Summer Adventure 2015 Officially Begins!

We kicked off our 2015 summer adventure in style.  Our first stop is Sequoia National Park.  We visited Sequoia in 2013 and had such a great time, we decided to come back.

This was our longest drive of the trip.  We anticipated a 10-hour drive, but it ended up being close to 13 hours when it was all said and done.  We encountered California traffic and had to make a couple of extra pit stops along the way.

We finally got to camp and set up.  After setting up, it was dark, so we ate burned hot dogs and went to bed.  The next day, we awoke refreshed and were better able to appreciate the beauty of our surroundings.

Our campsite backs up to the Kaweah River, and it provides awesome white noise all night.  It is really a gorgeous place, and we have a perfect campsite.

After breakfast, we decided to head back to Crescent Meadow, where we got lost 2 years ago.  This year, we went armed with a map.  We took a beautiful 6-mile hike from Crescent Meadow back to Lodgepole campground.

We found a perfect little place, overlooking Circle Meadow, to stop for lunch, where we were able to watch a bear grazing for about 30 minutes.  It was pretty cool.

We continued along the Congress Trail, where we were able to see General Lee, General Sherman, President McKinley, and most of the Senate Group.

After our epic hike, we came back to the campground, where we showered and got some well deserved ice cream.  Then we headed back to our campsite.  While Justin and I made dinner, the kids read or played their instruments.  Connor has a new mandolin, and Tatum has a baritone ukulele.  I'm sure our campground neighbors were annoyed, but it sure was fun.

We've got one more day here, and we plan to spend it in Kings Canyon National park, about 30 miles away.  We never get tired of seeing these giant trees.  They really are awe inspiring.  We'll check in again when we've got service.