here we go guys.
so i haven't taken a vacation in many years but i didn't want to just sit around taking one.i wanted to make it count and see the states plus stay a week in California and that i did and so much more.............

im single (long since divorced) and i went solo.no compromises! my speed,my way,no hassles.i rented a car and stayed at motel 6's.i self toured a lot of the us on an affordable budget.simply because i didn't need nor want to spend more than required to do it.everything went great and here is my journey.i hope you enjoy.

day 1.
i left march 6 and returned march 25.
when i left we had 3.5' of snow and it was below freezing here in mid Maine.
i rented my car in Augusta Maine and drove to Winchester VA non stop.no points of interest,undocumented.strictly making time while fully fresh.

 

day 2

i drove from va to lookout mountain & ruby falls in Chattanooga Tennessee for my first point of interest.

"In 1928, Leo Lambert and a team of excavators found a breathtaking waterfall located over 1,120 feet below the surface of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, TN. Lambert named the falls after his wife, Ruby, and opened the area as a public attraction in 1930."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Falls
so take an elevator way down into this cave where a guided tour takes an hour.you watch a short film down there,walk through the cave looking at stalagmites that resemble many different things.lights that shine upon water and look amazing.then you walk up to this open dark room where you can hear the thunderous roar of a very tall waterfall and feel the mist.then they turn the lights on and it's simply stunning........




so over 1,000' below the earths surface you witness this jaw dropping spectacle! shes 145' tall and lit up with colored lights! before your eyes and ears roars and flows the tallest commercial underground waterfalls in the world!







then you walk back around to the elevator,go back up and exit to the lookout where the view is so vast,apparently you can see 7 states.



as i will state several times below at my stops "this is a must visit" well this is one too if it's on your road trip route or you live 10 hours away or so and can make a weekend out of it.if you live within 2 hours of this and haven't been........shame on you!
i then headed up the mountain road to the top to explore and find the park,beautiful homes and landscapes,a stone church and school etc.
after,i drove to Manchester Tennessee to my next motel for the night.

 

day 3.

next i drive to hot springs Arkansas to check out the park.
when they say hot springs,they ain't kidding! that water comes right from the earth hotter than you would want to bath in.it might feel really good,but i tell ya you would be getting in some slow lol.this was pretty cool to visit for 20-30 mins then i had to run.absolutely beautiful little park.a great stop.i wouldn't call it a must visit,but it sure is a good one! it was a little rainy as you can see but nothing serious.






next i drive up through ouachita national forest
https://www.google.com/search?q=ouac...w=1536&bih=670
(sorry no pics,the picnic areas/park roads closed for winter but a pretty drive anyway)
up to my next motel in Fort Smith Arkansas.

 

day 4.
Oklahoma's wichita mountains wildlife refuge!

day 4 was a whopper.my first big stop and self tour day,complete with a great hike.the time of year couldn't have been more perfect for a lot of these stops because there are hardly any of us tourist right now so i was able to zip around quickly all over this wonderful wildlife refuge.

here i got to see bison free roaming the great plains of Oklahoma!
very cool.not only this,but they have a great visitor center with lots of displays and info.there is a small holy city,great hiking trails,and spectacular scenic views.
Oklahoma for me,was love at first site.just a very cool state.she's a pretty one with very rich history of native Americans.being a native myself this place (the state in general) really reached out and grabbed me.it was a bit drizzly and overcast but it didn't dampen my spirit and it was still warm.was a great day,among many.












i did bring a pair of binoculars with me,and i did get to use them here.this pic was the last bison i saw of about 8.i saw one laying down at first,then way out away from the road about a half dozen grazing then this one here.as you can probably guess,it almost goes without saying im defiantly going to call this place a must visit.you don't want to miss this one.
as the sun was setting,i began to drive to my next motel in Amarillo Texas.

 

day 5.
the petrified forest national park.

sorry Texans,i just didn't have time for your home on this trip.i was in and out at dark going both directions.i just caught a bit of sleep and some video on the road just around sunrise as i was exiting out the other side.

next stop,the petrified forest national park.you drive in here and you feel as if you just left planet earth (and no,the pics don't do the place justice) you first drive in to whats called the painted desert and rightfully named.it's really spectacular.
lots of trails and i did about 5-6 miles worth all together,including down into the painted desert a ways.great hikes and of course you see a lot of petrified wood which is beyond strange looking.









this is a must visit for anyone planning to vacation at/around the grand canyon area.
as i just very closely (again due to the time of year without much traffic in there,and very fast paced hiking) saw just about all of this park,i headed out as the sun was going down.i don't recommend trying to see this whole park in a single day.if you have time,take at least two here.it's a special place to hang out at.being on a big road trip,i had to pick my spots.be sure to hike down into the painted desert! that looks as if it might be the most overlooked trail, however i found it to be the best part!

i arrived at night below the south rim entrance of the grand canyon national park in Williams Arizona where i got some shut eye before taking a gander at a big hole in the ground.

more to come tomorrow with day 6,the grand freaking canyon!

 

Great pics...thanks for sharing your adventure!!!

 

thanx! i sure took a lot of them.way too many to share here of course.im glad your enjoying.

 

day 6.

what mega road trip would be complete without the almighty grand canyon tossed in for good measure right?
iv wanted to see this majestic site (like so many of us) since i was a little boy and though it may of been a bit overcast it sure didn't disappoint.like so many things on this trip,this was the first surreal visit.so huge,so massive,so spectacular,so brightly colored so.......lost for words.you feel as if surely you must be dreaming.now as you look at these and any of the pics you have ever seen of this major spectacle,keep this in mind when you view them; if you were standing below in any of these pics,you'd be so small you would never be able to see yourself.yes standing before this,after so many years with the desire to see it,i can honestly and admittedly say,she did just about bring me to tears.
here she is,the grand canyon national park and various south rim overlooks.....







i also checked out a museum and a nature trail that showed the history of the native people.that was really nice (no pics.i only took video here.)
tip; half a day for the grand canyon isn't enough! but for a mega road trip style vaca,it fit the bill.
then after driving down into the village where they had a train,lots of parking and lodging (was pretty crowded down this way) it was time to head out promptly because next up.........the hoover dam!



so after driving up here i just barely miss the last guided tour of the day.rather than let it dampen my spirit,i simply say to myself; that's ok.something to look forward to for next time!
nothing short of spectacular here either.truly it is as they say she is; a modern engineering marvel.she's massive as well as the scenic views and the monster bridge (another thing i didn't have time for; walking the bridge.making the next visit also well rounded with a walk,and a tour.)







what a great ending to such a majestic day!
i don't need to state these two places are a must visit.we all know they are.i just wouldn't recommend trying to see them both in one day.too quick for both places,but as you'll see i wanted to save most of my time for Cali.
then as the sun was going down,i head to my next motel over at Ridgecrest California.
besides the road itself being the destination (which reminds me,i did check out historic route 66 back in new mexico or arizona and i had thought i took a few pics,but i guess it's all just video here too.darn.)
so was the vast land of California where i would remain exploring for a full week and after doing so,it's little wonder why so many call this wonderful state home.she's far more marvelous than i had ever imagined! i'll be sharing with you this great state in the next few posts and a few things she has to offer so hold on to your seats!

 

Huh. So this is where you've been. Your absence on the FTE has not gone unnoticed

 

ahh it's been too peaceful hey? well now that im back,i can fix that.

 

No no not at all!

Just so many E4DOA threads going un-answered!!!!

 

day 7.
site seeing scenic winding mountain roads at elevations that will easily trump Maine's highest peak (mt katahdin) and the sequoia national forest.

ahh finally! a break from the interstate,4 lane city highways,rush hour traffic and truckers blocking the two lanes trying to crawl past each other! now im at my "semi" destination where i can kinda kick back a bit. im in California for a week.

so i grab a cup of coffee.........oh hey guys.you'll be sad to hear this;but there is no dunkin donuts out west!!!! oh man did i miss my D-n-D! i had no idea the franchise wasn't all over the us.i don't recall where i lost them,someplace around or before tn even.they appear to just be in/around the eastern time zone.
so going without dunkin donuts and moxie was a bit of a struggle for this Mainer lol!

so anyway,i head up rt.178 to sierra way which turns into mountain hwy 99.follow this up to a little town called Johnsondale.
in or before Johnsondale i stop for lunch and a store clerk informs me,the road i need to cross is closed for winter still,due to ice.i kept driving though,so this must have been way down lower some place just heading up towards Johnsondale.anyway im glad i did,even though i knew i couldn't get through (was scenic driving and looking for giant sequoia at the same time.no particular order nor rush.)
anyway i find this very long,winding road of which i'll learn will be just one of many with breathtaking views and turn outs! the air isn't anywhere near as clean and clear as it is in Maine guys.i knew this and was prepared.it sure is a good thing they are strict with emissions laws out there because they need to be.

latter i drive back down,go out around and up into the forest from the west side this time.entered by Springville where i could get into the forest and up into where a grove of sequoia are located.looking for the 5th largest tree in the world called the stagg tree.i don't think i ended up finding it but i find the giants and this tree lover & arborist was walking in heaven on earth!
up around the stagg tree on ponderosa drive,just an hour or so before sunset,yours truly was is awe! looking up and hugging giants and having a blast seeing these things for the first time!
it's been years and years since iv wanted to walk among the giants and i wasn't disappointed! just like standing before the grand canyon..........pics don't do these justice and extremely surreal!








this one below was so massive,i thought it might be the stagg tree at the time.looking at pics online,im not sure.no matter though.when i parked my rental car by it,this well over 250' tall behemoth had a trunk wider than my car was long!

here i am below hugging one of the first ones i see.

a true tree hugger! lol.i could have pulled my pants up first haha.i forgot to pack my belt!

im over 6' and tip the scales over 240.im nothing but an ant to this thousand + year old girl! i'll soon see many in the following days that will double,triple and probably even quadruple this ones trunk size!
i remain up here in the mountains like a kid in a candy store.while most of these homes are vacant summer homes,i drive and walk around here until it's to dark to see!
i finally drive down off the mountain to my next motel in Porterville.at long last,i had just fulfilled a life long dream,to walk among the giant sequoia and i couldn't have slept any better that night!

 

day 8.
sequoia and kings canyon national parks.

oh boy.what a time i had in Cali.day 2 was no exception with the hike up moro rock and walking among more giants!
this is going to be tough picking just a few pics that will describe this day but i'll try..........


ok so moro rock trail consist of climbing over 300 steps or something crazy.basically it's a trail with giant sequoia and at the end,you climb up a massive stair case and hiking trail,that takes you right up and out onto a giant rock,called moro rock and the views up here are breathtaking.your way up the mountain so you've really got to pace yourself because the air is so thin,everyone on the climb is huffing and buffing lol.
so start with the drive up.awesome as all the drives up all these mountain roads are and you come to the park.



on or just off a side trail,i found a monster named: the Roosevelt tree.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_%28tree%29



then i get to moro rock and start my climb up into the heavens.


up,up,up the skinny stairway,with open rock views along the way;


until you reach the top to feast your eyes on this;




now that friends is discovering California in all her glory right here.it was nothing short of spectacular.yes ^ that's the road i drove up to get to the park you see there.all the way up,you can see this massive rock sticking up out of the side of the mountain.

stay tuned.this day isn't over yet.iv got to put some coffee on.......yes.dunkin donuts coffee that is.

so i drive around to see more park features including "tunnel log",i park my car by "the parker group" more giants and the ever so impressive general sherman.he stands proudly as the number #1 largest living tree by volume in the world people! yes on this day,i see the worlds largest tree! talk about right in my glory!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Sherman_%28tree%29

the parker group;

tunnel log (yes i drove my car right through it with ease!)

just a giant beside the road i was able to use my rental car as a size reference to help scale these monsters for pics.


^ no.it's no camera trick lol.i don't know any.if i had a tape measure,yes im fairly sure it's trunk is wider than this car is long as many of them appear to be.(it's a 2014 toyota corolla if you want to google the cars length.)

here he is!!!! the largest tree on planet freaking earth lol! pics just don't do this monster any justice at all.you've got to go see it yourself!

in this pic there is lady on the right,standing before it for scale.this helps drastically.what a monster right! you feel like a tiny ant walking beneath these giants.feels just like you walked back into time of the Jurassic era or something.simply amazing!


in case you don't see the little (full size woman lmao) in the pic,she's right over here ^ just left and behind the normal size tree (dark coat.)
that really puts the size of this tree in perspective for ya! just like looking at the grand canyon really.it's hard for the brain to accept and take it in.very surreal!

i did go on to walk around another big loop (vast amounts of several day hiking/miles upon miles you can camp/hike along in here) and saw a few other famously named trees that apparently i forgot to snap pics of,but just grabbed video of instead.i want to say they were something like "president" and "chief" right in there side by side but so many great giants all along the trails in here.do all you can until your feet are killing you lol!

after a day of walking under some of the famous giants i wanted more! off to my next motel at dark in Fresno.

 

day 9.

back into the forest for more walks under giant trees.
my 3rd day in this wonderful,amazing,gorgeous state they call California all the way over on the other side of the us!

it's back into the kings canyon national park to see the tree which holds the record for being the 2nd largest in the world!
"the general grant" AKA "the nations xmas tree"
General Grant (tree) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

so i go onto the congress loop trail to see more features.one of which is a old fallen tree.a hollowed out log you can walk through along the trail,lengthwise.see the general grant, and like many of these old gals,see it's fire scar.also there's a cabin and a very large stump where an info board states a teacher once had a class upon.some pretty cool features.a trail that shouldn't be missed when visiting this park.







lastly i end up driving to and then hiking to what may have been my overall favorite sequoia tree.being an arborist i can fully appreciate this ones current state of self healing.when a tree gets a scare,it will produce some wood called cambium aka wound wood to close over and heal the scar.this giant specimen is currently doing this perfectly and it's solitude location makes it a very pleasant and extra surreal feeling.as well as just a wonderful hike in general.
so the road was closed.still a little snow in places up this high in the shadows.this means i had to walk into the trail head first.making the overall hike a total of 7 to 7.5 miles round trip but after the congress loop it was still early enough to do so.i did see another car parked by the road,but never did meet anyone else in here (we probably passed on the loop cus the car was gone when i returned.) so i walked into "stump meadow" where my heart ached seeing all the tree stumps where they selfishly cut these magnificent trees,that took thousands of years to grow,for lumber.don't laugh.even if your not a tree hugger like i am,i bet you'll be saddened after enjoying the sequoia and then walk into what feels like this graveyard too.then i reached the trail head loop,got to "the boole tree". the worlds # 6 largest tree and just really enjoyed this one.it's got a hollow on it's back side that i was easily able to walk right inside of this tree.then it was onto the rest of the loop for more great scenic views.this was by far one of my most favorite hikes of all time and i hike quite a bit here in Maine.this one was really something.







into trees a little,a lot or not at all matters not.you'll enjoy the giant sequoia groves of California that still remain! put them down as an absolute must visit! your appreciation for trees in general will skyrocket! as you can probably guess,walking among the sequoia was my overall highlight and favorite section of my American tour.in fact my whole trips plan was planned around seeing the giant sequoia.these were my final and ultimate destination.it just so happens that there was so much more awesomeness to see and do on the way and way back!
they are everything majestic you read and see about them in pics.........and so,so,so much more!

after another full day of hiking under the giants,i had got my fill and it was time to head north some more.get up to my next motel for the night.......up by Yosemite national park to get ready for 2 days in paradise at this world famous park.i stayed in a town called Merced.

 

day 10.
Yosemite national park day 1.

halfway through my mega road trip now,for my 4th day in Cali i visit Yosemite national park for the first day to explore the Bridalveil falls,the whole center village and main attractions,deli,post office,gift shop and walk the lower falls trail.

i drive in to a parking area and check out the Bridalveil falls;

so you drive into the park and your welcomed by these massively huge mountains all around you.

you look and you can see the upper falls from the road/turnout.

i hike (more like just a leisurely walk) to the lower falls:

explore the little village where they have residential houses and their grocery store is combined in with a big gift shop.they also have their own post office in town.

as im walking around there are mule deer with little fear of humans.in fact many of us walked up to within 5 feet of them before they start to walk away slowly.



"Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in North America. Located in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada of California, it is a major attraction in the park, especially in late spring when the water flow is at its peak.

The total 2,425 feet (739 m) from the top of the upper fall to the base of the lower fall[1] qualifies Yosemite Falls as the sixth highest waterfall in the world, though with the recent discovery of Gocta Cataracts, it appears on some lists as seventh.[2]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Falls

yes! i think to myself.i get to do something that's at it's optimal time! she sure was flowing great too! beyond impressive.again the word surreal came to mind.sorry to overuse this word but these things im seeing are just so majestic it's the way it feels.was another super day in California as i take it easy strolling through the park.

at the end of the day,i head back to the same motel in Merced again.the only motel where i stay twice on the entire trip.


(edit.oops! i forgot about the Bridalveil falls first.i thought that looked a bit small for the lower falls.going through my stuff i see what i did.fixed and added pic of lower falls.)