Lake Tahoe in the Spring

Trip date: May 2021

Day 8. Yosemite to Lake Tahoe- 231 miles

What should have been a 5 hour drive from Yosemite to Lake Tahoe took me 6. It was a Wednesday before the first big weekend of the season and there was a lot road construction in the park to get ready. Also I started on a road that ended up being closed and had to backtrack a bit. 

It was a long drive through little towns that had been established during the California Gold Rush. I drove past Groveland, Angels Camp, Jackson; small town Americana. I didn't have time to stop though, my brother was already in Tahoe and I was excited to meet up with him. 

The entire drive was pretty windy but the last part around Emerald Bay on South Lake Tahoe was total white knuckle! I was tired, the road is narrow, has sheer drops on both sides with no guardrails and hairpin turns. It's such a tough drive that the speed limit is 5 MPH!

I finally made it to Sunnyside Resort in Tahoe City;  I had booked the Crystal Bay Suite with a balcony overlooking the lake. My brother was waiting for me at the bar (this was the first time I had sat at a bar because of Covid since March 2020!) with Mai Tais. Seemed odd that we each got 2-free Mai Tai vouchers when we checked in. Even more odd when I saw Hula Pie on the dessert menu. Turns out the resort is part of the TS Restaurants chain that owns Duke's and Kimo's in Hawaii. The mai tais were great! We decided to stay in for the night and had dinner in the restaurant and night caps in my room.

The next morning, after coffee on the deck, Mark and I took off to explore the area since I had never been before. The first thing we did was a bit of shopping in Tahoe City as the temperature was dropping rapidly and it was starting to snow! Coming from high 80s and mid 90s I wasn't packed for snow! Welcome to spring at Tahoe.

Mark was kind enough to drive for the day and it felt nice to be a passenger again! We continued up to the North Shore/ Carnelian Bay area and had lunch at Gar Woods. Both the food and the view were excellent!

After lunch we continued around the lake on the Nevada side down to South Lake Tahoe. This area is definitely more built up and touristy than small Tahoe City on the west. I preferred the quieter area. 

This time when we drove around the 5 mph hairpin turns of Emerald Bay I was able to take in the views. It was still stressful, especially as it was full on snowing, and I was glad to not be driving!

We had originally planned on doing some hiking, but it was an enjoyable day driving around and getting views from all side. We made it back to the lodge and enjoyed 2 more complimentary mai tais in front of a big roaring fire!

That evening we had a really excellent dinner at Christy Hill Bistro. Our starter was the Yukon Gold Potato Hash, with pork loin, pearl onions, buttermilk dressing, and poached egg. YUM! My brother had a lovely steak dish and I had a pasta with rabbit. I'd highly recommend this restaurant, reservations are a must!

The next morning, after breakfast in front of the fire, I drove us to nearby Truckee. The tiny town is super cute and is steeped in history. It's here that the Emigrant Trail acted as a gateway for thousands of people headed west in hopes of opportunity, success, and adventure. 

The town gets crazy amounts of snowfall during the winter, averaging 168" of snow per year. Compare that to the national average of 28" of snow per year!! Truckee is just east of Donner Pass, known for the tragic fate of the Donner Party who tried to cross it in the winter of 1846. 

And because I have a fascination with odd things, I had told my brother that I really wanted to drive over the pass and then explore some of the abandoned train tunnels. And because he is the best, he said ok!

We got off of I 80 and took Donner Summit Road to McGlashan Point. This incredible viewpoint sits at about 6,500 feet elevation. It's dramatic to say the least!! There is a marker commemorating Charles Fayette McGlashan (1847-1931) which counts him as "Truckee’s patriarch, historian, author, editor, attorney, legislator, inventor, entomologist and astronomer." Nearby are also markers to the Donner Pass, Transcontinental Railroad, and others. 

We drove over the Donner Summit Bridge and continued following my map to the Donner Tunnels. Unfortunately my map took me to the wrong spot and we hiked in ankle deep snow for a bit until we decided to head back.

Undeterred, we finally made it to our destination. The connected tunnels are a total of 5-miles, now-abandoned, they were originally built for the transcontinental railroad in 1867 and used for 125 years! Construction was done by Chinese laborers on the route where the first wagon train entered California and stopped being used in 1993. Fascinating!!

The tunnel was creepy! Water drips from the ceiling and there is just a spot of light at each end.  There is graffiti everywhere and empty cans and bottles from past parties litter the ground where tracks once laid. 

We didn't do much of it as we were ready for lunch, but if you plan to do a full tunnel walk or all 5-miles be sure to bring a headlamp or flashlight. And a friend! 

Juxtaposition alert! From here we drove to the Ritz Carlton at the Northstar Ski Resort. The hotel is gorgeous, with a huge 3-story stone chimney and fireplaces on each floor. We had a great lunch and Mark kindly ordered a cocktail so that I could try it :)

If you are visiting the Ritz, it's good to know that the valet parking is $25. 

It had snowed the entire day! At the end of May! That evening we had dinner at Jake's on the Lake, which use to be part of the Hawaiian restaurant chain like our resort, so we experienced some more "mountain aloha" along with our steaks. Well Mark had a steak, I had Main lobster tails just to be transcontinental!

Dinner was very good, and the restaurant also sits looking out over the lake, so it would be a great lunch destination also. 

The next morning it continued to snow so we checked the roads before checking out. I decided to take a little different route to my next destination of southern Oregon. It had been a quick 3-nights catching up with my brother and I loved having him around to explore with!

All photos from Lake Tahoe here:

Also on this trip:
Three National Parks, One Road Trip
Sequoia National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
Majestic Yosemite National Park
Rogue River Valley Wine Country

Majestic Yosemite National Park

Trip date: May 2021

Day 6. Kings Canyon to Yosemite- 203 miles

It was a tough drive from Kings Canyon to Yosemite. The massive altitude change had made me a bit dizzy, and the windy road up and down the canyon had made me a bit car sick. It was worth it, for sure, but dealing with that for 5 hours while driving across very barren and boring central California wasn't the highlight of my trip! However I was still ridiculously excited for my first visit to Yosemite!

I took CA 180 back out to Fresno and then CA 41 into the park's south entrance, stopping before to gas up as there are no gas stations in the Yosemite Valley. And with my National Park pass they just handed me a map and waved me through at the station.

I had been given excellent advice and information from various friends of friends who are regulars at this 1,200 square mile national park. I'd read books, blogs, you name it. But nothing can prepare you for the absolute spectacular Tunnel View. It was amazing to say the least.

El Capitan dominates the view, its sheer cliff a seemingly unconquerable feat. On the other side the imposing granite Half Dome looms while Bridalveil Falls show off its 150-drop of gushing spring water. The sight is jaw dropping and photos, even Ansel Adams', don't do it justice.

I was super excited to get to the Ahwahnee Lodge where I'd be staying for the next two nights, but the incredible views on the drive in had me stopping to take in the sight of Yosemite Falls from the lush green meadow by Swinging Bridge. 

It's very easy to pull over on the road, there are wide shoulders where you can park and everyone is driving pretty slow because of the amazing scenery. 

At the Ahwahnee the valet explained that because of Covid they were not able to park my car but they would unload it and have everything taken up to my room. As in Sequoia every single thing had to be removed from my car and trunk because of extreme bear activity in the area. 

I parked the car and walked down the red carpeted entrance to the historic hotel which first opened in 1927. I have wanted to stay at this hotel for as long as I can remember. Well since I watched The Shining for the first time. The Ahwahnee lobby was one of the inspirations for Kubrick's Overlook Hotel in the movie. I mean these elevators are iconic!!

But the entire hotel is grand and steeped in history. Great halls, fireplaces that dwarf an average person, walls covered in photos of past eras. It's all the stuff that makes me happy. And I was even happier when I checked into room #339 and saw my view of Yosemite Falls right outside my window! Ahhhhh!!!

I had dinner that night in the massive timbered dining room. The tables were draped in white linens and there was a piano player. It was lovely, except for the food which had to be delivered in take out containers because of Covid protocol at the time. The food was good even if the plating wasn't.

After dinner I enjoyed a nightcap outside under about one billion stars. With hardly any light pollution the sky was the most beautiful sight. The entire setting was magical. 

The next morning I was back in the dining room for breakfast, on-the-house as my room hadn't been ready when I arrived at check-in the day before. It was a stunning morning, warm and not a cloud in the sky. I packed my backpack and cooler and set out for the drive to Glacier Point; the road had just opened for the season 3 days before my trip!

The Ahwahnee Hotel sits right in the middle of the valley on the 1-way loop road that runs both sides of the Merced River. On the way in there is Tunnel View and on the way out you can stop at Yosemite Valley View for a lovely scene across the river.

I had planned on doing a hike on the way to Glacier Point, but when I drove past Sentinel Dome trail head the parking lot was full and there were cars parked along both sides of the road for a long way in each direction. So I continued on and made Washburn Point my first stop, which has fantastic views of Nevada & Vernal Falls as well as Half Dome. 

Once at Glacier Point the view is the almost unbelievable. You are at an elevation of 7,214 feet, looking 3,200 feet down to the park's floor! I could just spot the Ahwahnee looking like a tiny dot!

It's such a cool visual perspective being up so high and looking across at these massive granite mountains! If the road is open when you visit, I'd say this is a do-not-miss.

Driving back down, I was able to find a place to park by the trail head and set off for Sentinel Dome. The trail is rated as moderate and is only 2+ miles, out and back. The scamper up to the top of the dome at the end of the hike is really the only elevation gain. But at 8,000+ feet altitude and with the heat, it was tough for me! 

But holy hell was the view worth it!! You've got a 360-view of the entire park including the High Sierras. I enjoyed my lunch seated on top of this huge dome within sight of the Jeffrey Pine (now dead) that Ansel Adams made famous in 1940. It was all pretty spectacular and the grin remained on my face for the rest of the day.

On the drive back down towards Tunnel View I stopped on the side of the road to take in the enormity of recent forest fires. Entire hillsides were just charred trunks, absolutely heartbreaking. I think this section was from the 2018 Ferguson Fire but I'm not positive.

As I drove back past Tunnel View and then along the loop road, passing in front of El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Falls, etc. I told myself "you saw all of this yesterday, no stopping, let's get back to the lodge and get a beer!". Who was I kidding... I stopped at every single spot again! The light changes throughout the park so much that I felt like I was looking at things for the very first time!

Back at the Ahwahnee I grabbed a beer from the bar and went outside to the gorgeous patio to enjoy it. As I was relaxing a helicopter came in really close and I watched them perform a rescue on a climber who was stranded on the cliffs above. It was a pretty awesome thing to witness!

I had a lovely dinner in the restaurant again that evening. It had been such an absolutely wonderful day. I was very disappointed that I had only booked 2 nights and not 3. I just loved this lodge and the park so much. The bartender even made excellent Manhattans. 

The next morning after breakfast, I checked out and had the bellhop collect my luggage from my room and store it (couldn't leave it in the car because of bears!) while I went on one last hike. Crossing the hotel's back lawn I found my way to the Mirror Lake trail. 

It's a beautiful and easy trail, over and along the Tenaya Creek, to the base of Half Dome. Since I was short on time I only went as far as Lower Mirror Lake but it was still really gorgeous. And as I passed Washington Column, a couple of guys pointed out the climbers scaling the face to me. So very cool to get to see some climbers!!

On my drive out I made a quick stop at the Ansel Adams Gallery in the village. And then even though I told myself I didn't need to stop and look up at El Capitan or take in the Yosemite Valley View, you know I had to do both. Just one last look!

All photos from Yosemite National Park are here. 

Also on this trip:

Three National Parks, One Road Trip
Sequoia National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
Lake Tahoe in Spring

Rogue River Valley Wine Country

Kings Canyon National Park

Trip date: May 2021

Day 5. Sequoia to Kings Canyon - 50 miles

It's a short drive from the Wuksachi Lodge to the John Muir Lodge in Kings Canyon National Park, just about 50 miles. As I drove the weather turned pretty dramatically and got very cold. 

I checked in at the lodge, a 2-story log cabin style with a big fireplace in the lobby. My room was on the ground floor; nice and large and just a bit run down. Originally I had planned to do a couple of short hikes after checking in but it was so cold, foggy, and damp that I changed my plans.

The lodge didn't have a dining room, or maybe it does but was closed because of Covid, but there is a little village near by with gift shops, a convenience store, and a restaurant (outdoor seating only). I drove over, picked up some wine at the grocery and some warm chili and a salad for dinner and headed back to the lodge. The little storm that had swept in was really cold, the altitude didn't help.

Back at the lodge I hung out in the lobby with some of the other guests, we all chatted about our road trips, gave advice for the different parks, and shared tips on hiking. It felt so normal, so nice, after a year of being on edge around every stranger for fear of coronavirus. 

The front desk person finally made a fire in the fireplace, after everyone repeatedly requested one all afternoon. It was so cozy! A really nice and relaxing day.

The next morning was sunny and bright again. I was really happy that I had skipped hiking the day before, as it just wouldn't have been as enjoyable. I checked out, stopped back in the village for a quick coffee and to mail some postcards, and then made my way to Grants Grove. 

This super short and easy loop thru a grove of giant sequoias includes the 2nd largest sequoia in the world. The General Grant tree is estimated to be 3000 years old, is 267 feet tall and nearly 29 feet wide at the base.

But the grove has other really interesting trees as well! 

The Fallen Monarch, a hollow, downed sequoia fell about 300 years ago. There was a family who lived in it for 10 years in 1868. Then it was used as a hotel for a number of years. And in 1890 it was used as a stable for the US Calvary for 14 years! I just had my coffee in it :)

It was truly a lovely place to wander!

From here I drove down into Kings Canyon to Grizzly Falls. Kings River Canyon is one of the deepest canyons in North America, in fact it is deeper than the Grand Canyon with canyon walls reaching 8200 feet!

Driving that deep from 6000 feet altitude actually gave me quite the vertigo. The road is VERY windy with big drops down to the river below. I took it easy and it took me about an hour to get to the falls. 

It's a stunning area, and I wish I would have had a full day to do the drive more leisurely and explore a bit more. But I was very happy to get a glimpse. And what a glimpse it was!!

I drove back out, really feeling the drastic change in altitude and drove back out of the park the same way I had entered 4 days before. I now had a big 5 hour drive to my next destination; Yosemite!

All photos of Sequoia/Kings Canyon here

Other posts from this trip:

Three National Parks, One Road Trip
Sequoia National Park
Majestic Yosemite National Park
Lake Tahoe in Spring

Rogue River Valley Wine Country

Sequoia National Park

Trip date: May 2021

Day 3. Sacramento to Sequoia - 252 miles

It took me just over 5 hours to drive from Sacramento to the Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park. Most of the drive was very boring; it was dry, dusty, and hot in central California and not a lot to look at. I took CA99 S to CA180 E and was sure to gas up in Dunlap, as there are no gas stations inside the park. That ended up not being entirely true as there is one station on Generals Highway that technically sits outside the park boundaries, but best to go in with a full tank.

My National Park pass allowed me free entry; even if you have a reservation at one of the lodges or campgrounds inside the park you will still be charged an entry fee if you don't have the pass. It was an easy but slow drive through the park to the lodge; it's a twisty road and you also need to be very aware of wildlife. It's also incredibly beautiful with huge groves of sequoias and pines everywhere. 

At the Wuksachi I checked in at the main lodge and then drove off to find my building. All rooms are located about 200 feet away and there are parking lots for each building. Spring is bear season in Sequoia and it is no joke! The front desk told me that EVERYTHING needed to be removed from my car- hand lotion, worn masks, cans of Lacroix, grocery bags, etc. Bears can smell possible food sources from over one mile away and have no problem breaking into car trunks to get at it. Luckily there were luggage carts to help, even if I had to push it up a gravel trail to the front doors of my building!

The lodge is at an elevation of 7200 feet;  I hadn't expected that and I could feel it as I hauled all my stuff, especially as it was also over 80F at 5:30pm! My room was really big with a comfy king bed, a full couch, table/chairs, and luckily maintenance came and put a window fan in for me. 

The lodge had limited tables in their restaurant available, and an outside deck, but the menu was mainly pizza so I decided to stay in for the night, make a martini and finish my delicious sandwich from Corti Bros. The wifi was pretty much non existent so I watched a movie that I had downloaded before arriving. And when it got dark I could see about a billion stars from my window.  

In the morning I had a quick breakfast and coffee outside on the lodge's deck. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and I had a couple of hikes planned and was super excited to get started.

My first stop was Moro Rock, a large granite dome and a very popular hike. Normally you need to park pretty far from the trailhead and take a shuttle because the parking lot gets so crowded, but the shuttle wasn't running yet and I got very lucky with a parking lot right up front.

There are 350 steps that go directly up ½ mile to the top. It's not difficult but it is steep, the steps are very narrow, and it's at an elevation of 6725 feet. The views of the Great Western Divide from the top are absolutely amazing! Also I am supposedly the 4th generation of my family to have hiked up it, my great grandmother being the first to do it when she was 74! 

Mountains √, next up BIG ASS TREES.

Giant sequoias are related to coastal redwood trees but they are one of three different species of redwoods (dawn redwood being the third). These massive trees naturally grow only in a 260 mile area of forest on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains, between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in elevation. And while coastal redwoods are the tallest trees in the world (Hyperion is thought to be 900+ years old and is 379 feet tall!) giant sequoias are the largest. 

I drove to the parking lot for the Congress Trail, a 2 ½ mile paved loop around the largest groves of sequoias in the Giant Forest area. 

First up, the General Sherman Tree, the world's largest tree. It's 275 feet tall and is over 36 feet in diameter at the base. It's absolutely massive to say the least! Did I mention this tree is also estimated to be 2200 years old???

This grove also has the oldest living giant sequoia on earth, the President Tree, estimated to be 3,308 years old and still growing! The President also is estimated to have 2 billion leaves! I had to google what was going on in the world 3000 years ago, do you know? Egypt was building pyramids and they invented paper. And this tree was a sapling. It's hard to wrap your head around!

Originally I had intended to veer off this trail and connect to a longer loop thru one of the meadows, but as I was solo and it was bear season I got a little uncomfortable when I was about ½ mile in and realized there was absolutely no one else around. So I backtracked and finished the loop, thoroughly enjoying every tree. This grove called The House was especially great as you could walk in between and around them.

I had a lovely picnic lunch surrounded by these giants (and a few hundred other tree appreciators), it's an unmissable trail in my opinion. And although it's very easy, it is at 7,000 feet. I found myself catching my breath as I walked back to the parking lot which is an uphill climb.

There was a well deserved beer on the deck when I got back to the lodge!

The next day I packed up and checked out, I was moving on to Kings Canyon National Park, but not before doing one last hike in Sequoia. 

It was a little risky as I'd be leaving my parked car with my cooler, case of Lacroix, toiletries, etc. in the parking lot of the Lodgepole campground. As I've mentioned, this was bear season and there had been a lot of bear activity in the area. I hoped that since it was a busy campground people would deter any thieving bears. 

Tokopah Falls Trail is a 4 mile out and back hike with about a 530 foot elevation gain. It's an absolutely gorgeous hike along the river, through granite canyons, past meadows and forests. It really has it all!

The trail turns into boulders near the end, and you have to scramble a bit to get to where the falls are. Thankfully there were a few people in front of me so I could navigate better!

I enjoyed my lunch on one of the boulders while taking in the falls and the surrounding cliffs. It's a great spot! 

And while taking some photos I noticed something in the rocks move, my first marmot sighting! And these guys were not shy about looking for a hand out!

About ½ way back to my car it started to cloud up and drizzle so I had timed it perfectly. And luckily my car had not been broken into by bears, or anyone else for that matter.

I absolutely LOVED Sequoia National Park. 

All photos here. 

Also on this trip:

Three National Parks, One Road Trip
Kings Canyon National Park
Majestic Yosemite National Park
Lake Tahoe in Spring

Rogue River Valley Wine Country

Three National Parks, One Road Trip

Trip date: May 2021

After my fall road trip to California's redwood forest I was even more interested in visiting the Giant Sequoias on the other side of the state. I decided to do a spring road trip, this time visiting Sequoia National Forest, Kings Canyon National Forest, Yosemite National Forest, and Lake Tahoe. Unlike the redwoods, I had never been to any of these places!

With the world still dealing with the Covid pandemic I felt this would again be a safe way to explore, and made my plans to revolve almost entirely around outdoor hiking and exploring. As an unexpected bonus I was able to get my vaccine a month before my trip so I was fully vaxxed when I left.

Day 1. Seattle, WA to Ashland, OR - 480 miles

My first day would consist of an almost 8 hour day of driving. That's a lot for me, I prefer to keep things around 5 if possible. I stopped in Portland on my way to Ashland and had a nice lunch and catch up with a friend. 

I was on my final hour, driving over Grant's Pass when all of a sudden my BMW lost power. I was able to get over to the side of the road (semi trucks everywhere!) and call BMW Road Service. They connected me to Medford BMW and I was able to persuade the service guy to let me bring the car in first thing the next morning after explaining my situation. Luckily the car was driveable, although still acting strange even after a "re-boot". Definitely not how I wanted this big solo 2-week road trip to start!

My first night stay was at the Lithia Springs Resort, just outside of Ashland. Friends had stayed there just a couple of weeks prior and really liked it. It seemed a little silly to stay at a hotsprings resort for just one night, but it was actually cheaper than the Best Western I had originally booked!

Knowing that the on-site restaurant was not open because of Covid, I stopped at Blue Toba for some Indonesian take out before I checked in. Once I got into my room I made a quick change into my suit, grabbed a chilled wine spritzer from my cooler, and hit the natural springs hot tub. After the stress of the car, this was exactly what I needed. Never mind the warning on the spa gate that bears had been sighted in the area recently!

I was so happy to be staying at this gorgeous little retreat. Natural spring water is also in all of the rooms so you can take advantage of it in the shower and bathtub. The grounds are gorgeous and my room was huge and very comfortable. 

Also my beef rangdon from Blue Toba was super good but VERY spicy! 

Day 2. Ashland to Sacramento - 308 miles

I was up early in order to be at the BMW dealership by 7:30am. I had to arrive before the first appointments so they could squeeze my car in for diagnostics. I was out of the dealership by 10am only $120 lighter and they included a car wash! Thank gawd!

Before hitting the road to Sacramento, I stopped at Lithia Park in Ashland and did the easy loop hike around the creek. This was such a great suggestion made by some friends of mine, highly recommend if you are in Ashland!

I had about a 5-hour drive and it was a gorgeous sunny spring day for it. Unlike the last time I drove past Mt. Shasta and couldn't see a thing because of forest fire smoke, this time it was directly in front of me until I passed her.

I stopped again just past Shasta to do another short hike at Hedge Creek Falls. It felt good to get off of I5 and get into a little nature for about 30 minutes.

By now I was starving so I stopped at an In-n-Out burger in Redding. As I sat outside eating my delicious burger I couldn't help but notice that there were a lot of cowboy-looking guys also grabbing a bite. One of them who was chatting with me mentioned something about moving cattle that time of year. My BMW looked a little out of place next to all the big dusty pickups in the parking lot!

I arrived in Sacramento and checked into the Inn Off Capitol Park. The hotel was fine but the location and the $12 overnight and secure parking made it great! I originally planned to do a little walking tour around town since it was my first time there, but it was crazy HOT and a cool beverage sounded much better.

I walked over to The Snug and had a couple of absolutely lovely drinks. This cocktail bar had been on my list to check out for quite some time, and even though the inside was closed due to Covid, the patio, service, and cocktails were wonderful. Highly recommend!

I walked to The Waterboy for dinner, checking out the neighborhoods as I went. Sacramento has some beautiful old houses!

My dinner was great and the service was really good. I was a little confused as to why they were able to have indoor seating and most of the staff went unmasked. But since I had my vaccine I was still feeling ok with it and enjoyed my goat cheese salad and duck breast entree. 

The next morning I did a big walking self-tour of the city. I strolled past the Governor's Mansion, spent some time in the Rose Garden, and absolutely adored all the trees and plants on the Capitol Mall (they say there is plant species from every place on the globe!). 

Then I made my way past the court buildings and walked around the grounds of Leland Stanford Mansion before heading to the Tower Bridge and Old Sacramento. 

There's a lot to see in Sacramento! I thought it seemed like a super nice city and could definitely have fun spending a couple of days there. But I had a national park to get to so I walked back to my hotel (after hitting 10k steps before lunch!), loaded up the car, and hit the road.

Before getting on 99 South towards Fresno I stopped at Corti Brothers for a sandwich. This had been a recommendation and what a stellar one it was! Corti is a HUGE Italian grocery store and their deli is very popular with the locals as I could see from the line of business folks, policemen, parents with their kids, etc. 

I thoroughly enjoyed ½ of my sandwich at one of the highway rest stops on the way to Sequoia National!

All photos from Ashland and Sacramento here. 

Also on this trip:

Sequoia National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
Majestic Yosemite National Park
Lake Tahoe in Spring

Rogue River Valley Wine Country