' at the base, 275' tall and still growing. It was hard to keep the bike on the road when you see them...You see a stand of huge pines and in the middle you see a reddish velvety monster trunk dwarfing everything. In the park we got to take a couple short hikes to view the back country. We were lucky that we were early as there were not many people in the parks. We took a back road home as short cut. Little did we know that it would be 31 miles of hair pin turns! What fun on a bike...scraped the pegs many times. The Tail of the Dragon in NC has nothing on Rt CA 245!

"Slab City", Niland,Ca

Have you ever seen the movie"Into the Wild"? There is a scene that takes place in a remote desert spot where RV'ers and others hang out. Having spent time at Quartzsite and in organized campgrounds this place just attracted my attention. Onto the web I went to see if it was real...It is more than real! "The last place that is free." An ex Marine base that was active from 1942-1948. Later abandoned ergo "The Slabs". All that is left are the slabs that were the foundations for the administrative infrastructure as the Marines all stayed in tents. The community started arriving in the mid-60's. Not one that everyone would want to be a part of, but one that everyone could be a part of. For more of the history go to www.slabcity.org. It is said that one trip to Slab City and you are addicted. We arrived mid day and drove around looking for a spot to park for the night. The area encompasses in ranch terms a section, 640 acres or 1 mile by 1 mile so you can spend a while hunting if you want. We found a spot that looked ok and stopped. We then went walking around to scope the place out. The Traveling Pals club, a club for single people, The Oasis Club, an place for eating and drinking...and a small library were nearby. These were spots for people to gather to socialize. Alaskan Linda had volunteered to put on a lasagna dinner for the next night. We were soon asked to join a campfire ring by Professor Mike, who rode around on a powered beer cooler. Soon several others joined in..Darcy brought over Cheryls chocolate chip cookies...You would have thought they had died and gone to heaven. Cooking was probably not high on their priorities. Probably beer was number 1.
We saw people from all walks of life from prosperous millionaires to happy go lucky paupers camping side by side. They will mingle for the season and then go on their separate ways. We talked with people in their 80's to people in their teens. It is truly an anthropological experience. There is a current documentary on the fine arts circuit called "Below Sea Level" See it if you can.. Will we return? Sure hope so..