Gigantic giants in Sequoia

Next, we set up our campsite in Visalia, the gateway to Sequoia National Park, for two nights. Once again, a great KOA camping with a playground and a pool 🥳

For the next day, we rented a car - yes, you read that right 😉 Reason: It's almost free here, and it's not yet the season in Sequoia, meaning the shuttle buses are not running, and many of the small roads are off-limits for the over 9-meter long RV.

Reto picked up a sleek red Kia early in the morning, and we took off in splendid weather. What a great, smooth driving experience - so different from our 'truck' 😂🙈

Soon, the road began to rival all Swiss passes. The curves became tighter and more numerous. We were already glad that we weren't doing this with the camper! (Some passengers can easily get queasy with too many curves.. 🙈) However, progress slowed as many other tourists were unfamiliar with such mountain roads and crawled along at barely 20 km/h - there was no chance to overtake (even in a Michael Schumacher style.. 😬) Anyway, the view was beautiful 😉

First, we drove to Tunnel Log, a gigantic Sequoia tree that fell in 1937 and was quickly turned into a tunnel. Of course, we drove underneath it, and the boys (and I) balanced on top 😉 The size of these trees truly hit home for the first time here - they are simply astonishingly large!

Then we continued to Moro Rock - various steep, sweaty stairs promised a magnificent view into the valley. And we were not disappointed: a truly wonderful panorama 🤩 (And even from above, the giant trees partially rise above the 'normal' forest and are very visible.)

Finally, we arrived at the visit to the largest tree in the world - the General Sherman Tree. Wow, that was really an experience. Even though you can't (anymore) get very close to this tree (to protect the roots), its size is incredibly impressive. We were (really all of us!) amazed by these trees and took a longer hiking loop through the 'Giant Forest'. Along the way, we passed various formations of the giant trees and marveled each time anew. Because of the somewhat longer route, there were of course far fewer people at these locations compared to the General Sherman Tree, which made the experience even nicer. Sitting at the foot of such a massive tree in the silence of the forest makes you (or me) feel awed - a unique experience and definitely one of the highlights so far 😍

In the end, we made a short stop at the Visitor Center of the park. Finn really wanted to buy a mini-Lego Sequoia with his vacation money 😉 Afterwards, we headed back towards the city in our little red speedster - with a detour to the drive-in of the best burger place in town. Finally, we could drive through, which is never possible with the camper... 😉 Conclusion: Go to Sequoia if you're in the area - we are all absolutely blown away 😃