Road Trip 2009: Day 1 & 2
Hikers are optimists. The trail promises to lead to the desination. There will be strained muscles, perspiration, and cardio-vascular challenges. On the trail, there are the unpredictable: bears, deers, animals, insects, poisonous plants, or treachorous conditions. Yet there is faith: the end will be rewarding and the path will be worth it. Me? I just want to spend time with family, whatever activities.
I met a couple from Costa Rica. The husband is a photographer. They have been staying in this park for 2 weeks, looking for wild lives. He encountered 36 bears! “Sequoia is much better than Yosemite,” he said. “There is no crowd and you can still find animals.” Competitively speaking, I thought, this far-away national park faces Yosemite and Humboldt Redwood Forest. It naturally attracts those like this Costa Rican photgrapher. It is his 7th visit.
On our way out, I drove slowly down the steep winding road. There wasn’t any car behind me and my passengers were dozing off. Suddenly, I brought the car to a screeching halt.
Everyone, including Dog, was wide awake and stunned. A brown bear was sitting in the middle of the road, no more than 50 feet in front of us. The bear studied us and vanished into the hill side before I can reach for the camera. Very cool.
Gateway Restaurant and Lodge is excessively expensive, typical for a place selling its location more than anything else. If you cannot find a place inside the park, there are choices several miles from the entrance.