Amazing, majestic, incredible.....those are a few words that describe the magnificient vistas, valleys, trails and trees in the Sequoia National Park. The drive to the park via the southern entrance (Ash Mountain) on General's Highway, spiraled up the mountains with continous, sharp, hair-pin turns for about 25 miles before reaching Moro Rock (6725' elevation). That was the first test of endurance. Hiking to Moro Rock was the second challenge. Moro Rock is...

The giant sequoia is Earth's largest living tree; at least one other tree lives longer, one other has greater diameter, three grow taller but none is larger. In all the world, these giant sequoias grow naturally on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada. Kings Canyon National Park is home to General Grant, one of the world's largest of known sequoias. It is 1,700 years old, has a height of 268 feet, has a 40 foot diameter base and a circumference of 107.6 feet...

On the drive to Mojave, CA to the Sierra Trails RV Park, I tried to make contact with Gary (childhood friend) several times. To my disappointment and frustration with the lack of phone service, our plan to meet along the way failed to happen. Thoughout the drive, I kept trying to update Gary on our travel progress but with limited service, our texts and calls failed. When we got north of San Bernardina I was able to get a message sent (or I thought) noting...

Joshua Tree National Park does not have any services inside the park - no water, food, stores, gas stations or ranger stations so carry all of your supplies in and remember to always keep hydrated, it is the desert. The park does offer a variety of scenery and rock formations with elevations ranging from close-to-sea level to over 5,000 feet and the largest animal in the park are the bighorn sheep. The most impressive view is well worth the extra 20+ miles ...

After getting a decent night's rest, we began our daily activities which included a tour of the General Patton Museum in Chiriaco Summit and hiking through Joshua Tree National Park. Our first stop was the museum. It is built on the original site site of the General George S. Patton Desert Traing Center. The museum contains memorabillia from WWII and other eras of military history. Many of the items in the museum were donated by private individuals and col...