Julia 1st Camping trip - Day 2

Saturday morning we awoke around 6:30 am to the sound of birds squawking and the squirrels chattering. Julia slept better than I did. I could never get very comfortable. It was better the next night when I moved closer to Julia onto more level ground and felt less of the hard ground. Or maybe I was just more tired!

Starting the day before breakfast we took a quick hike above the campsite. Lots of rocks to climb and fallen trees to walk on plus the sight of many trees. Julia took this picture of me. A trail about 150 feet above our site is used by backpackers and day hikers going from the Lodgepole campground to some back country lakes.

For breakfast we enjoyed sausage, chocolate chip pancakes, and a banana. We had maple syrup and whipping cream for the pancakes. Mmmmm.

After cleaning up, we went to the Park Visitor's Center at the entrance to the campground. We walked around the exhibits, watched a film on the impact of controlled fires on the rejuvenation of the forest, and watched a film about the park bears. While there we asked the Ranger about the Junior Ranger program. Kids are given a booklet with items to complete depending on their age level. Julia fell in the 5-8 age group and took a book to work on. I bought tickets to Crystal Cave deciding that 3 p.m. in the afternoon would give us a chance to see Giant Forest the remainder of the morning and then return to Lodgepole for lunch. One note: Crystal Cave was #1 on Julia's list of things to do. I mentioned moving back our tour to Sunday and she did not like that idea at all. She learned about caves in school and the formations. She was really excited about seeing the pretty stalagmites and stalactites. More on Crystal Cave later…

After visiting the Visitor Center and store, we traveled to Giant Forest and found a new parking lot compared to my previous visits. The parking lot was about a 1/2 mile hike from the main attraction: the General Sherman Tree. See wttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Sherman_tree. This tree is largest by volume in the world and is quite a sight. We listened to the Park Ranger speak about its history. The pictures of the trees do not show how magnificent they are--such height and trunk diameter. There were people from all around the world and USA there. We did a short hike around, but then returned to the parking area for a bathroom visit, then returned to Lodgepole.

For lunch we had chicken salad sandwiches and fruit. Julia began working on her Jr Ranger workbook answering questions about the wildlife and the park. During lunch, a friendly squirrel came to visit us. Of course, we did not feed him, but I did have to take his picture! Then we went for a hike down to the river to pick up trash for her Jr Ranger requirement and explore the area. After getting a fun hike in, we returned to the campsite to drive to the Giant Forest Museum, and then to Crystal Cave. The Giant Forest museum was located next to the Sentinel tree. It had interesting facts about the area and the Sequoia trees.

Crystal Cave was a nine mile drive from the museum. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Cave,_California for more information. There were lots of turns and curves making the trip to the cave about forty minutes. Along the way, Julia got the giggles and would not tell me why. Girls??? We arrived at the parking lot, used the bathrooms since there were none at the cave or on the trail, and started our half-mile trek down to the cave entrance for our 3 pm tour. It was a steep descent and I knew the return would be more of a challenge. About fifty people were in our tour group. Julia eagerly awaited the fifty minute, half-mile long tour. Interestingly, this cave is made from marble and not limestone like other caves. The formations were neat to observe and I wish the lighting had allowed pictures to turn out better.


We returned to camp. On the way, we saw a black bear crossing the road. Pretty neat! At camp, Julia worked on her Jr Ranger book while I started the campfire. For dinner we roasted hot dogs, had another veggie tray and baked beans. Julia helped by setting the table and splitting the veggies between us. After dinner we played Battleship, which Julia won. Just after 7, we went to the campfire program. During the campfire program, Julia was recognized by Ranger Mike who was doing the program that night. He reviewed her book and called her up on the stage. She was given an oath to take care of the park; then a Jr Ranger badge was hers to wear. Everyone there gave her a round of applause. She was proud to be the only child receiving the award that night. I was proud she took the time to earn it. This night the program was on the Sounds at Night. The Ranger played sounds of the different animals at night, let the audience guess which animal it was, and then showed two or three pictures of the animal. Very interesting sounds, especially by three different owls and a mountain lion.

We returned to camp, made a warm fire (see picture) and enjoyed smores before going to bed around 10 pm. The full moon was beautiful tonight. All in all, a full and tiring day!

Our final day is tomorrow.