Sequoia National Park

I have always wanted to visit Sequoia National Park, and today was finally the day it happened! The park is magnificent and the gigantic sequoia trees are absolutely incredible! We saw General Sherman, the largest tree in the world by volume and about as tall as a 21-story building. We also saw General Grant, which is taller than Sherman but not as big around. A couple of our favorite trees, though, were hollowed out fallen trees that served as a tunnels. It was amazing to be able to stand upright inside a tree laying on its side! And if all that weren't enough to make this stop spectacular, we saw a mama black bear and her two cubs resting on a rock out in the open! It was truly the icing on the cake for our visit. We are staying inside the park tonight and have had so much fun building a campfire, roasting hot dogs, and making s'mores. We have made beautiful memories this day!

Not even halfway around!

General Sherman

How the Watts measure up

It's hard to see, but this is one of the
 bear cubs peeking over his mom.

A four Watts tunnel

Amazing tree tunnel

General Grant

Campfire Cooking

Perfect end to a perfect day

Zion National Park

Well, we finally found summer. It was waiting for us when we got to Utah. And though it is hot and dry here, it is gorgeous! And between the Virgin River and the pool at our campground, we have found plenty of ways to stay cool. We spent all of yesterday and half of today hiking in Zion National Park, which is absolutely amazing! The pictures can't begin to do it justice! We have also enjoyed the little town of Springdale, just outside the park. Tomorrow, we will move on, but this has been a fantastic stop, which has stretched us physically and refreshed us mentally.

Welcome to Zion National Park

Our clan of hikers

Trail Buddies

A feast for the eyes

The Clay Cave

We love Zion!

Views for miles

The Virgin River

Cooling off at the end of the day

Driving Creek Railway

Today we took a ride on a narrow-gauge railway, through the jungle and up a mountain overlooking the sea. It was beautiful, and we had a great time. 

A train just Clay's size

All aboard!

Ready to ride

Chugging through the forest

Tunnel No. 3 was our favorite

Jungle Paradise

My favorite view of the train ride

View from the observation deck at the top of the mountain, Eyefull Tower