Topic: California

Little man meets big trees: Exploring the alien world of Sequoia National Park

By David W. Shelton | June 1, 2007 |

Clarksville Online Across America: While visiting central California, CO Co-Editor David W. Shelton was told that Sequoia National Park was less than an hour’s drive away, so off he went.

Photography by David W. Shelton

While visiting Visalia, CA on business this week, I had a day to explore the area. I was told that Sequoia National Park was less than an hour’s drive away, so off I went. Visalia is in the central valley of California which is about as flat as one could imagine. There aren’t many trees in the area (unless they’re citrus).

Needless to say, I was in no way prepared for the world that I was to encounter.My first indicator that the scenery was about to take a dramatic turn was the sudden onset of hills as I drove along highway 198 toward the park. The instructions to get there were pretty simple: “Get on 198 and keep going.”

Once I reached the entry of the park, I opted for the $20 one-time visit fee, which would have allowed me to come back any point in a seven-day period. Oh, if I only had that much time! I was directed to the welcome center, which was about a mile down the road. I didn’t make it that far before I was distracted by one of nature’s spectacles.

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