Sequoia National Park
As I got to the trailhead sign in the above picture, the bear (also in the above picture) was inside the bed of a small pickup a few hundred feet away. He was apparently cleaning the bed with his tongue. A few minutes later headed at a slow pace straight for me and my campsite. I made a few loud coughing sounds and he lumbered over to the trail I was on just a few moments earlier. He kept sniffing the air in the direction of my camp. He approached my camp a few more times, but was easily discouraged with any loud noise.
I started the drive up the windy narrow road through the park. I stopped at the museum to get a brochure since the park entrance was closed when I came in the night before. I must say I was in awe of the huge trees when I first saw them. I am sad to say that, like my first look at the Grand Canyon, my loss of breath was short and I easily became used to being in the presence of greatness.
I visited General Sheman and Grant's Tree and their lesser brothers. Sherman is the largest (by volume) living organism. The number of people gathered around made it hard to get a good shot of myself in front of them. I made a few short hikes into the forest and wondered how someone could stumble on to the ancient giants and immediately think they would like to cut them down. But someone did and that's why they have to be protected with a park.
I found a nice, fairly secluded campsite on the northern end of the park. There was excellent dry wood all around so I had a great campfire long into the night.