2012-09-01 Calaveras Big Trees Park

See also: Day two in the park, in which we explore the South Grove, and day three, with a few notes on the camping

Two weeks ago, Charlene suggested that we should go camping on Labor Day Weekend. Couldn't find reservations anywhere, thought about going up to the Mendocino National Forest to see what we could find, but was having trouble making sense of the various fire warnings, and we wanted some place a little cooler than inland under two thousand feet was likely to be.

Eventually I found a site on Friday night at the Calaveras Big Trees California State Park, and figured that we could at least start out there, and maybe head further up into the Stanislaus National Forest.

So we drove out Highway 12, across the delta (definitely going to have to explore that more), and then Highway 4, where we were parked for quite a while just short of the Calaveras county line for some heavy law enforcement activity, including an ambulance or two, although with no apparent vehicle damage, before arriving at about a quarter to 10 PM.

We arrived to find that our online reservations had somehow been bungled, but between the nice lady who was closing up and trying to get out of there put us in a site, and told us to come back early the next morning and we could probably get it for the weekend, which we did.

Somewhere in there we stopped at the scenic overlook:

   

Saturday morning we wandered down to secure our site, and attached ourselves to the back of a tour through the North Grove, led by volunteer Bill Klein.

       

Special shout-out to the Granada High Leadership 2012 group: Carving your name a sequoia at a state park is not a way to demonstrate leadership. Seriously. Assholes.

                                               

Wandered back to the campsite, hung out there 'til the yellow jackets got annoying, then headed down to sit by the Stanislaus River and listen to the water flow:

                               

See also: Day two in the park, in which we explore the South Grove, and day three, with a few notes on the camping

Category: Dan Lyke life