Sequoia and King Canyon National Park

Below are some highlights from our trip to King Canyon and Sequoia National Park.

Max was wide awake the whole 4 hours of the trip:

Ever since I heard about the giant Sequoia tree, I've been wanting to see them. However, it took a long time to convince Chris to go. They're just big trees; what's a big deal about it he thought. And he changed his mind once he saw the Sequoia trees:

They're HUGE. We can't help but praise the Lord the Creative Creator.

Although Max still couldn't comprehend the significant size of the trees, he was having tons of fun being outdoor:

Most of the time, Max either walked or being carried on Chris' back.Thank God for strong daddy. :) I tried to do that once - and only last for 1 minute.

We stayed at Hume Lake Christian Camps {update on Summer 2019 I try to book and found that they are no longer open for public}. We love that place and its staffs.

Pardon the fuzzy picture taken with my broken camera. It is written, "Hume Lake Christian Camps: 320 Acres dedicated to the glory of God and proclaiming the kingdom of His Son Jesus Our Savior." Amazing!!! I wonder shouldn't every Christian's home proclaim the same thing? Ours would be: The Rustams' residence: 1000 sq feet dedicated to the glory of God and proclaiming the kingdom of His Son Jesus Our Savior. :)

Enjoying the beautiful lake view on the camp

"The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it" Psalm 24:1

We had a full itinerary for day 2. Started with boating:

This was the first time for Max to be on the boat. He was able to stay put sitting on the first row, enjoying the ride and the beautiful scenery.

Then he decided to help daddy out

Next we're going to see the biggest tree in the world. On the way there, we saw some snow so we stopped and played with it.

This was Max's first encounter with snow. He wasn't sure what to do with it at first
So he tasted it.

Hmmm.... It didn't taste that great. Better turn it into a ball and throw it to Papa

He's having a ball for sure

Then off we went to the BIG three...

See the big tree behind us? That's General Sherman - the biggest tree in the world

Max refused to look at the camera so mommy has to bribe him with snack

That tree = 21 elephants stacked up together

 
Then the baby fell asleep on the way back. While he was sleeping, we managed to stop by 2 other point of interests:

The Tunnel Log:

That's our 16 years old baby - still running well. Way to go, babe! :)

Next stop is The Auto Log:

Then Max woke up, charged, and ready to hike again. Next stop is:

Crescent Meadow

Followed by hiking the Moro Rock, our last destination before we left the park.

 Sequoia is known as the home of many black bears so I was hoping to see one - not too close of course. And guest what lo and behold God answered my silly prayer:

We also saw a deer. Max can't take his eyes out of it:

Saw a rock climber on our way to the top:

Those hiking poles are such a big help especially when you have to carry a 27 lbs toddler

Almost there

Family picture from the top of Moro Rock taken by another couple who celebrated their 28th anniversary. I told Chris we should come back 20 years later :)

The road home was very windy. I drove so I didn't have any problem but both of my boys were having a hard time. Chris had a headache and almost threw up. I'm sure Max felt the same. He was fuzzy and cried on and off the whole hour of the trip to the hotel where we stayed for the night.

Overall, we LOVE Sequoia and really grateful for the chance to enjoy His beautiful creation.