The kids were up early this morning and played in their pajamas for a bit.
Janie even rode her bike up and down the hill in her PJs.
After breakfast, the kids snacked on watermelon and played in the shelter.
We took a very short hike up the trail to see what was up there.
The kids did their own version of hiking up and down the rock piles.
Peanut was a filthy mess by mid-day and it was too hot to take a nap in the tent.
We cooled off with more watermelon that was chilled in the cooler and then cut up. Peanut found out that Reese is just as much of a watermelon monster.
The kids found ways to keep themselves entertained.
Other friends arrived in the afternoon and brought their puppy.
Check out our circle of wagons – much needed for bringing all our stuff to the campsite from the car.
At dusk, we roasted marshmallows and the kids had so many s’mores.
We are camping in Oakland this weekend! Right after swim, we headed home, packed up the car, and drove up the hill to our campsite in Redwood Regional Park. The 0.8-mile hike up the hill from the car to the campsite with ALL our stuff was rough but we made it. By the time we had the tents up and dinner warmed, it was 9pm and everyone enjoyed Dada’s beef stew.
We slept under the stars last night. It was warm enough to remove the fly from the top of the tent.
Our campsite is close to the lake beach but not really clean enough to play.
On our drive through the campground, we saw a family of deer nearby.
We spent the day hanging out, playing, and snacking. Peanut also kept up with his potty training.
Janie also showed Mama how good she was at playing Mancala. She kept winning and her little fingers move so quickly!
In the evening, we went into town for their July 4th celebration.
Unfortunately, we headed back to the campsite when the sun was going down and didn’t get to watch the fireworks that night. We were already in our sleeping bags by the time they went off in the distance.
On our second full day, we took the shutter bus to the Giant Forest Museum.
We learned the life cycle of a tree and then went for a walk to the meadow nearby.
It was lined with giant sequoias and there were little streams here and there.
Here is Peanut at the base of a fallen tree. It’s so big!!
After lunch, Janie turned her book into the Park Ranger, took an oath, and then received her Junior Park Ranger badge!
We also purchased a National Park passport and went around collecting a few stamps to commemorate our visit.
Back at the campground, Peanut took a nap and Janie hung out in the hammock with Dada.
Later it was snack time and then the kids went exploring. It’s great to watch them find new things to play and do.
The kids tried to make a teeter-totter. It was fun until Peanut got catapulted off. It looks worse than it actually was. He was just fine when it happened and got back on.
Peanut also found a stump that made a perfect drum.
They also had fun playing in the tent. The flashlights were a big hit.
Turns out it gets REALLY cold at night in Sequoia. Everyone slept with their heads covered and it was very painful getting up to go pee in the morning.
Mama and Janie were up first so we got a little snuggle time in before Peanut popped his head out and eventually woke up.
It was still pretty cold during breakfast. Peanut and Mama had their matching puffy jackets on today.
Janie convinced Dada to build a fire to help her warm her hands so the kids sat by the smokey fire sharing blueberries while the bacon and eggs were cooking.
After breakfast, we headed out to one of the Visitor Centers (Lodgepole) for a look around. We learned about all the different creatures that live in this National Park and watched a short video about bears and safety.
We also picked up a Junior Park Ranger workbook for Janie. It included a bunch of activities that she is supposed to complete and return later in order to become a Junior Park Ranger.
What’s great about this park is that there’s a bus that goes around to the different sites. So, we hopped on and got dropped off at Giant Forest where we walked down almost a mile to the main attraction.
The kids did great on the walk down and we stopped for a few photos on the way down.
Here is the General Sherman Tree, which is the world’s largest tree.
At the next bus stop, there was a fallen tree with a tunnel carved out.
For lunch, we ate our packed picnic back at Lodgepole.
Then on the way back to the campsite, both kids fell asleep and finished their naps in the minivan once we arrived.
For dinner, we picked up a pizza at Stony Creek Lodge and brought it back to the campsite.
The kids had a blast being silly with each other, which is an endearing thing to watch as they giggled together.
Of course, the evening ended with more s’mores and the kids were really getting the hang of it.
Once little brother went to sleep in the tent, Janie had a few giggles with Dada too.
