During spring break, we were able to check another national park off of our to-see list: Pinnacles. This is the newest park to achieve national park status. There are two entrances, and there is no road connecting the two. We used the west entrance, accessible from Soledad off the 101 highway. The road is one lane for the majority of the time, but luckily, it was not too busy. 
We stopped by the visitor center and watched the short movie. This was the smallest “theater” we have seen in a national park. 
We ate lunch near the trailhead and saw a snake at one of the other picnic benches. (No picture). 
Next, we embarked on the Balconies Cliffs Cave Loop, which is 2.4 miles round trip. When I asked the park ranger whether it was suitable for kids, he assured me that “kids love it”. 
Dry river bed–how sad. 
This is where things started to get hairy. 
Although we had flashlights and head lamps, as modeled by D, the cave was quite dark, narrow and steep. I do not even have pictures of the scariest parts because I had to put away my camera for safety. D had to carry n for some parts because the rocks were too large to scale. It was also difficult to see how much further we had to go, so I asked D if he thought we should turn back. Usually when I do this, D insists we forge on, but this time he agreed with me! So, we did not do the loop, but traced our way back to the beginning. I’m not sure why the ranger would recommend this trail for kids our age. I also would not recommend it for older people who are unsteady on their feet or larger people (as there are some places where you really have to squeeze to get through). 
The rest of the trail was quite pretty, so I did not mind hiking it twice. This may upset some people, but I am not quite sure that Pinnacles “deserves” to be a national park. To me, national parks need to be spectacular, and this one did not quite meet the mark (although we did not see all of it, of course, so maybe I should reserve my judgment).
Sequoia National Park: Crystal Cave
On our last day, we took a tour of Crystal Cave. We went to the Visitor Center nice and early so we would be sure to snag tickets (you must purchase them in advance on the day of the tour). The Visitor Center was packed with people trying to obtain wilderness permits, and this was before 8 a.m.! Thursday and Friday of the Labor Day weekend did not seem too crowded, but I would definitely not recommend coming on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. The line of cars entering the park while we were leaving was absolutely astounding.
The Crystal Cave is located on a windy road off of Generals Highway, so you must allow plenty of travel time to make your tour departure.
We saw a deer in the parking lot.
There is a decent hike down to the cave. With every step down, I was dreading our hike back up after the tour.
There is a pretty waterfall near the entrance of the cave.
Our tour guide, Wilson, reminded me of Andy Samberg for some reason.
After being debriefed on the rules of the cave, we headed for the entrance.
This formation is named Jabba the Hut.
It felt strange to be in this underground world. There were lights for the tour, but at one point Wilson turned off all of the lights for a couple of minutes. I have never experienced such utter darkness. Can you imagine being the first people to discover this cave? The kids had fun, and it makes me want to visit other caves in the future.
Back into the light. The kids were surprisingly great going back up the mountain. I think there was even less complaining than on the way down, for some reason.
For lunch, we stopped at Sierra Subs and Salads in the gateway town of Three Rivers. It might not be a place to go out of your way for, but it is definitely worth a stop if you are passing through since the choices are limited inside the park.
We also stopped in nearby Strathmore, just off Hwy 68, to pick up some orange ice cream at The Orange Works Cafe. If you are ever in the vicinity, I urge you to STOP! The orange ice cream was so soft and creamy, and tasted like real, fresh oranges! D ordered two larges, so we shared one in the front of the car, while the kids shared on in the back. D and I finished ours a lot quicker than the kids, but we all thoroughly enjoyed it! What a nice way to end our trip.
Sequoia National Park: Giant Forest and Wolverton BBQ
After visiting General Sherman we went to the Giant Forest Museum and trail.
This wheel shows the chances of a seed becoming a tree. It is amazing to think that General Sherman started from a seed the size of a flake of oatmeal!
The trees were so tall, I became dizzy just looking up at them.
Hey, what do you know? Another meadow!
After a full day of hiking we were ready to rest. We we rode the shuttle back to the campsite and relaxed at our campsite for a bit. At 5:00 we went to the Wolverton BBQ that we had purchased tickets for in advance. This was our “splurge” meal, and it was a fun experience.
The barbecue is an all you can eat buffet.
Everything was good except for the chicken, which was really dry. My favorites were the sweet chili ribs and the apple crisp made in a dutch oven.
During our dinner, D actually ran into someone he knows from work! He was there with his wife and three boys. A small world, indeed.
There was some after dinner entertainment. This woman played a naturalist/author from the early twentieth century. (That’s D in the foreground, with his makeshift sun-protection). This portion was a bit long, and the majority of people left early. We stuck around, since it was still early in the evening. Many of the other attendees were international (Canada, U.K. and Belgium).
The patio overlooks Wolverton Meadow. It was pretty, but there were a lot of bugs that we had to keep shooing away.
At night, there was a nice crescent moon. We all fell asleep quite easily, as it had been a long day.
Sequoia National Park: General Sherman
After lunch we rode the shuttle back out to General Sherman. One tip is that there are two shuttle stops for General Sherman. If you get off at the stop for those with disabilities, you do not have to walk as far to reach the tree. We gave the kids the choice—guess which one they chose!
Seeing General Sherman, the largest tree in the world, in all his glory was amazing. Pictures do not do him justice.
A kind soul offered to take our family picture. We look so miniscule in comparison.
We continued on the trail…
…and D spotted a bear! Oh my, he was pretty close. However, he was above us, on a sort of cliff, so it did not seem too scary. It was pawing at the log, probably looking for grubs, as we saw in the movie.
While we were waiting for the shuttle, someone pointed out this bug on the outside of the bathroom. I’m so glad we do not have critters like this at home!
Sequoia National Park: Crescent Meadow & Lodgepole Lunch
Our next stop was Crescent Meadow. On the way there, we passed by Tunnel Log. Since we were not driving our car, we could not stop and drive through, but at least we were able to see it.
I never realized the allure of meadows until now. n was reminded of the meadow scene in Bambi.
We rode the shuttle back to the Lodgepole Café for lunch, as there are not many dining options in the park. The chicken tenders were really good—just imagine four more (this pic was taken after k and n already took two each). They were white meat, and even better than Chick Fil A!
Sequoia National Park: Moro Rock
On Friday morning we drove to the Lodgepole Visitors Center and k and n met with a park ranger to earn their junior ranger badges.
She was very thorough—I think because no one else was waiting in line. 
k and n have now been to eight national parks.
Next, we bought tickets to the Wolverton Barbecue for later that night at the Lodgepole Market.
We ordered breakfast at the adjacent Lodgepole Café: eggs with potato and sausage and a breakfast burrito with eggs, cheese, potatoes and bacon. The food prices were quite reasonable, especially for a remote location such as this. Each of these items was $4. I also bought a yogurt from the market for $1.
After breakfast we rode the shuttle to Moro Rock.
Riding the optional shuttle does involve some added waiting time. However, not having to worry about directions/parking/driving on winding roads makes it worthwhile, in my opinion.
There is also the added benefit of being able to nap!
Hiking to Moro Rock involves climbing more than 350 steps.
We saw some lizards on the way up.
There was a family just ahead of us where the mom stayed behind because she was afraid of heights. I think we were at about this point when the dad and the two kids (older than k and n) turned around and started walking back down because the dad said it was starting to look “sketchy”. I think this motivated us even more to keep going so we could make it to the top!
We made it!
Taking a beef jerky break.
Sequoia National Park: Lodgepole Camping
After exploring Kings Canyon National Park, we drove to the Lodgepole campsite. Upon arrival we stopped at the Lodgepole Visitor Center. We watched a short movie about the history of black bears in the park. After seeing footage of bears breaking into cars, we were thoroughly convinced about the necessity of using the bear boxes to store our food at the campsite.
The kids found this “walking stick” at the campsite, which fits perfectly into the groove on the left of the rock that they are sitting on. They named the rock the “king’s chair”.
Our campsite was #96, which was perfect for us, in that it was close to the bathroom, and the parking space was right next to the campsite. We were also a bit isolated from our neighbors, which was a good things since our kids get loud. I don’t think I ever heard a peep from our neighbors, who were all nestled below, along the riverbank. It was nice to hear the soft gurgling of the river throughout the day and night.
This was the bathroom. Throughout our stay, D and I only encountered one person one time in the bathroom, which was nice.
For the first time in a long time, we built a fire instead of using our stove. The kids had fun collecting firewood around our campsite, which is allowed here. The fire was dying by the time I took this picture, but we got it going again later.
It was one of the prettier campsites we have stayed at.
With a fire, s’mores are a must.
This guy visited our campsite once the food was out.
Standing tall like trees.
The view from inside our tent.
We took a short stroll to the river after dinner. The water level was quite low, as you can tell.
Taking a quick dip. They said the water was cold, and I took their word for it.
The sunset was largely blocked by the trees, but was still pretty. The stars were really bright, too.
We went to the ranger talk at the Lodgepole amphitheater which started at 8 p.m. The talk was given by Ranger Jean Paul, who shared all about his interest, nay obsession, with Peregrine Falcons and Golden Eagles. His interest in the falcons began when he read “My Side of the Mountain” as a youth. I always admire people who are so interested in something that they become experts on the topic. However, once his talk began getting close to an hour, I knew we would have to leave early. The kids were getting tired, and I was actually surprised they had lasted that long. I didn’t want to be rude, but a few other people had already left, so we left too. We ended up seeing Jean Paul at two other different places on Saturday, which was kind of funny.
Kings Canyon National Park—General Grant
We just returned from a whirlwind trip through Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. We left early Thursday morning and arrived at the Kings Canyon Visitor Center after 10 a.m.
Having been to several national parks with the kids now, we have established a “routine”. We pick up the junior ranger booklets first thing, and then watch the visitor center’s movie. This gives us a good overview of what to expect. I also make sure to stamp my National Park passport.
We also take a picture with the entrance sign. Unfortunately, we were unable to take one with the Sequoia sign.
Our first hike was the General Grant Tree Trail.
One of the first of many “big tree” sightings.
Fallen Monarch
I think walking through the trunk gave the kids some perspective as to how large these trees are.
The log had a “window”.
Gamlin Cabin—VERY dusty!
And the star of the show…the General Grant Tree, aka America’s Christmas Tree
You have to stand far back in order to take a picture of the entire tree!
More sequoia tree families.
Grand Canyon: Breakfast @ El Tovar
On Saturday morning we went to El Tovar, the famous lodge situated on the edge of the Grand Canyon for breakfast.
It was built over one hundred years ago. The inside is rustic, yet classy.
I had read about the fancy hot chocolate service, so we ordered it. There is whipped cream and chocolate chips in the cup, and the hot chocolate is poured over it from a carafe. This made the hot chocolate not at all warm enough for my mom’s liking, but it ended up being the perfect temperature for the kids from the first sip.
We ordered two sweet dishes: pancake trio with pinion nut butter and prickly pear syrup and wafffle with lemon curd and blueberries.
We also ordered two savory dishes, which were quite hearty: breakfast burrito with pork and breakfast quesadilla with beef.
These dishes were definitely enough for the six of us. It was a nice way to end our vacation.
Afterwards we took one last glance at the canyon from the back of the hotel property. The bottom picture shows two huge birds (turkey vultures?) that were just hanging out on the rocks. I definitely need to look for better zoom capability on my next camera.
On our journey home, there were some low-lying cumulus clouds that fascinated me. I also read that a storm hit the Grand Canyon the afternoon we left, so we just missed it. Our next national park trip is already in the works: Kings & Sequoia!
Grand Canyon: Rim Trail and Maswik Pizza Pub
On our way back into the park on Friday morning, we stopped by the entrance picture to take a picture. There was a actually a place for the camera to take a timer shot, which we did, but I like this pic better.
We also saw this guy, an elk, up close and personal on the way into the park.
We met my parents at Bright Angel Café, close to the Visitor’s Center for breakfast. In retrospect, we probably should have bought breakfast at the General Store, since the selection was pretty limited. We also picked up some sandwiches for a picnic lunch.
The kids were able to become the first junior rangers of the day. It was nice that we beat the crowds at the Visitors Center.
Most of the rim trail is paved, and at some parts you are quite close to the edge. It is a very easy trail, perfect for the kids. It was also an overcast day, so at least we did not hear any complaints about it being too hot. n refused to wear his sweatshirt, however, which became a different battle.
You cannot really see it in the picture above, but there was a squirrel sitting precariously at the edge of the rock, which was entertaining to all of us tourists.
It was interesting to see different parts of the Colorado River.
We took turns walking between points and taking the shuttle. This was the Powell monument.
Visiting this part of the rim provided a nice escape from the crowds that we experienced at Mather Point. We were often the only party at many of the lookouts.
On the west, the end point of the Rim Trail is Hermits Rest. There is a gift store and small café.
We found a picnic bench and ate our sandwiches. By this time, the wind was kicking up and it was getting cold! I was afraid it was going to start to rain, but it did not. We ate quickly and hopped back onto the shuttle.
When we returned to the Marketplace, we did a little souvenir shopping.
No, this hat did not come home with us.
Then, we checked into the Yavapai Lodge. This was definitely a step up from the Red Feather, and the kids were happy to play, watch a little tv and rest.
This was the view from our room. It felt nice and cozy.
For dinner we met my parents and ate at the pizza pub at Maswick Lodge. We shared two side salads and a pizza. I thought the pizza was pretty good—the crust was nice and crisp and not too thick. I thought this was a good option for eating inside the park.
