Tilbakestill søk
Nathan & Grandma California National Parks Trip
  • Sue Poe
  • Sue Poe

Nathan & Grandma California National Parks Trip

Nathan was very interested in seeing Kings Canyon and other California National Parks, so this is what we're doing!! Les mer
FølgOversiktOversiktKalenderKalenderBilderBilderDelDelBøtteliste
OversiktKalenderBilder
  • Reisens start
    13. juni 2026
    Sue PoeNathan & Grandma California National Parks TripReisende

    Day 1 - Spokane to Crater Lake

    13. juni, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    We were able to get an early start from Spokane and made it to our hotel by about 6 p.m., however, there were no restaurants for the last hour of driving, so we ended up driving another half an hour to the entrance of Crater Lake to get our dinner. It didn't seem like it was going to be that interesting of a stop, but we needed to stretch our legs, so we decided to check out the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. It was much better than we expected and we especially liked seeing the snow covered mountains in the distance. We also took a quick detour through Bend to stop at the very last Blockbuster video stores in existence.Les mer

    Se oversettelse
  • Sue PoeNathan & Grandma California National Parks TripReisende

    Day 2 - Crater Lake to the Redwoods

    14. juni, Forente stater ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    It was great getting a very early start so that we were among the first people around the crater to see the deepest blue waters you’ve ever seen. We were surprised to still see snow on the trWe had a nice breakfast at the Lodge then hiked around to Discovery Point and back (3.8 miles according to grandma’s watch), then jumped in the car and drove to Watchman’s Overlook. From there we made a quick stop at the Rogue River and Crescent City Public Fishing Pier and ended up in Klamath - right in the heart of the Redwood State and National Parks.Les mer

    Se oversettelse
  • Sue PoeNathan & Grandma California National Parks TripReisende

    Day 3 - Redwoods and Big Trees

    15. juni, Forente stater ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    We started by trying to drive through the nearby Drive Through Tree, but chickened out halfway through. It was too tight of a fit. Then we headed to the Newton B Drury Scenic Byway that goes right through the Redwoods. We stopped and enjoyed quick jaunts into the woods, but the best stop was at The Big Tree. We followed that with a hike called the Cathedral Trail. We didn’t exactly make the loop as expected and ended up walking along the road to get back to the parking lot, but had a nice time. Then we drove down to hike to the ??? Visitors Center and was advised to hike to the waterfall we had thought we might want to see. After we checked that off the list we found some food and then enjoyed the afternoon at the Trees of Mystery where we walked on boardwalks high in the sky and took a gondola to the top of the mountain and learned more about Redwood Forests.Les mer

    Se oversettelse
  • Sue PoeNathan & Grandma California National Parks TripReisende
    From the footbridge at the bottom of Vernal Falls.Nevada Falls

    Day 5 - Yosemite

    17. juni, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    We arrived at the park as early as we could and without stopping for breakfast we hopped on the shuttle to go out to hike Vernal Falls. A park ranger said once you get to the footbridge, it’s only 600 and some steps up Mist Trail and another ranger said, you can just make this loop around so you can avoid the crowds and not go back down the slippery steps and 5 hours later we made it back to the trailhead. Luckily there was water at a couple of locations, but maybe not our best decision. We got great photos though. We hopped on the shuttle and visited El Capitan, then tried to see the Visitors Center but it closed a few minutes before we arrived. We had to work hard to find Tunnel View but finally accomplished it so we could head back to home sweet yurt.Les mer

    Se oversettelse
  • Sue PoeNathan & Grandma California National Parks TripReisende

    Day 6 - Yosemite

    18. juni, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    We forgot to get our selfie in front of the Yosemite sign yesterday, but remembered today, then it was off to catch the shuttle to Lower Yosemite Falls. On our hike to the falls, we saw a black mama bear with her cub less than 50 feet away. We were so amazed we weren't able to get a picture of it before it was gone into the bushes. Then we drove to Glacier Point to see another side of Half Dome and a beautiful view of the valley. We had to fit in visiting the Giant Sequoias, Grizzly Giant, the Fallen Monarch and the Bachelor and three Graces at the southern end of Yosemite on our way to the shed, which turned out to be a pretty nice place to stay and only 8 miles from the Kings Canyon Park entrance. We stayed in the Susan Thew 'shed', named after an American Explorer.Les mer

    Se oversettelse
  • Sue PoeNathan & Grandma California National Parks TripReisende

    Day 7 - Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Parks

    19. juni, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    We started our day with a great breakfast of French toast, then headed out for numerous stops along Kings canyon, then Sequoia National Parks. Nathan really enjoyed the white-water river that followed the road most of the distance of Kings Canyon. It was extraordinary, especially with the mountains in the background. After our tour of Boyden Cavern we enjoyed our pb&js at Grizzly Falls. We were disappointed at the end of the day when we arrived at Moro Rock at 6:08. Eight minutes after the last shuttle went up. Since we really wanted to see this site, we had to wait until they opened up the road about an hour later. What we didn't realize was that there were numerous other cars waiting and that the parking lot was very small. By the time we got there, it was full, the weather had changed and visibility was so low you couldn't see out across the mountaintops, so we opted to head to our motel. Then I thought we were going the wrong direction, so did a U-turn, drove about 2.5 miles, looked at the map and decided we had been going the correct direction and turned around again. UGH!!! Followed by a very, very twisty, winding road out of the park. We made it to our motel just before 9 p.m. We were not hungry and just went to bed and got our rest for a long day of travel coming up.Les mer

    Se oversettelse
  • Sue PoeNathan & Grandma California National Parks TripReisende

    Day 8 - Death Valley

    20. juni, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 106 °F

    We didn't want to wait for the restaurant to open to get on the road. We had been advised by a local to go to the Whistle Stop in Exeter. When we got there, the sign on the door said open 7 days a week 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., however, they were closed. Luckily, we found some golden arches in Lindsay, California, a lot later than we were expecting to eat, but breakfast of champions. We continued making our way to Death Valley by the back roads which were extremely curvy again, until we made it to Inyokern. We enjoyed the best food and Classic Burgers and then made our way to the Stonepipe Wells Motel. We stopped by for advice and checked in, then headed to the Mesquite Sand Dunes, Badwater Basin, the Artists Palette and Zabriskie Point. After a nice dinner we enjoyed the wonderfully warm pool, then drove out to the sand dunes to look up at the stars without any light pollution. We opened the sunroof and leaned our seats down and watched the night sky.Les mer

    Se oversettelse
  • Sue PoeNathan & Grandma California National Parks TripReisende

    Day 10 - Winnemucca to Suncrest & Loon Lake

    I går, Forente stater ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    We had an excellent start, leaving Winnemucca before 7 a.m. Along about 2 p.m., my dashboard light said, check your tire pressure. I pulled up the screen that shows all the tires and three of them were at 42, but the fourth said 37, then 36, 35, 34 -- as I was looking around for a farmhouse to stop at, or a wide spot in the road it continued to go down quickly, 29, 28, 27. We ended up pulling up to an old house with some outbuildings and a mom who worked from home. She couldn't really help us, so we got busy changing the tire. And of course, the local tire shop that was 5 miles away was closed on Monday, so that meant a 40-mile jaunt (not driving over 50 mph) over to McCall's Les Schwab (where there was already a two-hour wait) to get it repaired. Thankfully, they were able to repair it and were kind enough not to charge us, even though we'd eaten all their popcorn. We ended up getting back on the road about 6:30 p.m. MDT, so drove to Riggins for dinner, since we still had five hours of driving ahead of us. Then there was some lovely road construction at Pullman, but eventually made it home to Suncrest at 11:30 and Loon Lake by midnight. What a great trip! We decided that every day had to have something unexpected happen. That was part of theLes mer

    Se oversettelse
    Reisens slutt
    22. juni 2026