Read more about the article Nixon Presidential Library & Museum – Yorba Linda, CA

Nixon Presidential Library & Museum – Yorba Linda, CA

Since we had an afternoon in the LA area before heading up to Big Bear Lake, we toured the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum. Fortunately, Yorba Linda is on the eastern side of LA, so it wasn’t too much out-of-the-way for us.

The Museum

Along a busy highway, we drove by it at first. Upon entering, the docents suggested we watch the 20-minute film before exploring the museum. The film detailed Nixon’s life. Afterwards, a red-carpeted collage showed us what was going on in the world in 1968 – the year Nixon became president. (more…)

Read more about the article Yosemite Valley in Pictures

Yosemite Valley in Pictures

As many of you know, my dear hubby, DH, loves photography and Yosemite NP offered multitudes of places to capture.

Upper Yosemite Falls

Bridal Veil Falls

DH will tell you that the timing wasn’t right to get good photos of Bridal Veil Falls. Maybe so, but I loved the falls anyway. We arrived around 7 a.m. in order to beat the crowds. The flat path was only 1/4-mile to the falls. (more…)

Read more about the article Sequoia National Park – California
Sequoia NP

Sequoia National Park – California

Sequoia National Park is the country’s second national park. Established a week before Yosemite NP in 1890, the park provides protection for its many sequoia trees from the logging industry. These trees only grow in elevations between 5,000 – 7,000 feet and because they are very hardy, can live up to 3,000 years.

Coming from Grant Grove in Kings Canyon NP, we drove along the General’s Highway past the Wuksachi Lodge to the Lodgepole Visitor Center. I can’t imagine what it was like before this road was built in 1926. Because the road is curvy and crowded in the summer months, the park offers a free shuttle service from the visitor center to the Sherman Tree and Giant Forest Museum. (more…)

Read more about the article Kings Canyon National Park – California
Kings Canyon NP

Kings Canyon National Park – California

Kings Canyon and Sequoia are separate national parks, but share park administration. Basically, once you enter one park, you travel seamlessly in both parks without having to go through another entrance station. Although contiguous to each other, they are quite different. Because we entered at the Big Stump entrance, we explored Kings Canyon NP first.

At the Kings Canyon visitor center, we watched a film featuring both parks and learned surprising bits of both parks history. Established in 1890, Sequoia NP is the second national park in the US. Shortly after, the nearby Grant Grove area became General Grant National Park. In 1940, FDR established Kings Canyon NP and transferred General Grant NP (which was only 150 acres) to the much larger Kings Canyon NP. For this reason, Kings Canyon features two separate sections – Grant Grove and Cedar Grove. (more…)