On our last day in Sequoia/King’s Canyon, we left the campground at 9 AM. We drove down to see the Sherman Tree, and took the “Big Tree Trail” around a meadow called Round Meadow where there were lots of Sequoias, some interesting, some fallen. The meadow was getting wetter for some reason and a lot of the trees on its periphery had fallen recently.

We drove through a tree tunnel, then took a small trail to Hanging Rock for a view of Moro Rock. The sky was very hazy due to pollution from the San Joaquin valley. The view probably would have been 10 times better if that haze wasn’t there. We decided to skip the Moro Rock trail because we had already seen everything from the Hanging Rock viewpoint.

The last stop in the park was at Hospital Rock, which was a big waste of time. We didn’t even bother taking pictures of the “ancient drawings” there. The only cool thing was the old mortar holes, where the Indians ground the acorns and then bathed them to get rid of the toxins.

We decided to head towards Santa Cruz to stay for the night. On the way we passed tons of farms growing everything known to man. At one point we smelled a strong smell that we thought were onions growing there. Then we passed a truck that was filled with garlic. Normally you don’t smell garlic that is in its skin, but oh boy you could smell that.

Santa Cruz was a nice little beach town. We got the last room in a hotel there and proceeded to back up our duffel bags. We took the mess and dirt from our car and moved it into the room. By the time we were done with it, it looked like a raccoon was staying there.

After a much needed shower we went to the Wharf for a good seafood dinner, and I had beer for a change!