ROAD TRIP:
Natural wonders uncovered on family’s journey across America
AFTER 12 hours of staring in awe at El Capitan in Yosemite, I was still unable to drag my gaze away from it. The 7,569ft monolith transforms from rugged grey to dazzling molten silver, then to gold as the sun reflects upon it. It’s so tall that clouds pass beneath its peak and those above cast enormous grey shadows along its glacial cracks and crevices while snow and water falls from the top.
I have never seen anything quite so mesmerising.
Until I turned around. And saw a big black bear. In the wild, gnawing a log.
We stood in awe for nearly an hour, open-mouthed, watching as he went about his business, people nearby having no idea he was there.
My husband Adam was spooked as, at dawn that morning, he’d been wading through waist-deep mist in that very field to get a photograph and could have easily come face to face with the beast with no warning.
This was day seven of our epic American road trip in a fabulous 30ft Cruise America RV.
During the first week we had travelled more than 1,000 miles through four states and three different time zones. Now it was time to get moving again.
1 DEATH VALLEY TO SEQUOIA
268 miles (around four hours 40 minutes) JUST two days before, in the hazy heat and isolation of Death Valley, our RV battery failed!
We called Cruise America and they told us not to worry, just to use the back-up battery until we reached a garage (which turned out to be 80-odd miles away) then call them so they could pay to get it fixed. Phew!
We hit the road and, in no time, could see the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains which was strange as it was still nearly 90°F. Despite this, the temperature in the RV remained pleasant throughout. We were en route to Sequoia National Park, the home of the biggest tree in the world!
We stopped for lunch at Padre Crawley Point – a glorious vista which has the added thrill of fighter jets zooming through the gaps in the rock as they practice their low-flight training. Everyone cheered as they hurtled through. It was a hoot.
The Rainbow Rocks lived up to their name, so-called because of their varying colours due to volcanic activities. We were thrilled to see Joshua trees on the Lee Flat Plains.
We drove through the tiny town of Olancha (elevation 4,000ft, population 39!) on the US395 before making our way to beautiful Lake Isabella and the huge rapids of Kernville, a buzzing little town that thrives on the tourism of people wanting to ride the powerful Bush Creek rapids.
Fortunately we found a garage here where we got the battery changed without any problems. Unfortunately, we then took a wrong turn and ended up going the wrong way.
We lost around three hours and ended up driving across the mountains at sunset. Yikes! However, not far from our destination, the RV was filled with the intoxicating sweet smell of orange plantations.
I never felt so relieved to find a welcoming light on in the campground reception and to see that the lovely Dave from Three Rivers Hideaway in Sequoia had waited up for us. He was a blast, gave us all the directions we needed for the following days, and parted with the saying ‘Peace and love, tell everyone you know.’ Right on.
It took us just 30 minutes the next day to get into the heart of Sequoia, where we found enormous snowdrifts that had been ploughed by 7ft wide monster trucks! Hard to believe we were in 90 degree heat the day before. That’s the beauty of California, you really can enjoy all four seasons in one day.
It’s here that we found the General Sherman, a giant tree that is the world’s largest by volume. It really was spectacular. Sequoia trees are unique in that the key to their survival is fire. They contain a chemical called tannin that doesn’t burn out unless the flames get really hot.
When they burn, sequoias send out hundreds of seeds which germinate new trees in the ashfilled, fertile soil which the fire has cleared of all other vegetation to stop them getting choked out. The 2km circular trail was tougher than it sounded as it was uphill in deep snow at 7,000ft altitude.
The bliss of the RV was that, as soon as we got back we could change out of our heavy, sodden boots and make a nice cup of coffee.
We ventured to Kings Canyon next. Here, you can take an easy walk to see the General Grant, another of the world’s biggest trees, which has a huge fire scar and stands proudly next to the ‘Fallen Monarch’ – a huge, dead sequoia that fell in the 1890s and was used as a home by a shepherd. Another wonder about sequoias is that they don’t decay, even when they’ve fallen to the ground. It was fairy tale fun to explore with the kids.
When the sequoias were first discovered in the late 19th century, people elsewhere didn’t believe the settlers who described them. So the settlers spent days chopping one down, and shipping it piece by piece to be examined. The ‘experts’ still didn’t believe them and called the trees a ‘California hoax.’ I guess seeing really is believing. We felt that with most of the incredible sights we saw all along our road trip.
HAVEN has spent almost £100m on new facilities and activities including pool and sports complexes and entertainment.
Hafan y Mor in North Wales and Craig Tara in Ayrshire are the big winners – now offering an amazing array of thrills and spills which showcase the “Haven of the future”. Hafan y Mor, near Pwllheli, is now home to Dragon Lakes Adventure Village, with high and low ropes courses, 4x4 off-roaders, climbing wall and bungee trampolines.
Craig Tara, near Ayr, has airbag jumps and a zipline in the new Lighthouse Harbour Adventure Village.
Three night family self-catering breaks in August start at £269. haven.com
The wildlife here is stunning, too, from playful chipmunks and pine martins to chatty blue jays and rose finches.
We saw yellow belly frogs, rattlesnakes and herds of deer on the roadside and were overtaken in the RV by an enormous eagle who must have been flying at 60+mph. 2 SEQUOIA TO YOSEMITE
180 miles (around three and a half hours) IT took us just three hours through Stella Rose and Madera wine country to reach Yosemite. You drive up into the mountains and then through a long tunnel cut out of the land to reach Tunnel View, where you get your first glimpse of El Capitan, Bridalveil Falls and Cathedral Spires all in one go. Breathtaking!
We drove awhile then parked up on the roadside to stop for a picnic. We thought we’d walk down to Merced River and, there it was, El Capitan, right in front of us.
Having arrived before dawn, and deciding we wanted to stay until sunset, we had plenty of time to simply sit and stare while the children enjoyed building dens, finding mushrooms and collecting pine cones.
We also explored the Hanging Valley for a beautiful view of the powerful Bridalveil Falls, so called by Euro-Americans who thought the spray from the falls looked like a veil. They say you should go there with a loved one and you’ll soon be wed. We actually saw a couple having wedding photos taken there.
Not everyone agrees – Native Americans believe it is where evil spirits reside and treat it with caution.