Day 7: Yosemite National Park to San Francisco, California

Day 7: Yosemite National Park to San Francisco, California






Sam enjoyed camping at Yosemite and didn’t want to leave. Photo by Kenny--. “do you even do photography?”



Before leaving the park, we visited the Tuolumne Sequoia Grove, which was near the campground. Having got an early start again, the trail down into the forest was quiet and relatively unpopulated until we were on our way out. The morning light was quite nice. Photo by Blake.




The Sequoia boys. Many of these giant sequoia trees are over 2000 years old; they grow to over 250 feet tall, and the largest one’s trunk (in Sequoia National Park) is over 100 feet in circumference. Photos by Blake and Sarah.


This tree is called the Dead Giant. It was supposedly dead by the time a tunnel was drilled through it. Photographs like the one below were disseminated to attract tourists in the late 19th century. Photos above by Blake.

Over a century’s worth of carving on the inside of the Dead Giant. Photo by Blake.

Sarah and Kenny at Tuolumne Sequoia Grove. Photo by Blake.


Sarah earned her Junior Ranger badge while in the park and took her oath on our way out. Blake’s teenage fantasy of marrying a hot park ranger woman was now complete. Photo by Blake.
We drove across the agricultural center of California, which was very dry due to lack of rain After rolling into the Bay Area we had planned to stop at Stanford University and visit the Cantor Center for Visual Arts, but there was some kind of big event at the university and we couldn’t find a parking space anywhere near the museum. After getting stuck in our first traffic jam of the trip, we arrived at our rented apartment in the Outer Richmond District. The apartment was fantastic – it was a great rate, a perfect size, comfortable, we were hosted by a kind and thoughtful owner, it was 2 blocks from Golden Gate Park, and only about 8 blocks from the Pacific Ocean. Once settled, we set off for a walk toward the sea in hopes of finding some dinner (at a restaurant, although we did spy some tasty-looking seagulls).


Looking down Balboa Street toward the Pacific. Photo by Blake.


We found some delicious seafood dinner and beer at the Beach Chalet Brewery overlooking the beach at the west end of Golden Gate Park. Photo by Blake.


Hungry Kenny anticipating an amazing meal after 4 days of camping food. Photo by Blake.


A good way to end the day. Sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Photo by Blake.