Day 11 + 12

*Check for photos added to the earlier days*

"Magic isn't real. I studied it in college, and I know it doesn't exist" - DCF

Day 11
Left Bakersfield, CA 11AM Pacific Time. With a stop in Sequoia National Park, CA. Final destination Bass Lake, CA approx. 8:00 PM Pacific Time. Approx. 150 miles.

We slept in for the first time all trip. Had breakfast at a very mediocre diner in Bakersfield (never visit Bakersfield if you can help it..its just so very average. And, industrial.) From there we headed to Sequoia National Park and the largest trees by volume in the world.

We were at first impressed by the lush valley near the park entrance, but unaware of what was to come.

A construction delay on the main park road afforded us the opportunity to polish off the granola we picked up at the organic grocers in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was only fitting that Davis do the deed.

We ascended rapidly to 7,000 feet above sea level. Here, we saw snow and entered the sequoia forest.

Finding the General Sherman Tree (the biggest tree in the world) was our first order of business. We left car and hiked down to the Mount Everest of arboreal life forms. On the way, we saw bear. A single black bear. He was alone (thankfully) and content (it seemed) eating insects (not humans).

We gawked at the largest tree in the world.

We continued to drive through Sequoia National Park, which later turned into Kings Canyon National Park, listening to Enya and having what some might describe as a religious experience. Snow drifts, massive trees, sublime mountains, and soothing yet startling Enya calmed our road-worn souls. Davis froze in backseat while Rob and Doobin enjoyed the relative warmth of the sun drenched front seat.

We paused at a scenic overlook in Kings Canyon that provided us a unadulterated view of the high Sierras in eastern California - the second largest area in the continuous United States void of roads. Our amateur photography does not do this vista justice.

From the National Parks, we needed to haul to our campsite outside Yosemite. Accordingly, we did the unspeakable: stop at Mc Donald's. It should, however, be noted that the Mc D's in Fresno is among the nicest in the country, complete with curbside service, delicious food, and competent staff. Because of our swift dinner stop in Fresno we were able to Red Box a movie and stock up on delicious food in Oakhurst, CA before pitching camp at the Sierra National Forest Campground in Bass Lake, CA.



We ignited a decent fire of kindling and leaves. Our effort to catch to our large, store-bought, soaking wet logs, however, was near disaster. After about an hour of futile attempts, we had a respectable fire raging on which to cook s'mores. We hid the remnants of our snack in the car (to protect against bears) and fell asleep watching "The America" - a George Clooney hit-man film.

Day 12 (aka Rob's Birthday)

We awoke, broke camp, and headed to Ol' Kettle - a breakfast joint in Oakhurst, CA. We all ate delicious omelets and enjoyed perhaps the best service of the trip. Dobbin's coffee never fell below three-quarters empty. Accordingly, we gave a generous tip.

Afterwords, we headed off to Yosemite, the Disneyland of the National Park Service. It was mobbed. We were beginning to get disgruntled with the inordinate amount of tourists (we don't consider ourselves tourists...we're more like adventures) but we were able to find a "very strenuous" hike to tackle (note the hike was neither "strenuous" nor "extremely strenuous"; those types of hikes, however, do exist if they suit your fancy). So, we set off to summit the Upper Yosemite Falls.

It took 2.5 hours and 3.4 miles to ascend the 2,700 feet to the top of the falls. Along the way, other hikers alerted us to a magnificent lookout, from which we took a number of spectacular pictures.

The hike itself offered an arrangement of settings. Parts of the trail seemed like they were in the middle of the desert, others -as a result of constant spray from the falls - seemed like veritable rain forest. The views at the top of the climb inspired nothing short of awe.

If you look closely you can see the roads below filled with cars.

The hike down was a little less exhilarating, but the commentary of our fellow hikers concerning Davis's footwear - Birkenstocks, of course - enlivened it. Snide remarks included: "sandals man, really?!" "Rockin' the Jesus boots!" and one elderly Asian man was left speechless - all he could do was triple take as Davis bounded down the slippery rocks at an accelerated speed...barefoot.

A couple from NY was kind enough to take a picture of the three of us on the way down.

We left the park for our hotel in Manteca.  We stopped at a sports bar and grill to catch the final minutes of the Mavs demolition of the Heat and eat burger along the short drive. There was also a stunning sunset in the Californian countryside, which we attempted to capture as seen below. We arrived surprisingly not that late to our hotel in Manteca, where we currently sit updating the blog with the highest internet speeds we've experienced to date.



We look forward to our first stay in a major metro area in a while...the home of Third Eye Blind...Brian Wilson...and the future home of Cailin Slattery...San Fransisco.

All the Road's Best,
The Three Dudes

PS Don't forget that today is Rob's birthday, the big guy is finally 22. He will accept well wishings until June 12th expires on the west coast.