We arrived at Viking RV Park in Kingsburg, CA on 06/23/2006. We visited Sequoia National Park near Three Rivers, CA. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks testify to nature’s size, beauty, and diversity: Immense mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, and the world’s largest trees! The parks lie in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of the San Joaquin Valley. The full story of one week in 1890 when the Giant Forest was added to Sequoia National Park and the precursor to Kings Canyon sprang into existence may never be known. Through clever legislation, some unknown agents grew the two parks that now protect nearly half the remaining sequoia groves in the world. The picture is of General Sherman Tree the largest living thing on earth.
On 07/05/2006, we stayed at Yosemite South Resort in Coarsegold, CA. While there we visited two National Parks. On 07/08/2006, we visited the South part of Yosemite National Park near Fish Camp, CA. Yosemite National Park, one of the first wilderness parks in the United States, is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more. On June 30, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill granting Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias to the State of California as an inalienable public trust. This was the first time in history that a federal government had set aside scenic lands simply to protect them and to allow for their enjoyment by all people. John Muir’s struggle against the devastation of the subalpine meadows surrounding Yosemite Valley resulted in the creation of Yosemite National Park on October 1, 1890. The picture is of Mariposa Grove Grizzly Giant which is the one of the largest and one of the oldest tree in the park.
Then on 07/11/2006, we visited Kings Canyon National Park. The picture is of Zumwalt Meadow
On 07/13/2006, we visited the Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park. The picture is of Yosemite Valley from the Tunnel View area. The picture shows El Capitan and way in the background is Half Dome.
We arrived on 07/19/2006 at NACO Lake Minden Resort in Nicolaus, CA and we camped for three weeks here. While here we visited Sutter’s Fort State Historical Park in Sacramento, CA on 07/22/2006. In 1839 a Swiss immigrant named John Sutter received a land grant in the Sacramento Valley from the Mexican government. He used the land to create a flourishing agricultural empire and named it New Helvetia (New Switzerland.) This empire established Sacramento’s earliest settlement and the first non-Indian settlement in California’s Central Valley. The picture is of the inside of the fort looking West.
Then on 07/23/2006, we visited the CA State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento. The California State Railroad Museum is a complex of historic facilities and unique attractions. Widely regarded as North America’s most popular railroad museum, there is something here for everyone! The picture is of the First Locomotive used in CA.
We drove to visit Marshall Gold Discovery State Historical Park in Coloma, CA on 07/26/2006. James W. Marshall discovered gold in 1848 on the South Fork of the American River in the valley which the Nisenan Indians knew as Cullumah. This event led to the greatest mass movement of people in the Western Hemisphere and was the spark that ignited the spectacular growth of the West during the ensuing decades. The gold discovery site, located in the still visible tailrace of Sutter’s sawmill, in present day Coloma California, is one of the most significant historic sites in the nation. The picture is of the replica of the sawmill.
We took two days to visit the CA Capitol in Sacramento on 07/29/2006 and 07/30/2006. Home of the California Legislature since 1869, the State Capitol underwent a major renovation that restored much of the building’s original look. Visitors can tour the restored historic offices of the Secretary of State, Treasurer, and Governor of the State of California. The picture is of the West Side of the Capitol.
