Brisbane, QLD


Saturday, July 23, 2011

A FOREST OF GIANTS

We spent the night at Fresno, the salad bowl of California. The next morning we drove south to Kings Canyon N.P. and Sequoia N.P.
The forests were full of these giant Sequoia Trees.(see how small Bill looks)

These trees are thousands of years old. I kept expecting to see dinosaurs, it was like going back in time.

Some of the trees are named after famous Generals. This one is called 'Grant' and it is the second largest one in the world.
The forest walks were fun. At this part you could walk through the trunk of a fallen tree. It was just like walking through a tunnel. It was about 30 metres/90 ft long. Lois is entering and Bill has just walked out.

THE BIG ONE. This is General Sherman, the largest living thing in the world. The size is measured by the volume of wood. I accidentally left my brochures at Sonya's house. Unfortunately the Wikipedia information below is ten years old. These photos don't really give you the feeling of the huge size it is.

Height above base[1]
274.9 ft
83.8 m
Circumference at ground[1]
102.6 ft
31.3 m
Maximum diameter at base[1]
36.5 ft
11.1 m
Diameter 4.5 ft (1.4 m) above height point on ground[8]
25.1 ft
7.7 m
Diameter 60 ft (18 m) above base[1]
17.5 ft
5.3 m
Diameter 180 ft (55 m) above base[1]
14.0 ft
4.3 m
Diameter of largest branch[1]
6.8 ft
2.1 m
Height of first large branch above the base[1]
130.0 ft
39.6 m
Average crown spread[1]
106.5 ft
32.5 m
Estimated bole volume[8]
52,508 cu ft
1,487 m3
Estimated mass (wet)[9]
2,105 short tons
1,910

Estimated age is 2,500 years.

Then we drove out of the Parks to stay the night in Visalia. It was a long winding drive down the mountains to the valley floor with magnificent mountain views. Sadly this would be the last night  I would be with my cousins, Chuck, Bonnie and Lynne. They have been super generous to us and showed us a beautiful part of California.

21 comments:

  1. Aren't they incredible? I could live in that area happily for the rest of my life.

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  2. wow these are BIG and TALL great shots

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  3. Those trees are magnificent. I'm happy that you had such a wonderful time with your cousins.

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  4. Isn't it incredible those trees. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them. They have seen everything for ages, indeed probably dinosaurs. You captured them great.

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  5. Wow---whether it is Sherman or Grant, they are AWESOME... Unbelievable... I've seen pictures of them my entire life --but want to see them in person to believe my eyes...

    Thanks for sharing.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  6. Walking among those giants is humbling and a little awesome I think. I'm so glad you got to experience them on your visit to the USA!

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  7. How awe-inspiring to have been able to stand beside and touch those colossal, ancient trees! They are staggeringly huge, even in your photographs. I can only imagine the immensity of the feeling you get standing right beside and looking upwards into their distant canopies. What a TREAT that was, to have seen them! So glad to know your time with the cousins was so very memorable and such a warm get-together!
    Another wonderful post, thank you, Diane! I am LOVING this trip of yours!!!

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  8. These giants make a person feel very humble standing next to them. I hope your cousins will be able to visit you in Australia one day Diane. Fantastic photos, I've been looking forward to seeing each post.

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  9. I can't even begin to count the number of times I've been to California (maybe 15 or 20) but I've never seen the giant sequoias.
    Thanks for sharing these fabulous photos, Diane.

    —Kay, Alberta, Canada

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  10. How absolutely incredible it must have been for you to stand and look up at these giants!
    Their immense presence is just breathtaking ... and that's just my impression from your photos.
    To be able to walk through the trunk like that too - the expression on Bill's face says it all. Amazing stuff Diane - thank you :D)

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  11. Diane, your pictures and your impressions from your journey to USA, I love them so much. Especially the waterfalls in Yosemite Valley.
    And these giant Sequoia trees are really astonishing, wow.
    Have a good Sunday
    Elfe

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  12. Diane, Your have wonderful photos from Sequoia. It was one of my favorite places to visit becasue of the huge trees. I am glad you got to spend time with your cousins.

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  13. Amazing and awe-inspiring! Magnificent shots too - thanx so much for sharing them!!

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  14. Lovely to see your photos, looks like a wonderful place & you had a great visit with one of your daughters.
    Nice to note that you have returned to blogging :)

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  15. Our neighbours have one of these in their garden. it has grown enormously over the past 20 years but thank goodness it will be a while before it reaches these proportions.

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  16. WOW! All I can say! I may have a shot at actually seeing these some day, as my daughter and her family are moving to the west coast!

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  17. I love the redwoods but I prefer the coastal redwoods along the northern coast of California. My husband and I used to frequent that area a couple times a year, but he just passed away, so I don't know if I'll ever get up there again. Thank you for sharing your photos.
    Kay

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  18. BTW...he and I did visit this area that you photographed about a year or 2 ago. Very pretty there.

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  19. I love the Sequoia trees! I haven't visited these parks as yet but we saw them in the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite. I wished they could talk and tell us about all they have seen over thousands of years!

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  20. I marvel at the majestic trees. When you walk through the the trunk, make sure you take a torch so you can see if there is a snake. But then, you are from Oz, so you are not afraid of snakes like the Kiwis.

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  21. Love your pictures! The chart may not show how magnificent these trees are but your pictures come pretty close. (I had so much trouble trying to photograph them the last time we were there.)

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