Breathtaking Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

--- 27th July (Friday) ---


Dorst Creek Campground at Sequoia National Park
Our #159 campsite at 6,720ft (2048m)
My friends stayed at #161 and #162.
(Sony Cybershot DSC-V1)


Campsite Scenery
(Sony Ericsson K800i Camera Phone)


Food Storage Locker
This is the most troublesome part of the whole camping trip. All coolers, food, drinks, toiletries, and basically everything that are scented have to be stored inside the locker (not even in our vehicles). Why? We are in black bear habitat (active bear area!!!) and bears can break into vehicles if they see or smell signs of food. Btw, proper food storage is required legally so as to help decrease the chance of personal injury or property damage. You cannot even leave the locker slightly opened, nor can you turn your back against an opened locker... if you are caught by a ranger, there goes your US$150.
(Sony Ericsson K800i Camera Phone)


Food Preparation
It's too difficult to wash vege... hence, we got someone to wipe it with damp paper towels. Faint! =)
(Sony Ericsson K800i Camera Phone)


Bak Kut Teh and Rice
Jul 27 (Fri): We had piping hot bak kut teh, salad, and rice for dinner.
(Sony Ericsson K800i Camera Phone)


--- 28th July (Saturday) ---


Luncheon Meat
Jul 28 (Sat): We had fried luncheon meat and egg sandwiches for breakfast. For convenience, the same sandwiches were packed for lunch (to bring along our hiking trip). We had bbq for dinner (no pic).
(Sony Ericsson K800i Camera Phone)


Beverage Mama Shop in the Wild
When everyone brings a little... this is what you'll have.
This is basically a 'luxury' camp where we bring along pots and pans, bottled fuel for cooking, portable grills and stoves, and some even bring along their pillows... =)
(Sony Ericsson K800i Camera Phone)


Panoramic Point, Grant Grove Area in Kings Canyon
A 7,700ft high ridge (located 0.25-mile from the parking area)
(Sony Alpha DSLR-A100)


Panoramic Point, Grant Grove Area in Kings Canyon
This point offers a magnificent view of the deep canyons of the Middle and South forks of the Kings River, portions of the Sierra Nevada crest, and the northern end of the Great Western Divide. Frankly, which is which?
(Sony Cybershot DSC-V1)


Park Ridge Trail
This is a 4-mile (6.4km) round-trip trail from Panoramic Point to the Park Ridge Fire Lookout.
(Sony Cybershot DSC-V1)


Along Park Ridge Trail
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Along Park Ridge Trail
(Sony Cybershot DSC-V1)


Along Park Ridge Trail
Beautiful shot...
(Sony Alpha DSLR-A100)


Fire Lookout Tower
We break for lunch here before returning...
(Sony Alpha DSLR-A100)


View from Top of Fire Lookout Tower
Yes, go ahead and climb up the flight of stairs...
(Sony Cybershot DSC-V1)


Fire Lookout Instrument
A volunteer was on duty and he showed us how to use this instrument to pinpoint the location of forest fires (need to align the rule to the crosshair to the smoke).
(Sony Cybershot DSC-V1)


Along Park Ridge Trail
Return via road...
(Sony Cybershot DSC-V1)


--- 29th July (Sunday) ---


General Sherman Tree in Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park
The General Sherman Tree is more than 2,000 years old, and has the distinction of being the largest living tree in the world. See how big this tree is...
(Sony Alpha DSLR-A100)


Renee & I are taking off...
Along a short trail from 'overflow' parking lot to Giant Forest Museum
(Sony Cybershot DSC-V1)


Sleeping Buddha
Hoho...
(Sony Cybershot DSC-V1)


Moro Rock in Giant Forest Area, Sequoia National Park
Xian & I right at the top waiting for the others...
This granite monolith at the edge of the Giant Forest Plateau. The 0.25-mile trail (approx. 400 steep steps) leads to the top of the barren rock (6,725ft elevation). At the top, there is unparalleled view of the Great Western Divide (to the east), the river canyon with jagged Castle Rocks (to the south), and a portion of the San Joaquin Valley (to the sourthwest on a clear day).
(Sony Alpha DSLR-A100)


Top of Moro Rock
I climbed up a rock and sat there for a few minutes to enjoy the magnificient views.
(Sony Alpha DSLR-A100)


View from Top of Moro Rock
(Sony Alpha DSLR-A100)


View from Top of Moro Rock
(Sony Alpha DSLR-A100)


View from Top of Moro Rock
Can you see the winding road?
(Sony Ericsson K800i Camera Phone)


Going down Moro Rock
(Sony Alpha DSLR-A100)


Going down Moro Rock
(Sony Cybershot DSC-V1)


Going down Moro Rock
(Sony Ericsson K800i Camera Phone)


Tunnel Log
The only fallen sequoia "tree you can drive through"...
(Sony Alpha DSLR-A100)


Crescent Meadow
Summer wildflowers in a fragile meadow...
John Muir is said to have called this lovely, grassy, open area the "gem of the Sierra"
(Sony Alpha DSLR-A100)


Black Bear
When you least expected it, it appears...
We finally spotted a black bear on our way back (within the stretch of road under construction).
Another Sony Point-and-Shoot Camera

Bye Bye Sequoia!

Returning the balance...

First Incident
Kal asked Xian to get a watermelon before we go over to his hse for dinner. We went to Ralphs, grabbed one in a rush and almost fell to the ground. Not because it's super huge and heavy, but because we almost fainted after seeing the price: US$14+ (price is by weight)... bloody expensive. We still went ahead and pay. After reaching, Kal decided that it was too expensive and decided to return it. I tell you, I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYONE RETURN A WATERMELON... I mean, it's super hard or even impossible to return any non-perishable purchases in Singapore - usually they only allow exchange. So being the mountain tortoise & kaypoh me, I decided to follow Kal & S.H. to another Ralphs outlet (nearer Kal's place) to witness what I thought was 'mission impossible'. They managed to return the expensive watermelon and bought a small honeydew and small watermelon at US$2 each... Ralphs returned us the US$10+ balance in cash.

Second Incident
A Ralphs receipt I got has smth extra printed on it (If it was Xian, he'll probably not have noticed it). It says something like "Congratulation, you won a US$11 voucher... blah blah blah". So on our last grocery shopping trip, we grabbed the things we need and went ahead to make payment with the receipt. Since Xian is a member, there are some discounts and the total amount comes up to $10.71. LUGI LIAO??? Oh NO NO NO... over here, no LUGI one. They returned us 29 cents. Wah seh, seriously, I really didn't expect this to happen... In Singapore, where got such thing?

Some Observations

I was greeted by all the cashiers. They asked me how's my day, etc... In comparison, Singapore really needs improvement in this aspect...

However, the cashiers here really need more training in packing items. I realized that they don't really differentiate the items and just pack them in a first-scan, first-pack manner. This aspect is especially serious during 'rush hours'...

Some of My FIRSTs...

Been to Desert Hills Premium Outlets for shopping...
This is the first time I feel that some branded goods can actually be affordable (I mean those 'On Sale' items... hoho)


Ahhhh, Jurassic Restaurant...
*The dinosaurs eat me or I eat them?!?*
(15301 Gale Ave, City of Industry, CA 91745 / Phone: 626-336-5899)


Interior deco of Jurassic - a Taiwanese restaurant


Newport Pier & Beach...


Newport Pier & Beach...


Saw it before but this is the first time I personally use a parking meter... (17 mins left)

So many firsts...
First time eat this and that,
first time see this and that,
first time cook this and that,
first time experience/try this and that...
I'M LOVING IT!

Yummilicious Home Cooked Food in U.S.

Sharon's Laksa at Kal's place...


The first chicken rice I've cooked...

I think I've cooked more food in U.S. over these 0.5 months than my 28+ yrs in SIN...

Have tried 四神汤, 'lor bah', baked marinated salmon/chicken/onion, baked rice, hainanese chicken rice (see pic above), stir fried veg with mushrooms (e.g. cauliflower, asparagus, broccoli), banana pancakes, soup/dry ramen, spaghetti, fried ikan bilis with onion & chilli, salad (eh, no need to cook but I realized there's much nicer sauces than thousand island), scrambled egg with tofu (eh, this doesn't taste nice... I think steamed egg with minced pork will probably taste nicer)...