City By The Bay, here we come!
Built on the remains of the 1906 earthquake, The Beresford Arms Hotel has been in operation in Nob Hill for over a century.
The quaintness reminded us of the hotels we stayed at in England.
[July 12-17]
That's Abe and Zeke standing in the stairwell.
As soon as we stepped foot outside the hotel we could see the iconic hills of San Francisco.
Naturally Abe and I woke up way before the teens in the morning, so we took a little sight-seeing stroll around the neighborhood. We found the beautiful Grace Cathedral. Unfortunately we were unable to have a look inside since it was Sunday morning.
We immediately noticed the low clouds. We were told that the low-hanging cloud was lovingly named Karl. KarlTheFog has his own Twitter page. It's named after a movie where Karl the giant was feared but turned out to be lonely, similar to how people feel about the constant, lingering fog.
Naturally Abe and I woke up way before the teens in the morning, so we took a little sight-seeing stroll around the neighborhood. We found the beautiful Grace Cathedral. Unfortunately we were unable to have a look inside since it was Sunday morning.
Mostly miners were the first parishioners to worship in Grace Chapel in 1849. Their collection consisted of gold dust.
The Crocker family owned mansions where Grace Cathedral currently stands. They donated the land to rebuild the church after the destruction of their homes due to the earthquake. The Crockers purchased a replica of the Roman fountain to be installed at their estate. After their passing, their children donated the fountain to the city and it was placed here in Huntington Park, directly across the street from the site of the original Crocker mansion.
The Dancing Sprites fountain was donated by the wife of James Flood, a Bonanza King who earned millions off of gold and silver. Their mansion is in the background, which is now the Pacific Union Club.
As with the majority of buildings, the original church did not make it through the fire following the 1906 earthquake. Construction was on and off over the years, with the final touches finished in 1995.
Across the street lies Huntington Park and the Fountain of the Tortoises.
A railroad tycoon built a mansion on this spot in 1872. After the earthquake and fire, the owner Mrs. Huntington donated the land to the City of San Francisco to remain as a park for all of the people of the city to enjoy.
The Roman Fountain of the Tortoises is the centerpiece of the park. The original Fontana Delle Tartarughe is still functioning in Plazza Mattel, Rome, Italy. The men are riding dolphins and little turtles are at the top.
Once we got the children moving, we ventured to the famous
Pier 39.
Construction on Pier 39 was started in 1977 and within 12 years it was named the third most-visited attraction in the country by USA Today. It continues to be San Francisco's most popular tourist destination.
Pier 39 is famous for its colony of California sea lions, which makes sense that there are several sea lion statues along the pier.
The famous sea lions arrived in large numbers in the fall of 1989 after the nearby Loma Prieta earthquake. The docks were remodeled but boats had not yet moved in and the sea lions were like, "ya snooze ya loose." The number of sea lions fluctuates depending on the time of year. The largest number counted was 2100 just a year ago. Unfortunately mid-July is not their prime season to hang out at the pier. But we did get to see a few.
These docks are usually teeming with sea lions.
The sea lions were sparse, but there were lots of sea gulls.
Lefties unite!
Trying to decide if they could jump the wall onto the locked dock.
Bestill my heart.
From the Pier 39 we caught a boat to the the infamous Rock.
The cruise provides a nice view of the Bay Bridge and the skyline.
The small island of Alcatraz has a varied history, including a fort, a military prison, a maximum security federal penitentiary, a place of occupation for Native Americans seeking civil rights, and the National Historic Landmark and popular attraction that we know today. It is still protected by the oldest operating lighthouse on the west coast.
The Spanish word for pelicans is alcatreces, which is likely how the island earned the name Alcatraz way back in 1775. We did not notice any pelicans while we were there, but we saw lots of sea gulls. Look at this cute little baby.
Alcatraz was one of the few prisons to offer hot showers. The reason for this was so the inmates didn't get acclimated to the cold waters of San Francisco Bay if they tried to escape.
The prison operated for 29 years from 1934-1963. It housed some of the most notorious criminals in US history, over 1500 in total, who were sent to Alcatraz due to their disruptive behavior at other federal prisons. The first batch of inmates to arrive were from Leavenworth, KS. Most were bank robbers and murderers. Daisy, Zeke, Eli, and Abe are in the pic on the left, checking out the cells on Michigan Avenue.
The cells were 5 feet across by 9 feet long and 7 feet high, with a bed, a couple shelves, a toilet and a sink.
Inmates on The Rock were allowed two hours of yard time each Saturday and Sunday, with good behavior of course. This was the yard, and softball was played at the end.
The diamond was not very big, nor the walls that high. If they hit the ball over the wall into the ocean, it was considered an out.
Look at all those birds down there.
There was a good view of the Golden Gate Bridge from outside.
Those lines are the hills leading down to the bay waters. Some days the prisoners could hear voices floating across the bay from the people in the city. Not sure if that made them feel like they were part of society, or if it made them feel even more isolated.
The Treatment Unit, informally titled isolation in Block D, was reserved for unusually dangerous or violent inmates. They were confined to these cells 24 hours a day, for a time period ranging from a few days to several years, depending on the offense.
'The Hole' consisted of six cells with closed fronts that sometimes included total darkness. A stay in The Hole usually lasted a few days, but never more than 19. The only thing in these rooms was a literal hole in the ground for the toilet. The sign behind Daisy describes one man's claim to sanity while in solitary was the button from his shirt that he tore off and flicked into the air, then searched on his hands and knees until he found it, over and over.
Cell 14D is said to be haunted. A man who was doing time in that cell was screaming about seeing a monster with glowing eyes. The next morning he was found strangled to death.
The inmates were permitted to paint and draw. Of course they had to create everything from memory.
The library was one of the bright spots for the inmates, although the books had to be brought to them as most were not allowed in. This empty space used to be filled with books.
Prisoners could earn visiting privileges. They could speak through these tiny holes in plexiglass and a phone handset.
In 1962 three men escaped from The Rock. They created bodies to leave in their beds, crawling through small vents they had dug larger in the middle of the night. They made it to the freezing waters and were never seen again. I like to think they made it to shore and lived secret lives afterward.
The food was said to be pretty tasty. The men thought it was the best in the federal prison system.
The position of the knives was painted on the board so it was obvious if one went missing.
The original staff were considered 'iron men.' They were highly trained in security but not so much in rehabilitation. Throughout the 29-year occupation, the thought process began to shift from punishment to rehabilitation.
Here was are, cheesing.
There was staff housing, where spouses and children lived. This was the warden's home.
From the island the Bay Bridge can be viewed.
The outside is all fancy. You wouldn't guess it was a federal penitentiary.
What you could guess, though, is who took my picture for me.
Here we are, giving our prison faces. Daisy's cracks me up. While the rest of us appeared hardened or indifferent to lock up, Daisy was quite remorseful.
One of our goals was to eat a sourdough bread bowl from Boudin Bakery. The 'mother dough' that is used to leaven its bread has supposedly has been alive since the 1849 Gold Rush era. The flavor and texture is claimed to be unique from any other bread in the world due to the wild yeast in the fog-cooled climate.
Boudins is also famous for its unique animal creations.
There was no way we would go to San Fran and not get us some hot fudge sundaes at Ghirardelli Square. The ice cream was nothing to write home about, but the hot fudge was chef's kiss. The famous chocolate in San Francisco dates back to the beginning of the gold rush.
Spanning an entire city block in the Financial District stands the Transamerica Pyramid. Montgomery Block first stood on this spot in 1854. It attracted many writers and actors, including Jack London, Frida Kahlo and Mark Twain. The building was demolished in 1959, being replaced in 1972 with the Transamerica Pyramid. The iconic shape of the 48-story, 853-foot pyramid was designed to reduce its shadow, allow more natural light to reach the streets, and provide unobstructed Bay views. 
When in Rome...take a driverless Waymo ride. We downloaded the app to order a ride. It showed up, picked us up, and dropped us off. The fully self-driving car sends out millions of laser pulses to detect objects, measure distances, and create a high-resolution 3D map of the surroundings. It uses cameras to provide detailed visual information, such as identifying traffic lights, road signs, and other visual cues, along with radar to detect the distance and speed of objects. They have been on the streets since 2020. It actually felt safe. There was a 4 passenger rule that we followed the first time, taking 2 separate cars. Then we decided to try putting all 5 of us in one car one night. I hopped on someone's lap and it was fine. The second time we piled in, it was during the day. We were fine for the first few minutes. Then the car talked to us and said it was making an emergency stop. Then it told us we had too many people. A person actually started talking with us and said he was ordering a second car for us. Busted!
Chinatown was our next destination. The tour advertised residual ghost impressions felt, poltergeists heard, and after death consciousnesses witnessed. Yeah, there was none of that.
Union Square earned its name as a place where rallies to support the Union Army during the Civil War occurred. But more importantly (at least to my children), Union Square has a Nintendo store.
The bridge has only been closed three times since its construction for weather. It has, however, been flattened by seven feet. An estimated 80,000 people gathered for the 50th anniversary of the beloved bridge. At its opening in 1937 50,000 people walked across without issue. But the 80,000 people of Bridgewalk 87 caused the roadway to sag in the middle by 7 feet. Engineers confirmed the bridge remained and continues to remain structurally sound, as it was designed to flex under heavy loads.
The San Francisco Flyer took us soaring above the clouds of the Bay in a two-level theater. It was the fun of a roller coaster with the sensation of flying through the sky with a bird's eye view above. We flew among the city's most iconic landmarks.
Back on the open-air, hop on/hop off bus.
This flatiron green building, which used to be copper, has a history dating back to 1906. Construction was started prior to the earthquake; the framing survived and the building was completed in 1907. It has been home to many famous musicians, comedians, and even a notorious corrupt politician. But probably most famous is film director Frances Ford Coppola, where he edited "The Godfather."
The largest Chinese community on the West Coast and the oldest Chinatown in North America is right here in San Francisco.
Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio wanted to be wed in Saints Peter and Paul Church in 1954, but because they had both been divorced they were not allowed.
The dandelion inspired fountain at 1 Maritime Plaza, called Peacock Fountain, became one of the world's most copied designs. 
Much to the children's dismay we rode on the hop on/hop off bus. Abe and I enjoy exploring cities this way. The kids think it's super boring.
The 33-story office building at 333 Market Street is the 39th tallest building in the Bay Area with a rooftop height of 472 feet. It was built in 1979, so in the grand scheme of things it's not all that old.
The Ferry Building dates back to the Gold Rush times of 1898 until the 1930s, when it was the primary way for travelers and commuters to reach the city. As many as 50,000 people a day traveled through the Ferry Building in its prime. It is located along the Embarcadero at the foot of Market Street which is the center of the city's financial, banking and transportation district. The building has its own special day in San Francisco, known as Ferry Building Day on July 13th.
R Evolution ("our evolution") is the name of the art installation in front of the Ferry Building. When the collaborators first began making the sculpture they wanted to "bring goddess energy into the world," and out of that concept grew the statue that symbolizes 'resilience, empowerment and the transformative power of art.' It stands 45 feet tall and weighs 32,000 pounds with 55,000 welded connections. For an hour a day her chest rises and falls and at night she is illuminated. R Evolution is temporary and will remain in front of the building for 6-12 months.
Ghostbusters got nothin' on us. We grabbed some EMF meters and were out bustin' the ghosts of Jackson Square and Chinatown.
In all actuality, we learned a lot more San Franciscan history than we experienced paranormal activity. We know this for a fact because we were all issued EMF meters (electromagnetic field meters) to try to stir up energies and interact with spirits. They always went a little red, but sometimes the whole group's would register really high. We would all get really excited, but in reality EMF meters pick up electromagnetic fields emitted by both natural and human-made sources. Call me a skeptic, but I'm pretty sure our meters went off because of those human-made sources emitting electromagnetic fields. But it was fun, nonetheless.
We learned about brothels, murder, cemeteries being moved, and other interesting stuff. San Francisco was previously called Yerba Buena in 1821 when Mexico won independence from Spain. The name means 'good herb' in Spanish and the Spanish settlers used it for medicinal purposes and as a tea. But in 1846 the city was claimed for the US during the Mexican-American War. The plaza became Portsmouth Square in honor of the captain's ship and the city became known as San Francisco. A few years later the 49ers blew up the population from less than 1,000 to more than 25,000 nearly overnight. Hundreds of ships were left abandoned on the city's shoreline, causing the water to recede significantly.
Hotaling Place is a one-block alley where the city's shoreline used to be, indicated by the wavy lines. There are actually several historic buildings around here that survived the earthquake. Anson Hotaling, the alley's namesake, owned a whiskey warehouse around the corner that survived the 1906 quake. The US army wanted to dynamite the warehouse in order to create a firebreak during the fire that subsequently occurred. However, Hotaling pointed out that the distillery was highly flammable, so the building was saved. It is claimed that sometimes a drink of whisky is mysteriously poured and left in the office.
After the city-wide disaster, clergyman were claiming it was caused because of "divine misdeeds of the citizens." A poet replied with this:
If, as they say, God spanked the town for being over frisky,
Why did he burn the churches down and save Hotaling's whisky?
There are forgotten graves and deserted ships buried beneath the city. A few cemeteries were moved as the city grew. There is legend that a herd of stampeding cows raced down the street to their deaths during the earthquake, who can still be heard and felt rushing down the alley.
When our guide pulled out dowsing rods and asked for a volunteer my hand shot in the air. The apparatus consists of 2 L shaped metal rods with a larger rod on the outside side, so the L shapes can move. When used spiritually, it is thought that the rods are used to connect with and interpret unseen energies, facilitating communication with the spirit world, detecting paranormal activity, and answering yes and no questions. This works through something known as the ideomotor effect, where involuntary muscle movements are induced. The lady asked the spirits questions and the rods moved to the right or left to indicate yes or no answers. I kept my hands as steady as possible and the little rods just kept moving both ways. I'm pretty sure the ideomotor effect was working, but I think it was the subtle movement in my body that made them move, and not the spirits of the dead lingering in the streets. But it was fun.
But I learned that with efforts to promote ethnic tourism in Chinatown in the early 1900s, architects who had never been to China were contracted out to design 'oriental' style buildings. The buildings were created in the image of what they guessed Chinese buildings looked like.
The biggest massacre in SF occurred at the Golden Dragon in 1977. There was an underground war between gang members. The Golden Dragon was a popular place to eat after the bars closed. One gang knew that the op gang was there, so they pulled up and three teenage boys jumped out of the car, walked in and began spraying bullets, leaving 11 injured and 5 innocent diners dead.
Union Square is a one-block plaza full of shopping, restaurants, hotels, cable cars, and hearts. There are more than 549 heart sculptures scattered throughout Union Square as well as around the city. It was started in 2004 for the purpose of fundraising.
The worst part about the city by the Bay--poo on the sidewalk. Human poo. The crazy thing was that it was not in a corner or along the buildings--it was out there in the middle of the sidewalk, loud and proud. Which means their bare booties are out there, loud and proud. Thankfully we never say anyone in the act. And even more thankfully we never stepped in it.
🎵 Clang, clang, clang went the trolley. 🎵
A trip to SF would not be complete without a ride on the famous trolley. Trolleys refer to both the historic streetcars and the iconic cable cars that began transporting citizens in 1873. The old streetcars use overhead wires while the newer cable cars are pulled by underground cables. The idea of a cable car system arose because the designer witnessed an accident in which a streetcar drawn by horses over wet cobblestones slid backwards, killing the horses. The City cable car system is the world's last manually operated cable car system.
There are over 20,000 riders daily and 9.7 million each year. That's why it was so packed when we jumped on.
A favorite stop.
Like kids in a candy store.
We played the 7D Experience, a shooting game with full motion seats, a giant 3D screen and laser blasters.
Look who scored 2nd, 4th and 5th.
A trip wouldn't be complete without riding on a boat of some sort. This was a Bay cruise.
You can see how enthralled the children were to learn about the Bay.
The Rock, again.
Karl The Fog, as it is lovingly named, is constantly enveloping the city. The advection fog happens due to the natural opening of the bay, drawing the cool, moist air from the Pacific inland, colliding with the cooler, California wind current near the coast. The mountain ranges along the coast help to block this foggy air from moving further inland, allowing it to accumulate. This advection fog does not dissipate like radiation fog, so Karl persists throughout the day. It seems to linger longer during summer and has earned the nicknames June Gloom, No Sky July, and Fogust.
After almost 4 1/2 years of construction and $35 million, at its completion in 1937 the Golden Gate Bridge was the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world. It has since been the most photographed bridge in the world. It is named after the entrance to San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Strait. The name came from the Greek name 'Chrysopylae,' meaning Golden Gate, because it reminded the captain of the Golden Horn of Istanbul, but he described it as a "golden gate to trade with the Orient."
Approximately 112,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily. More than 10 million visitors a year are attracted to the 1.7 mile-long bridge anchored by 746-foot tall towers, which made it the taller than any building in the city at one point in time. Two cables suspend the roadway, each more than 7,000 feet in length containing more than 80,000 miles of wire stretch over the top of the towers and are rooted in concrete anchorages on shore, making it weigh a whopping 887,700 tons. If looped around the Earth's equator in a single strand, the wires would circle the planet three times.
The water under the Golden Gate is approximately 300 feet on average, hitting 372 at its deepest. This makes it one of the deepest strait areas in the US. It held the record for the longest suspension bridge in the world until 1964; it is now the 9th longest.
The original paint proposal was black with yellow stripes for visibility. However, the red-orange primer used to protect the steel during construction caught the attention of the architect. Not only did it stand out against the fog and water, but it complimented the surrounding hills and was pleasing to the eye. It continues to be repainted with its signature International Orange.
Technically, San Francisco is so hilly due to tectonic activity known as subduction, in which an oceanic plate slid under a continental plate, pushing the earth upwards and forming the hills of San Fran and the East Bay. The reason the city was formed around these hills leads back to the 49ers of the Gold Rush. The city grew from about 1,000 people to 25,000 people in just one year, 1949. The city's property owners made the choice to grow rapidly over the steep terrain rather than take the time to install gentle curves. There are seven hills generally referred to, but I read the city is built on around 50 hills in all. You can see them going down towards the water.
On the other side you can see them going up.
San Francisco, Yerba Buena Island, and Oakland are connected by the Bay Bridge. In total the bridge is 8.4 miles long and consists of two bridges and a tunnel. The suspension section of the bridge is among the longest constructed in the US. At the time of its construction in 1936 it cost $56.6 million and was the longest in the world, spanning 1400 feet. Today the record has been surpassed, but at the time of its construction it was considered the longest in the world. The suspension tower stands 525 feet tall. At its completion in 1936 it was considered one of the greatest engineering marvels of the 20th century. During the three years of construction, 8000 men worked on it and 28 men died.
The depth of the water under the Bay Bridge varies, but the deepest pier extends 242 feet below the water, making it one of the deepest bridge foundations in the world.
Yerba Buena is a natural island in the San Francisco Bay, connected to both San Francisco and the mainland at Oakland by the two bridges, which run through a tunnel in the island's center. Treasure Island, on the other hand, is a 400 acre artificial island that was build by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1937. The land excavated from the Yerba Buena tunnel was used to create Treasure Island. If you have wondered where the largest diameter bore tunnel in the world is, look no further.
Over 42 million cars a year cross the bridge, bringing in over two million dollars a day in tolls. Over the course of a year it adds up to more than $750 million, carrying more than a third of all the traffic of the Bay area's seven state-owned toll bridges. On an average weekday, nearly 400 cyclists and 150 pedestrians use the bicycle/pedestrian path from Oakland to Yerba Buena Island.
I was outside in the cold, brisk air, absolutely loving the boat ride.
You can tell the boys were loving it as much as me.
We walked through the city's most visited neighborhood, Fisherman's Wharf.
The Dewey Monument is located in Union Square. It commemorates the Spanish-American War of 1898.
Another view of the Bay Bridge.
My mathematical and scientific family enjoyed the Exploratorium.
It calls itself a public learning laboratory where you can explore the world through science, art and human perception.
There are 650 hands-on exhibits combining the studies of science, art and human perception into an educational space.
I'm sure you all have wondered what a morph of my oldest and youngest sons would look like...so here ya go.
Outside the front are these metal circles. You can speak in a regular voice and somehow the sound would vibrate so you could be heard in the other one that is at least 100 yards away.
Back on the bus.
City Hall, also known as The People's Palace, proudly stands at 307 feet, making the dome 42 feet taller than the nation's capitol. With a high price tag of $6 million in 1899, it took 27 years to build and was destroyed in 26 seconds during the 1906 earthquake. Ironically, the builders at the time made guarantees it was designed to withstand strong quakes. Today the dome's surface is finished with 23.5 karat gold leaf. It is just as fancy inside, and an average of 30 couples walk down the stunning staircase for their wedding daily.
Abe posed with Abe in front of City Hall.
Civic Center Plaza hosts busy commuters and workers during the week and is a cultural hub during the weekends.
The children can now say they have been in the Pacific Ocean. It's quite possible it may be the only time my home-loving Eli goes to the Pacific Ocean.
There are over 250 species at home in the zoo.
Civic Center Plaza hosts busy commuters and workers during the week and is a cultural hub during the weekends. 
The statue of Ashurbanipal shows the king grasping a lion cub and a clay tablet which says, "Peace unto heaven and earth. Peace unto countries and cities. Peace unto the dwellers in all lands." Ashurbanipal was an Assyrian king, way back in biblical times. He established the first systematically organized library in the city of Nineveh. His statue is located in front of the public library.
The 1945 United Nations Conference on International Organization, where the UN Charter was signed, happened here. The United Nations Plaza is named in honor of this historic event. In the plaza is the Pioneer Monument, added to Fulton Street in 1894 to honor the California Gold Rush and the progress it brought to San Francisco. The 820-ton piece on top is the Roman Goddess Minerva. Beneath her are two other draped goddesses representing agriculture and commerce, a Mexican vaquero, a Franciscan padre, a submissive Native American, and a trio of prospectors. These represent "Trappers Trading Skins with the Indians," and "California's Progress Under American Rule."
A Simon Bolivar statue is dedicated to the statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia to independence from the Spanish Empire.
In addition to statues, the UN Plaza is home to chess, ping pong, free Zumba and yoga classes, a vintage market, a farmers market, a dog play area, and a skateboard plaza.
Abe and I tried out the free, open-air wellness center.
DanFam5 jumped aboard a bus to get to Sunset Dunes.
Sunset Dunes runs along Ocean Beach.
We wanted to check out over 1,000 exotic, endangered and rescued animals at the San Francisco Zoo.
This zoo is the birthplace of Koko the gorilla. She was used in ape language experiments.
The three most exotic animals we found:
Never too big to play.
Daisy and I tried the Tik Tok trend of scooting one foot forward at a time to take cute pics.
After the zoo we headed to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. This was the trip that we got called out for having too many people in the driverless taxi.
The Academy of Sciences combines an aquarium, planetarium, rainforest and a natural history museum all into one place.
Look at these cute little guys.
The aquarium claims to house nearly 40,000 live animals representing more than 900 unique species, making it one of the most biologically diverse and interactive aquariums on Earth.
The rainforest houses 1600 live plants and animals under the 90-foot glass dome, making it the largest of its kind in the world. The four-story rainforest mimics the habitat of the Amazon and contains tree boas, fish, chameleons, butterflies, and more than 200 free-flying birds.
On our way down on the elevator, we spotted Zeke looking for us through the glass walls.
This unique fountain called the Rideout Memorial Fountain, located just outside the Academy, features a saber-toothed tiger fighting with a snake that is wrapped around its body.
The kids collected coins,
made a wish,
We took a short walk to the famous Dragon Gate and Chinatown in the daylight.
and tossed!
The entrance to Chinatown features this Chinese guardian lion. It looks like a dragon, but they're considered lions. A male lion guards the west portal and a female lion guards the east.
Old St. Mary's was the first cathedral erected in the city. It served the archdiocese of San Francisco from 1854 to 1891. Old St. Mary's Church was established as a mission, with the purpose of teaching the Chinese community about the Catholic faith. It was built by Chinese laborers with brick brought around Cape Horn and granite cut in China.
Yosemite National Park is more than a four hour drive, but I wanted to see some big trees and the park. So everyone else had to tag along, like it or not.
Our first stop was Tuolumne Grove Trailhead.
The trail is 2.5 miles round-trip.
Big Red is 19 feet in diameter and 285 feet tall. These trees can grow up to two feet every year for the first 50 to 100 years of its life.
All four of them didn't get close to wrapping their arms around this tree.
When the hopeful gold rushers ran out of luck, they turned to ranching and logging, and trails evolved into rough roads. The journey was long and dangerous.
Fun fact: sequoias regenerate after fires. They have developed several adaptions to withstand fires. The spongy bark which can be two feet thick protects the inner core, the cones open when they dry out, allowing them to regenerate quicker after a fire, and higher branches prevent the fire from climbing up the trees.
Way back in 1875 the Big Oak Flat Road was heavily traveled, so they decided to cut a road through one of the big trees that was large enough to be driven through. It is called the Dead Giant. Even way back then, it attracted tourists. I read on Wikipedia it was the first tunnel tree, but I didn't see that any place else, so...
The Dead Giant is about 30 feet in diameter. A large slab of wood was taken out of the tree; a quote from the time said he presumed it to weigh about one-half ton. The Big Oak Flat Road was a winding toll road that ended in a steep descent to Yosemite Valley. It is one of the oldest routes into the valley.
The average height of a sequoia in the Toulumne Grove is 240 feet.
This is the view from the top of the tree, looking down the middle to the roots. We walked inside the tree.
The water was very cold and felt great in the hot sun.
Archeological evidence shows that Native Americans have occupied the Tuolumne Grove area for at least 6,000 years. They say sequoias have been around for 20 million years, while some of these specific trees are guessed to be 400 years old or more.
This is a giant tree that has fallen and a hiking trail has been formed through the tree.
Giant sequoias are considered one of the oldest, largest and fastest grownig trees in the world. Eventually they fall over from their own massive weight. This is the base roots of a fallen sequoia. That's Zeke standing there, with Daisy back in the shadows.
Daisy and Zeke look so little standing on top of the fallen tree.
I'm walking the length of another fallen tree.
All of those dirty feet in the water, and they tasted it.
The trees are home to different animals at different levels of the tree. For example, deer feed off the young seedlings, woodpeckers make their homes high up, and squirrels cut down the cones to feed on. Just one squirrel can cut anywhere from 3,000 to 3,500 cones in a single year. And look at the size of these cones! (Side note: after our hike a read a sign that said not to touch the cones. Oops.)
The pretty wildflowers caught my eye.
We jumped back in the van for another short trip and we landed at Yosemite National Park. The majestic waterfalls, deep valleys, grass meadows, high granite cliffs, ancient giant sequoias, and vast wilderness prompted it to become protected in 1864 and established as a national park in 1890.
Yosemite draws four million visitors annually. The entire park is nearly 1200 square miles. You can view several big attractions of Yosemite Valley in this one stop. It is the iconic, central section of Yosemite National Park.
The hike up The Cables of Half Dome is so popular that you have to apply for a permit to hike it, and those are granted by random lottery. It is sought after by so many as it is considered the park's most prominent peak at 4,770 feet. There are many of the big attractions from this view--El Capitan, Horsetail Fall, Clouds Rest, Half Dome, Sentinel Rock, Cathedral Rocks and Bridalveil Fall.
Bridalveil Fall flows year round due to the wetland area above the waterfall. It earned the name because of the mist that wafts off it when the breezes blow, which is said to resemble a bridal veil.
Yosemite Falls is the largest waterfall in North America.
This closer view is just the lower falls.
From Yosemite Village we took a short hike to Yosemite Creek,
which is what the lower falls flows into. From the upper to lower falls, the water cascades 2,435 feet, making it one of the world's tallest waterfalls.
We had a picnic along the creek.
The Falls begin as snow in the granite of the Yosemite wilderness begins to melt in the spring, leaving the clearest and coldest water.
Zekers and the Daise tasted it.
All of the big rocks in the stream reminded me of hiking trips in Korea.
The rocks don't look that big, but they make Zeke, Daisy and me look tiny.
Zeke started climbing up there, but the mother in me was scared he would fall and hit his head so I made him stop.
If we would have had more time we would have climbed all of those rocks to get to the pool at the bottom of the falls, but we ran out of time. It was a lot farther back there than it looks.
There I am, in the middle, trying to decide if we had time to make it.
Here is the upper falls.
Look at this cute little guy.
El Capitan is the world's tallest granite monolith, which is why it's one of the world's top rock climbing destinations. The name in Spanish means The Captain, because of its large stature. The high-quality granite stands over 3,000 feet above the valley floor and has over 70 climbing routes.
El Capitan is 2.5 times as tall as the Empire State Building and more than three times as high as the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Our tour bus stopped and our guide got out her binoculars for us to look for rock climbers on El Capitan.
We didn't find any.
Yosemite Creek flows into the Merced River. You can look up to Yosemite Valley from alongside the Merced River at Valley View. Those are all the same landmarks from above.
Here is another view of Bridalveil Fall.
To sum up our summer vacay, here ya go:
good times and fun memories made with DanFam5
and my favorite.
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