I wake up early and pull out the fly fishing gear. Jackson has been battling a cold (too much time wading in ice cold water a couple days ago?), and opts to sit this one out. I am worried about the water level, and after seeing the streams in Yosemite, decide not to don my water shoes or waders. I will just work from the shore and see what I can find.
A nice quiet walk up the road to the trail head. It is about 7 AM and very quiet in the campground. I see a bunch of campers standing next to a campsite with cameras and expect to see a bear in the distance. Instead, it is a doe with her two fawns. The one fawn is playing around some bushes and mother is prodding her to move on.
I keep trekking toward the bridge that crosses the stream at the trailhead and when there see a great pool. I am fishing the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River right in the campground. The water is not running as fast as I expected. There are plenty of spots that I could have worked my way in, but it is about a half mile back to the campsite, so I stick with my plan to work from the side. I tie up a fly that looks similar to some of the flies I see around the water and give it a try. No takes, but I can see some fish in the pool. I decide to try another, but they very well may be spooked by now. I then move upstream to see if I can find some fresh water. At the next spot, I am working through some bushes and after a half dozen casts I snag my fly on an overhanging tree. I then decide to try one of the flies Jimmy traded me that he said would be a sure shot here in Sequoia. I also look for a clearer spot and sneak slowly in from below. I am remembering what he told me, arm firm, cast from the elbow and not the wrist. Look over my head to make sure I am not extending my cast past one o’clock. Some short drops into the break in the current and a couple very nice drifts down and bang – I see the fly disappear. A pull up and a great hit. I am able to pull him in and land him on a rock for a quick picture.
I move on upstream to a couple new spots. No takes here. I keep working the fly, drying it out and finding new spots to test. I am now about a half mile upstream I hit an area where there is a bunch of tree cover and bushes, but it looks very promising. I again snag another fly, but I really want to work this area. I tie on another of Jimmy’s special caddis flies and drop the line in. On the third or fourth cast I get a take but I am not quick enough to set the hook. Another couple tries and bang, another rainbow.
Again, these are not large fish, but according to what I have read and what the people here have said, they are much tougher to hook and land than some of the larger fish you will find in other waters. I am very happy with my day and decide to hike back to camp.Once back, Charlotte is up and is asking if there is any way that we can make the premier of the Harry Potter movie. I have not told Wendy yet, but when I first got up, I mapped out our drive on to Las Vegas. When I originally mapped out the trip, the next leg took us out the south side of the park and showed a 6 hour drive to Vegas. I now know that the route is impassible in an RV and we will have to back track to Fresno. This will add on 3 – 4 hours on the trip, unless we hit traffic or construction like we did on the way in. In that case it could be 6 – 7 hours more. I am worried about making it all the way to Vegas in time to check in and make our show on Friday night.
I tell Wendy that I am thinking about leaving the campsite late this afternoon and getting some hours in on our drive. We decide to do a couple hikes here and then pull out. I tell Charlotte that depending on how far we make it this evening, I will work on finding a premier that she can see. While the troops get ready, I pack up to be able to take off right when we get back.
We head over to the Visitor Center to catch a bus to the trails. There is a very nice general store here with a deli, so we pick up some sandwiches for a picnic lunch. We plan on doing the Congress Trail and will try to make it to Moro Rock. We had also hoped to see Crystal Cave, but there is no transportation to the cave and we can’t drive the RV any further south due to length restrictions. We hop on the bus for the short ride to the General Sherman Parking lot and the Congress Trail. Famous sequoias along this trail include the House and Senate Groups, and the President, Chief Sequoyah, General Lee and McKinley Trees. It also passes the General Sherman Tree, the largest sequoia in the world. A very nice 3 mile easy trail with just a few hundred feet elevation climb.
Many photo ops along the way as we take in the majestic nature of these trees, some with ages estimated between 1800 and 2700 years old. The General Sherman Tree was measured at 274 feet tall with a 102 foot circumference. We finish the loop stopping along the way to climb in and around the trees. Many have a portion lost to fire and have huge openings that allow the kids to climb in and around. Each tree seems more majestic than the last – all so large. It’s a bit humbling.
Next on to the Giant Forest Museum where we decide to have lunch. They don’t allow food inside, so we sit outside where it is still very cold. It is a hazy day, moist and in the low 60’s. After lunch we are all a little chilly. We head inside to warm up a little and learn more about these giants. We then decide to call it a day and skip the next hike so we can get on the road.
On the ride back, we notice a bunch of cars stopped in the road and figure it is a deer, but looking closer we spot a black bear working his way around one of the sequoias. The bus driver honks to keep the traffic moving and can’t stop but does slow down so that we can get a glimpse. Charlotte tries to get a shot with the camera, but the bear is not cooperating for the perfect shot.
We get back to the campsite, finish closing up and hit the road around 4:30. The drive back goes much smoother than the drive in and we are in Fresno a little after 6. Too early to stop, so I put Georgia on the task of finding a theater that will be playing the Harry Potter movie at midnight that is in good range to knock off some miles on our way to Las Vegas. She is not even going to the movie, but Wendy, Charlotte and Jackson are in the back watching #6 so they will be fresh for #7. Georgia is a trooper and keeps knocking off one town and theater at a time; only to find out they are sold out.
She finally finds one in Lancaster, near Edwards Air Force Base and we book 3 tickets. I will stay back in the RV with Georgia and get some rest. It is about 35 miles out of the way, but will get us off the interstate and on some back roads. I always enjoy seeing the scenery along these routes, but with the RV, it is always a balance between finding roads that are easy to travel and that I can make some time on and the ease of traveling the Interstate System. This detour pays some dividends as I get to see a brilliant full moon rise over the mountain range in the distance while watching an even more brilliant sunset in my rear view mirror.
We pull in around 10 and I head in with Charlotte to pick up the tickets. Turns out they are starting the seating just as we go in, so I high-tail it back to the RV while Charlotte goes in and grabs some seats. It will be a long wait for them in the theater. After they head in, I call the Walmart a block away to find out they don’t allow overnight parking due to city regulations. The manager says the Black Angus across the street does, but I am not sure. If it is a city regulation, I don’t feel comfortable. So I drive over, decide against staying there and then drive back to the theater. I get back online and find a Walmart in Palmdale where we can stay. I shut down the lights and try to get some rest, but the parking lot is very loud with people coming and going. Then I get a knock on the door. It is the theater security letting me know they don’t allow overnight parking. I inform him that I have kids inside and we will be pulling out as soon as the movie is over at 3:30AM. When the movie is done, I climb back in the driver’s seat and head to the Walmart. Turns out the address was not correct in my app, so it takes another lookup and another 5 minute drive. I finally pull in around 4:10 and climb in bed for some much needed shut eye.