Mike & Sharon's RV Adventures: California - Chapter 3 - October 26, 2015 thru November 13, 2015

NOTE: Best to view blog on computer, however, to view full blog on phone scroll to bottom of the blog and click on “View Web Version”. You can click on the Google Maps tab at the top and click on Year 5, Year 4, Year 3, Year 2 or Year 1 to see where we have been. You can click on the markers on the map to view the RV Parks we stayed at.

California–Chapter 3-October 26, 2015 through November 13, 2015

This is Chapter 3 of four chapters of our 6-month journey through California.

Chapter 3 includes: Three Rivers, Sequoia National Park & Kings Canyon National Park and San Dimas and Hollywood.

Three Rivers - October 26, 2015 through November 2, 2015

We stayed at Sequoia RV Ranch as it was near Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. See the bear between the trees on the right side of our RV!

We discovered there were bears in this RV park! Mike was setting up the RV and Sharon grabbed her camera to take photos of the birds.

A man stopped on his bike and asked Sharon if she had seen the bears. Sharon nervously replied – what bears! There were wild black bears here in search of acorns and water from the Kaweah River, both of which were plentiful in our RV Park. He pointed and a few hundred feet from our RV was a bear!

Later we saw that there were four bears in the park. Black bears come in more colors than any other North American mammal. One was cinnamon in color, one was brown and two were black. For the first time, we saw a bear climb a tree near our RV. The bears were not aggressive or interested in people, dogs or trash; they just wanted to fatten up for the winter! It was amazing to watch the bears’ behavior during our stay. Sharon had Mike set up our game camera outside the RV. Before we left, one of the last photos was of a bear at night passing by our RV!

The bears were being forced down from the higher elevations due to fires and a four-year drought that have the local bear population stressed and in a state of starvation and dehydration. We discovered that all around town, desperate bears were climbing up onto rooftops, into treetops, coming onto decks, and traipsing through yards in search of more acorns. Acorns are the food of choice and are among the most abundant food resources in California.

We went into the local information center in town. Looked around the museum to learn some of the history of the area.

Mike noticed a framed photograph of a bear in a tree. He asked the man in the information center where the photo was taken. The man said he took the photo and pointed across the street to a tree. We were not expecting to see a bear perched across a branch in that same tree! It was so close along the main highway that we were shocked! Sharon was excited to get a few photos! While another tourist walked up to the tree, Sharon kept a safe distance! The bear would grab the branches, pull them to him and strip them of their leaves!

What was disturbing was a story we read in the local newspaper. Bears were here in record numbers this season, and they were being killed illegally in record numbers. One bear per person is what’s legal in California, no cubs and no females with cubs can be killed.

By the time we left, the bears in our RV Park had eaten so many acorns, their bellies were touching the ground!

Sequoia National Park & Kings Canyon National Park

Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park are twin national parks located on the southern end of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. Together the parks preserve 1,353 square miles, contains the world’s largest tree (General Sherman), and includes the Lower 48’s tallest peak (Mt. Whitney). The parks hold one-third of the world’s naturally occurring giant sequoias which are members of the Redwood family, and host more than 1.6 million people from around the world. The vast circumference of the giant sequoia trees is truly a wonder to behold. Their trunks dwarf anyone who stands beside them.

Literally carved into the side of cliffs, the road to Kings Canyon was awesome, with jaw-dropping views.

We first hiked in Kings Canyon National Park, but due to a fire sparked by lightning, some of the roads in the park were closed. Kings Canyon was established on March 4, 1940 and is home to one of the deepest canyons in America. We hiked on the Grant Tree Trail to Grant Grove to see General Grant, one of the world’s largest trees. The tree is also a living national shrine.

We also hiked the Park Ridge Trail to Panoramic Point. The views were spectacular!

While Sharon drove around a curve on Generals Highway, she spotted a tarantula spider crossing the road! Mike yelled “stop.” Sharon pulled over and Mike hopped out with camera in hand and stooped in the middle of the road to take photos! Tarantulas live a long time. Females may live for 25-30 years while males don’t make it past the age of 10 or 12. A male tarantula can travel up to 50 miles while seeking a female. In case you didn’t know, tarantulas have eight eyes, but don’t rely on them while hunting. Instead, tarantulas sense prey using the vibration-detecting hairs that cover their bodies. Tarantulas give Sharon the creeps! But Mike was curious and fascinated!

At one point we stopped for lunch in the Jeep. Looking in our review mirrors we noticed tourists all around the Jeep taking photos!! They were French tourists from a tour bus who found something interesting about our Jeep. We don’t think they knew we were inside! Did they find our kayaks and bikes interesting, or could it be our Florida license plate with the bear! We had no clue! It was quite funny!

The Historic Gamlin Cabin on Grant Tree Trail was built in 1872 by Israel Gamlin, who with his brother Thomas filed a timber claim to 160 acres within Grant Grove. They quartered here until 1878 while grazing cattle in the mountains. After General Grant National Park was established in 1890. The cabin was used as a storehouse by the U.S. Cavalry who patrolled the park until 1913. Later it became the quarters of the first park ranger stationed here.

Centennial Stump with a diameter of 24 feet was cut in 1875. A 16-foot section was sent to the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876. Only the outer shell was exhibited, the parts being reassembled after shipment. Eastern people refused to accept the exhibit as part of a single tree and called it a “California Hoax.” It took two men nine days to chop down the tree. Its upper trunk is the scarred log down slope from the Grant tree. Ladies from a nearby logging camp used to conduct Sunday School services for their children upon the stump.

Sequoia National Park was established on September 25, 1890, making it the nation’s second national park and the oldest in California. First, we hiked the Big Trees Trail to see the General Sherman Tree, a gargantuan sequoia tree.

While neither the tallest nor the widest, the General Sherman Tree is considered the largest living tree in the world because of its volume. It weighs approximately 2.7 million pounds, and it is believed to be approximately 2,200 years old. Its height is nearly 275 feet, and its circumference at ground level is 102.6 feet. The diameter of its largest branch is 6.8 feet.

You really feel the enormity of the giant sequoia when you see the “Tunnel Log.” The base diameter is 21 feet, the length is 275 feet and the tunnel is 8 feet high and 17 feet wide.

The Buttress Tree fell without warning on June 3, 1959. The weather was clear with no wind. Sequoias lose their balance and fall when their shallow root systems are weakened by fire, erosion, or very wet soil. The Buttress Tree is 272 feet long with a base diameter of 20 feet. Its estimated age is 2,300 years.

The Giant Sentinel Tree greeted us at the Giant Forest Museum where we learned the story of the Giant Forest.

Moro Rock is a large granite dome found in the Giant Forest area. We did not climb the nearly 400 steep steps to the top of the barren rock at 6,725 feet in elevation. So, we missed an unparalleled view of the Great Western Divide and its verdant canyons.

Historic Visalia

Visalia is the Gateway to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. On our last day we took a trolley tour around town. Visalia’s first real contact with the outside world was on October 8, 1858, when the first Butterfield stage, straining to make a record run with the U.S. mail from St. Louis to San Francisco, arrived in town. Its only passenger was W. L. Ormsby, special correspondent for the New York Herald, who wrote a diary later published in the Herald.

The Visalia Fox Theatre is a landmark movie palace and theater that opened in 1930 as a part of the Fox Theatre chain. It was converted to a three-screen multiplex in 1976.

We ate lunch at Fugazzis which had the best Brussel spouts ever!

San Dimas – November 2, 2015 through November 13, 2015

We stayed at East Shore RV Park from November 2, 2015 through November 13, 2015. The park is located on the banks of Puddingstone Lake, which is stocked with trout and bass several times a year. As we drove into the park, we noticed a warning sign that mountain lions have been spotted in the area! And a notice that coyotes were also in the area! Of course, Sharon asked Mike to mount the game camera just in case! We had a great view!

Kayaking on Puddingstone Lake

Today, we packed lunch and drinks and took a short drive to Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas. The 1,975 acres park surrounding Puddingstone Lake offer a variety of recreational activities. We launched our kayaks for a day on the lake.

Completed in 1928 at a cost of one million dollars, the dam was originally built as a flood control facility to impound storm run-off and replenish underground water supplies. The dam created a 250-acre lake. In 1953 the 150-acre Puddingstone Reservoir was designated as a “Recreational and Fishing Area.” It was stocked with fish by the state fish and game commission. Mike paddled closer to the dam as Sharon stayed a safe distance away!

The views of the surrounding San Jose Hills made for some nice photos. And there were birds everywhere – osprey scoping out their next meal, ducks walking on water and wading birds ready to spear a fish. Mike fishing for his next catch and release!

Hollywood Tours

We weren’t too far from Los Angeles, so we got tickets for a Paramount Pictures Studio Tour and a Hollywood Dream Tour.

One day we drove two hours to Los Angeles and the bumper to bumper morning traffic was horrendous! Once we arrived, we took the Starline Hop On Hop Off trolley and went sightseeing through Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. We saw the iconic Hollywood sign; The Chinese Theatre, a famous landmark; Rodeo Drive, the two-mile street that epitomizes the glamour Beverly Hills is famous for; Sunset Strip with nightclubs, eateries, boutique shopping and music halls and a great place for people watching.

We hopped off the bus at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the internationally recognized Hollywood icon. The Hollywood Walk of Fame comprises more than 2,600 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street. The stars are permanent public monuments to achievement in the entertainment industry, bearing the names of a mix of musicians, actors, directors, producers, musical and theatrical groups, fictional characters, and others. We recognized many!

Before our 2:00 Hollywood Dream Tour, we saw a movie set on our way to eat lunch at a local diner.

We walked up to the storefront where our Hollywood Dream Tour would begin. We looked at each other and thought we made a big mistake!! We waited outside of a sleezy store with its website www.playmatesofhollywood.net plastered to the front of the building! Our tour guide was a little shady too! But we thought “this is Hollywood” and hopped into the open-air van!

The driver was a friendly character. We had to laugh at the funny behind-the-scenes tales!! For two hours, we explored the hot spots, beautiful Mulholland Drive, neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, celebrity homes (couldn’t tell you whose house is whose); It was nice to get out at the overlook to see the Hollywood sign and we even stopped at a lemonade stand! It was a fun way to spend the day!

On our last day, we dreaded the drive back to Los Angeles for the Paramount Studio Tour. But the traffic was not bad this time! The tour began in the Studio Store where we walked through several rooms of memorabilia highlighting Paramount’s achievements.

We were greeted by the tour guide and hopped on a golf cart to take a behind-the-scenes look at the Paramount studio lot. We stepped into the world of the industry’s top talent, producers, and crew who create today’s award-winning television and feature films. We would discover Hollywood’s first major movie studio, iconic locations like the Bronson Gate, New York Street Backlot and the Prop Warehouse.