Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

There may be more beautiful routes than 180 Scenic By-Way through these two majectic parks, but if so, we have not driven them. The giant sequoia trees are so awesome that words alone cannot describe them. There are no larger trees in the world. It is hard to believe that some of the ones in this park date back to hundreds or years before the birth of Christ. The more staturesque ones are named for famous Civil War generals like Grant, Lee, and Sherman.

After stopping at the visitors center, we took an out-of-the-way, winding, downhill, three mile drive to beautiful, blue Hume Lake. We could see the snow-capped mountains in the distance. There we watched the boats, enjoyed a bug-free picnic, and praised the Lord for such a perfect, romantic site.

Driving 30 miles farther, rounding numerous hairpin turns, we reached the end of Rt. 180. We could hear the roar of the churning, ferocious Kings River that paralleled our route. When we stopped to take photos, the cool breezes engulfed us. For millions of years, this angry river has carved its way through solid granite and moved everything in its path. What a joy it was to see it doing its endless work.

We are thankful to John Muir who pressed for the preservation of this great piece of terrain. We stood on the huge rock where he used to give his presentations, and could feel the power of his mission. While he died long before FDR and his Secretary of Interior ensured that the park would be preserved, Muir gets credit for his explorations, courage and foresight.