Sequoia, Part IV: More Trees and Lakes

We woke up and had a good breakfast in the lodge dining room, and then Stace and I took a trip out onto the big pond in a canoe. Stace then got in a kayak and sped around on his own. Violet relaxed on the bench, and we admired the nearby large black cows that seem to roam wild around the area.  

We then checked out and headed north further into the park, towards Kings Canyon. We stopped at another hiking spot and looped around to see a number of sequoias. 

Stace and Violet are at the bottom of this photograph!

The stream here sounded amazing.

We drove to Hume Lake, walked around the Christian camp, and then walked along the lakefront.

Until next time, Sequoias! We loved marveling at you, once again.

Sequoia, Part III: Montecito Sequoia Lodge

 On Saturday night, we arrived at the Montecito-Sequoia Lodge, for our long-awaited return to the place we stayed on our very first trip to the park, when Cora was an infant.

It's a lovely place that hosts weeklong family camps all summer; it would have been great to do when the girls were younger, but it was always very expensive. Besides a room, you get three meals a day and activities.

On Saturday night, we arrived in time for dinner, and one of the activities was s'mores making and a campfire. There's also a pool and a small lake with canoes and kayaks.

The food was very decent and filling, with lots of choices, plus several desserts. We took our meal out on the deck to enjoy the view.

Our room was nice and big - king-sized bed, and bunks. 

We had registered for a night hike to look at the stars, and were on our way there, when I checked my email and learned it had been cancelled because of the weather. 

Instead, we took a short walk around the lodge property, and then went in and played Boggle. There were a number of games available for guests. Violet was pretty bummed to miss the hike, but we tried to make the best of it.

Sequoia, Part II: Crystal Cave

 We drove on to Lodgepole Village from the Gen. Sherman Tree, and found ourselves in a complete and total downpour - sheets of water rushing across the visitor center parking lot. 

When it slowed a bit, we went into the visitor center and and the market for drinks. 

Thankfully, the rain stopped, because we had a visit to Crystal Caves booked, and that involved a long hike to the cave entrance.

Above was the road we drove to get to Crystal Cave, including that bridge over a river.

We then reached the parking lot where we checked in for our hike. And on our hike, we came across the river and this pretty waterfall.

Once at the cave, our guide was a recent college graduate named Cora! Violet volunteered to bring up the rear of our group, which meant we could get photos without the crowds.

The cave was well worth the visit, and we even got to see bats at the end, flying back and forth. 

At the end of our hike back to the car, we said goodbye to my parents. They were spending the second night at the same hotel in Three Rivers, while we had chosen to stay in the national park at a lodge for the second night.

Sequoia, Part I: General Sherman Tree

 We joined my parents on a short weekend trip to Sequoia National Park, one of Violet's favorite places.

We all spent Friday night in Three Rivers, the little town on the outskirts of the park, and drove up Saturday morning. Our first stop was the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree on earth.

Just walking the trail near the Sherman tree is a great experience - the air is filled with the scent of sequoias, pines and clean dirt, if you know what I mean.

Waiting for a bus?

We did a lot of walking this trip - Violet was able to RACK UP the P.E. hours!

Rewind a bit to Friday night - we enjoyed a really good pizza at Pizza Factory in Three Rivers, with a nice and full glass of wine. We were fortunate - my parents tried to go to the same restaurant Saturday night, and there was a power outage and many restaurants were closed!

London: Tidbits

 More photos from our little London trip...

Our hotel was near 800-year-old Southwark Cathedral, and I'd really hoped to make it inside. But our timing didn't work. 

Also, we were very near Borough Market, which is apparently an awesome food hall. But it was closed when we were available. We needed one more day!

We went to Covent Garden after the Tower of London, before heading back to get our bags and take the train to our Gatwick hotel Tuesday night.

We came across the Noel Coward Theatre, where Mischief Theatre was putting on The Comedy About Spies. This is the group that created The Play That Goes Wrong.

Again, if we'd had one more day! Or, even 12 more hours - a later flight Wednesday - we would have bought tickets for Tuesday night's show. The girls (and Stace and I) love Mischief and seeing the crew in person would have been amazing.

We happened upon one of the best-rated pie 'n mash shops, so we stopped in for a final dinner. It was delicious.

Violet wasn't excited to spend time in London - she's a nature girl, not a city girl. So Stace promised her a pair of Dr. Martens boots, talking them up, with their London history.

He got a bit of sticker shock when we went in, but he's a man of his word. Vi would have loved a pair of black boots with black embroidered roses she saw, but they were out of her size and they're completely gone online. So, she went for a very classic pair of eight-holes, with black thread instead of the traditional yellow.

With the amount they cost, hopefully they'll last her forever, and be a memory of this trip.

Just London scenes...

Stace and Cora went out early on Tuesday morning to see the site of the original Globe theatre, around the corner from our hotel. 

The letter "G" behind her is part of the outline of the theatre's site.

That'll wrap up our England trip, 2025. Lots of great memories made and experiences shared! 

Our flight home Wednesday was uneventful, as you alway hope flights are.

London: Tower of London

We packed up Tuesday morning and took our bags down to the hotel's holding closet before walking to the Tower of London. I'd visited on my first trip to London, with JT, in 2001, but hadn't been back since. It's castle, fortress, prison, center of government and museum, holding all manner of fascinating pieces of English history.

Here, we're in front of the White Tower, built by William the Conqueror in the late 11th Century. Now, it's a main part of the museum attraction, with the Royal Armouries and much more inside.

We had to start our day with a tour of the grounds with a Yeoman Warder, who gave us great stories and details with typical dry humor.

Two of the many centuries-old suits of armor, which have been on display for hundreds of years to tourists like us!

The 12th century Valasse Cross was on display, on loan from a French museum for one year. It's bedecked with precious stones from Egypt, Iran, India and beyond, with a relic said to be from Christ's cross inset into the gold.

The cross was displayed here in St John the Evangelist's chapel, within the White Tower. Built as a place of worship for William the Conqueror, it held medieval church services for the royals, and fills the same role today. It is a majestic space.

Above, a bedroom fit for king! King Edward I, to be precise, who reigned in the 13th century. 

We're posing together in the throne room of Wakefield Tower. 

We really enjoyed this day together, learning a lot in our 4-5 hours on the grounds. We toured the rooms used by Sir Walter Raleigh while he was imprisoned at the Tower, and we also saw other prison and torture exhibits.  
 

A crowd gathered to watch the lower bridge go up, to let a tall ship - looked like a wooden old Tall Ship - go through.

London: Arrival

On Sunday, we had lunch at the Prince of Wales with the family, and then spent time with Dean, Jenny and the children at Nan and Pop's house. That evening, it was time to pack up.

On Monday morning, we gave kisses to Nan and Pop, and took the train into London to start our short 43-hour city break. We had two things solidly on the agenda: a play booked at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and tickets to the Tower of London.

We found our Premier Inn, in a fabulous spot near the Thames and the Globe, and dropped off our big suitcases. Then, we wandered around for a while. 

On our wanders, we found the Golden Hinde, the replica of Sir Francis Drake's ship, so we bought tickets and went aboard. 

We learned the replica was constructed 50 years ago using the old, original shipbuilding method, and, like its predecessor, successfully traveled around the world. Stace remembers seeing it with his Pop when he was a boy, when it docked in Cornwall.

There were informational signs and activities for kids, and you could imagine what it might have been like to be a 16th century sailor (no thanks!).

Stace and Cora continued their longstanding argument over whether Drake was a pirate, or privateer, or if privateer was a synonym for pirate. A fellow visitor overheard and said she was a history professor, and he was indeed NOT a pirate. 

Then, in the next room, a sign labeled Drake a pirate. We got a laugh.

London is an amazing city. Maybe we were just in the best parts, but it felt safe, and every view was pretty.

Here, we were walking across the Millennium Bridge toward St. Paul's Cathedral.

Without prearranged tickets, we weren't able to go inside, but seeing it outside was special in itself.

Cora managed to get on WiFi and looked up "boba near me," and successfully navigated us to a boba shop. The girls were very happy to have their favorite drink, for the first time in two weeks. It's not easy to find in Somerset, but boba is all over London, we discovered.

Across the street was a fancy little bakery, where we got sausage rolls.

This bit of Southbank history - the remains of the 12th century Winchester Palace - was preserved near our hotel. Truly a great place to explore!