Kings Canyon and Sequoia in One Day

Kings Canyon and Sequoia in One Day

By: Ivy Lim

It was about 3 hours of travel from Yosemite National Park to Visalia. It’s the closest town to Kings Canyon or Sequoia National Park. Well, it’s the town that has the most affordable motel rates. It was just an overnight stay. Super 8 Wyndham in Visalia should be avoided at all costs.

The room was spacious but the room looks like it hasn’t been cleaned since forever. The coffee machine hasn’t been washed since it was first used. The room was very dusty. Phone line didn’t work. It was affordable but not cheap. One of the more expensive motels that we stayed in during our travel from Lake Tahoe down to Los Angeles. The saving grace of this motel was that it was an hour away from the parks we wanted to visit and served free breakfast. Again, avoid this motel!

I did leave a review and hopefully they address it. Breakfast was served at 6AM. So quickly just stuffed ourselves to get the most out of our stay and to not eat lunch anymore.

Kings Canyon looked like it was still in winter season. High elevation and snow covered this wonderful park. Lots of winding turns to get to this place. So, be extra cautious when driving here.

Entrance to the park is $20 I think per vehicle. The real attraction of the Kings Canyon is the General Grant Tree. It’s one of the biggest trees in the world.

Snow, everything except the path is covered in snow

The area isn’t that big and if you don’t mind walking, it’s actually a nice stroll. Too bad it was just too cold to really do anything except to take quick snaps. Totally not dressed for weather.

Inside of a fallen Sequoia tree

Kings Canyon is less touristy and you won’t have to share with the crowd. It isn’t as popular as its neighbor the Sequoia National Park. If you’re looking for a place with less people then I recommend Kings Canyon.

General Grant Tree

I took the picture using my Samsung A6. Picture quality isn’t the best but the top of the tree is green with some snow on it. There were only a few people walking around the area so it’s nice and you won’t have to wait in line to take the picture of the sequoia tree.

There aren’t as many sequoia trees as Sequoia National Park. You don’t really need to spend the whole morning probably an hour or two. Due to the weather and the cold, we spent an hour or less.

It was 40 minutes of driving from Kings Canyon to Sequoia National Park. It’s really just like one big park if you ask me. We almost missed the drop off point or the parking area for General Sherman tree, which is the most famous sequoia tree in the world. It can be quite confusing when using navigation maps so really you need to keep an eye out for your destination.

General Sherman Tree is more up close and you could just see how huge the trunk of the tree really is. Somewhat too crowded to take your time for picturing the famous tree.

The Tough Twins

It’s really cool to see the Tough Twins. Two sequoia trees side by side and roughly the same height. It’s difficult to walk through all that snow and even the pathways are slippery because of the ice. Even I slipped on the pavement. No one saw.

Unfortunately, due to the snowy conditions we weren’t able to see the Moro Rock. We could have walked it but it was a couple of miles and no one wanted to walk with me. We did visit the Giant Forest Museum. It was warm inside and you get to learn all about the sequoia trees.

Sentinal Tree is just outside of the museum

Here’s a picture of just how large the trees are compared to people.

It’s best to visit the parks in the summer season. Probably less cold and not that much snow. It’s also easier to explore as well and most of the sights will be open too.

Even in spring, bring winter clothes if you plan to visit one of the parks. It was around afternoon we left for Los Angeles. Travel time was about 3 or 4 hours. On the way down try to stop by at this picture stop:

Almost cloud level...it’s cool to see this in person

A Day In Yosemite (April 2019)

A Day In Yosemite

By: Ivy Lim

Spending a day in Yosemite is not enough. But if you only have a day you can make it worthwhile.

It’s about four hours of driving to get to Yosemite National Park from San Francisco. That’s a few hours of driving across winding uphill roads. The nearest city that has affordable hotels or motels would be Merced, which is about two hours away from Yosemite. You can also bring some food. There’s also a food court beside the Yosemite Valley Lodge.

You can also diy your way and just park at designated view points. Sure you get to appreciate the park, however, without context or the history behind discovering this valley, it would surely deprive you of its wonder.

Take the tour bus, the Valley Floor Tour. I booked the tickets in advance to make sure we get seats on the bus. It was about $36 per person. It is separate from the entrance to the park itself. For me, I recommend this guided tour to truly admire, appreciate Yosemite. It takes 2 hours and the bus will tour you around and explain the different sights of interest and relay the history of the park. Our tour bus driver was very knowledgeable on the history and the places of interest inside Yosemite. He even recommended where to go hiking if there were any avid hikers in our group.

April 2019 was still cold. Best to layer up if you’re going to take pictures. It can be quite chilly. Glad that we took the tour so we wouldn’t have to drive ourselves around the park. Honestly, it didn’t feel like two hours since our guide was very entertaining. Time is frozen once inside Yosemite National Park. Almost as if the mountains and the trees are the way they were some hundred or thousand years ago. Still somewhat the same despite the changes in global climate.  

El Capitan, a huge rock formation

The valley itself is surrounded by granite like rock formations that have a height of thousands of meters. Once you’re there, it’s just awesome to see such gigantic formations that it seems unreal, higher than some skyscrapers. It looks like they’re chiseled but from the Earth’s changes in climate, it has formed these mountainous monuments. El Capitan is one of the highest in the park. If you’ve watched the documentary “Free Solo”, this is where Alex Honnold successfully climbed up El Capitan without any harness. Our guide shared that information and was lucky enough to have seen the documentary on the EVA Air inflight movies. It does look impossible and dangerous to even attempt such feat.

Deers just strolling around

There are still a lot of animals. Some of them are just hiding like the bobcat we saw earlier. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take a picture of it and by the time I got out my phone to take a picture, it quickly hid in the bushes. I managed to take some pictures of wild deers. Good thing that our bus driver stopped so we could all marvel their wild habitat. We didn’t see any bears which is a comfort in knowing you won’t be attacked by them if the situation arises. Wish that there could be more parks like these in the world.

Another awesome view, there are two waterfalls in this picture

In the winter, these waterfalls are frozen. That’s no surprise there. Our driver said that some hikers would hike up to the falls. It just looks amazing from where we were standing. It took me a while to see that there was a smaller waterfall near the bottom part of the mountain. I’m probably guessing that winter is also beautiful to see this view. Imagine snow covered mountains that are so pure white. No doubt it would be beautiful.

Panoramic view of the open plains

A day wasn’t enough or rather a few hours weren’t enough to relax. The sight of nature, the awesome views were truly calming and relaxing. Feeling you’re one with nature even for a moment is something we need for ourselves. It’s a nice getaway from the city life. Fresh air and cool weather, I think that’s just what we truly need.

If you want to visit Yosemite National Park even for a day trip, go there early. Book the Yosemite Valley Floor tickets in advance. I’ll be posting the website at the end of this entry. Pay your tickets online and remember to get your tickets at the Yosemite Valley Lodge at least 15-20 minutes before your scheduled tour. We took the 10:00 AM tour to make most of the day. We had late lunch at the food court beside the Valley Lodge. We couldn’t extend our stay since we needed to get on the road to Visalia, a city near Sequoia National Park. Maybe next time I’ll come back. Well at least I’m looking forward to coming back.

Take lots of pictures and enjoy if you get a chance to visit Yosemite. Worth it to visit!

Tickets: https://www.travelyosemite.com/things-to-do/guided-bus-tours/

Lake Tahoe: A Surreal Natural Painting

Lake Tahoe: A Surreal Natural Painting

By: Ivy Lim

It was an unplanned trip to be honest. My aunt invited us to her birthday celebration to spend it in San Francisco where most of our relatives were staying. Actually, the exact location was in Concord, CA. But the city itself was just an hour away from San Francisco. Anyway, it was also a coincidence that when booking the tickets, EVA Air was on sale. Grabbed the opportunity to book the tickets.

So to really make sure the tickets was worth it, I just had to plan the ultimate road trip. Ultimate is a subjective word but for me it fit perfectly. Road Trips in the US is such an adventure because it’s mostly driving through open roads, highways.

First stop of my itinerary was Lake Tahoe. It was maybe a couple of hours from San Francisco. About three hours at most. Why Lake Tahoe? I must have heard somewhere it was one of the biggest lakes in the US and the most picturesque. Seeing the snow covered mountains and the blue lake pictures on the internet was enough for me.

Spend a day or two around the lake. Go skiing or boating or kayaking. For me I just wanted to marvel at the views.

Taken at Inspiration Point

There are a couple of view points that interested me. I’ll just post more about Inspiration Point and Vikingsholm. Those two places is where you’ll truly appreciate Lake Tahoe’s sceneries. Also, it’s just beside each other at the southern part of the lake.

It was a winding, icy road from where we stayed (Motel 6, a very cheap and clean motel) to go up to Inspiration Point. You could see the edge down below. Just be careful when driving up and it’s best to check the weather as well. We went there last April 2019. Spring season does not always mean it’s not freezing. So, please wear the right clothes.

Around Inspiration Point, just snow everywhere

I was very excited to see snow again. Too gleeful. Maybe 15 minutes in I just wanted to leave because it was just too cold for me. My fault as well to think I wouldn’t need winter clothes in April. Since, we were already there, together with my family, we just had to snap some quick pictures then back to the SUV.

Winter Wonderland in April

Look, there’s a little island. Somebody could be there now.

Vikingsholm was just a couple of minutes away from Inspiration Point. There was no one around. We were lucky that the parking lot was closed.

It was $5 to park.

Thick snowfall, how could you even park?

We just parked a few metres from the highway, just outside of Vikingsholm. Took quick pictures because it was cold and to avoid paying the parking fee if ever. Probably ten minutes tops that we stayed. Just snap and run! There was one other car that was parked from where we were. One.

Just wow to see the mountain with the trees and snow. And then there are my parents...it’s them alright.

We needed to get back on the road so we can reach Merced, CA by late afternoon. It was before lunch we left Lake Tahoe.

Another shot from the highway, yeah, the place is mostly covered with Pine trees.

Kings Canyon and Speedboat Beach were also on the recommended list on TripAdvisor. We could be just picky but Inspiration Point was the best in my opinion, the best spot to appreciate Lake Tahoe’s picturesque scenery. Put this on your bucket list, really, visit Lake Tahoe and it will be worth it.

FAMTRAVELGOALS! Do it today!

FAMTRAVELGOALS! Do it today!

When you browse through different diy groups especially travel groups it’s always “barkada goals” or “barkada outing” and the likes. It’s seldom that you see posts or itineraries about family travels or even traveling with your parents (senior citizens even..). It’s a totally different experience for sure. You can’t exactly get wasted with your parents on a beach or go bar hopping in some city, walk all day and night or do some crazy activities. Boring? Not exactly. Again, traveling with parents is a whole different experience.

Love for traveling to new places started with my parents. Back then it was always with tours or with other relatives abroad who would show you around. Doing it yourself wasn’t the trend back then. A couple of years go, I started joining some barkada diy trips and then started reading about it online. Well, it sure was cheaper and you had the luxury of time to explore new places rather than being shepherd into tour buses.

It was in 2014 I decided to buy tickets for the family to go to Korea and “DIY” it ourselves. It took many weeks to plan it. I kept reading many blogs, websites and even memorizing the subway maps to make the perfect trip. It had to be perfect since my parents only had me for their “tour guide”. Our one week vacation was a success!

Changing of the Guards at Geongbokgung Palace taken in Oct 2014

My parents, sitting on a bench with my backpack (all travel essentials)

Then the next trip was in 2015 and this time it was Japan...during Cherry Blossom Season! Was I excited? Yes, definitely! Were my parents excited? Of course they were! But to do it “DIY” again was a huge challenge on my part. We visited different cities and took subways and trains most of the time. It probably took me many weeks this time to make sure that this trip will go without any hiccups. I’m very happy that it was as a success as well and got to visit all the places I wanted to see.

With ze parents in Osaka taken in end of March 2015

International diy trips are challenging since of course being in a foreign land makes it daunting and you’re not used to the surroundings. All the more if you get lost, now that’s a nightmare. I have to make sure that we won’t get lost, I have access to maps or the latest apps that would help us in our travel. Since both my parents are already senior citizens, they don’t have time to google, check itineraries, maps or apps. It’s all on me, their little tour guide.

I don’t know if going on travels made us much closer, I guess it did. But traveling will always make us learn new things around us: the new technologies, culture and food. Truly, when one travels, one learns more about the world. That’s what my parents taught me when I was younger. They didn’t say it outloud but they showed it to my by bringing me to new places when I was a child even up to when I was a teenager.

They were patient with me and now it’s my time to be patient with them. Meaning more walks meant more rest periods. If a place was difficult for them then I would go to it alone and then come back for them. Usually, they would wait for me somewhere like a coffee shop or some small cafe. They didn’t mind and I would show them the pictures I took.

Sometimes, i would push them to go to some places where it was sort of difficult just because they really needed to see it. It’s up to you to decide whether your parents can endure the walk or hike. Or maybe just persuade them, walk slowly, take more rests until you reach the destination. All it takes is a little push, some persuasion, nagging and reasoning. I mean, once you’re already there might as well explore the place. Think of the effort of taking the plane, riding the bus...what’s a little walk compared to the travel of getting there?

Long, somewhat difficult path down to Antelope Canyon. April 2019

Truly breathtaking once you’re inside the Canyon. April 2019

Monument Valley. It was nice according to them...still not many have been there. April 2019.

It’s enough for me that my parents enjoyed the places I’ve taken them on our diy trips. No thanks are necessary. I’m just glad the trips we made were made. Sure, there maybe some disagreements but that can’t be totally avoided. Some places they liked and some didn’t. But, deep inside I knew they liked the overall trips that I arranged. It helps if you have a lot of energy and then it rubs on to them to make them feel young for the moment and have the effort to explore new places.

It’s not always barkada goals to have in mind but family goals as well. Do it today if you can. It doesn’t have to be always international trips. You can even start with a local beach trip. After all, your parents have you to take them to places they’ve never even dreamed of going to without you to do it all. Trust me, they will have the best time.