After Oahu, we returned to California for a lot of non-photogenic relaxing and socializing.
Then we went to Sequoia National Park. Sequoias are huge, generally between 250 and 300 feet tall, and with bases sometimes more than 30 feet in diameter (94 feet around). For example, the “President” Sequoia tree—the oldest known living sequoia, at 3,240 years old—is 247 feet high and 27 feet in diameter.
The largest tree in the world by volume is the “General Sherman” Sequoia: 275 feet high, 25 feet in diameter, and a volume of 52,000 cubic feet. It’s almost pointless to photograph them, because a camera cannot capture their massiveness, but I tried anyway, because, what else was I going to do?
Forest fires are good for sequoias, in moderation, because the heat makes the seed pods open and sprout. Moreover, sequoias have very thick bark which protects them against fire damage. However, there have been some severe fires in the last few years which have left their marks on the forests. Moreover, severe weather has caused landslides and eroded the road base; as a result, the adjacent King’s Canyon National Park has been closed since 2022.
Next: Kites!