It was bound to happen, and it did. But wow, did we benefit from the call we made!
Last night we both shared our frustration with the place we were staying. It was unwelcoming, not maintained and just strange. I don’t mind rustic but nothing was right about this place (besides a good view). Anyhow, I sat there researching Kings Canyon which was where we planned to head today, and formulating options. Before I even said anything, Rick brought up that he thought we needed to leave the campground in the morning and not come back! I love that we are so aligned, although we would have made the move, I’m sure, if just one of us felt that way. So we got a good nights sleep, set the alarm early, knowing we would be heading out and not returning. Despite good reviews from others, this just didn’t work for us. It felt good to leave Sequoia RV resort (I can barely type resort having been there) for good.
Oh…. and when I couldn’t sleep the other night, I was studying the area a bit more. To make matters even more strange, the campground property used to be the site of a CULT! Article link Of course, then I REALLY couldn’t sleep. It isn’t the only reason I wanted to leave, but it certainly didn’t help matters!!!
We had a great morning at Kings Canyon. There isn’t as much to see/do, especially because of the early spring season and lingering snow/debris, but we loved what we saw. General Grant’s tree and the surrounding area brought a similar majesty to what we was yesterday. But we had the place almost to ourselves at the early hour! We enjoyed seeing all that was available to us in the park, and then got on the road to our next destination.
In the valley just out of the Sequoia National Forest area, we had the same engine issue from our January trip; acceleration was very limited. We were thankfully in a valley, but knew we had some serious climbing ahead of us. We did all the right things and everything is good for us now, thankfully. The dealer had told us that if it happens to just let the engine rest for 30-60 minutes. (Kind of like everything, turn it off and let it rest for a bit, and things may work ok afterwards) We also had looked up Mercedes of Fresno and knew that if worse came to worst, we weren’t far away. So like good little campers do, we made our way to the nearest Walmart parking lot, as it is spacious, safe and has amenities if we need them. (I know that may sound strange to you, but Walmarts are well known to be RV friendly.) We enjoyed a nice lunch in our camper. An hour later, we were back on the road just fine. It wasn’t the picnic lunch with a view that we had hoped for, but at least we were back on the road!
So what was our audible call, you are wondering? We had decided to just make our way to the next intended stop which is Shaver Lake (elev 5400); it’s actually a manmade lake formed by the electric companies and our campground is currently owned/managed by California Edison. It’s early in the season and mid-week, so we were grateful that our campsite was available for us tonight, in addition to the next few that we had already booked.
The drive here was some serious uphill. Thank goodness we gave the engine a break when we did since I would not have wanted to “take a break” for an hour on the side of those hills!!
What a lovely area, all the way up. We went from serious rundown and poverty in the Badger area to stunning properties a short time later. Beautifully landscaped acres with gorgeous homes overlooking their ranches went on for miles before “the big climb”. It is a diverse state indeed!
Unfortunately, we saw significant fire damage along the way from the 2020 Creek Fire. Definitely sobering. We understand and respect all of the requests for fire safety practices. There were areas still completely devastated, but some signs of recovery with new homes being built. We have seen forest fire damage before, but never in what was so clearly a community. I cannot shake those awful feelings for those in this area and all that they have been through.
The main street area of town does not appear to have been impacted, nor this campground. And we intend to enjoy them fully over the next several days! More to come as we explore this beautiful area and rest. This is my kind of a rustic place, indeed!!
Yep, more big Sequoias in Kings Canyon. Glad for no fog today, too!
It’s a big space in there…
The widest sequoia – 40ft! Just great living conditions since it is by no means the oldest. It is just living well with ideal conditions (Can I use that excuse as I get wider?)
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