Sequoia National Park

In early August 2019 Dan and I decided to take a short road trip to Sequoia National Park. Although we both grew up in California, we still have not been to all the National Parks in our home state. This trip helped move us closer to that goal. Sequoia National Park is famous for its giant sequoia trees, including the General Sherman tree, the largest tree on Earth. The Giant Forest, which is connected by the Generals Highway to Kings Canyon National Park, contains five of the ten largest trees in the world. The park was established in 1890 to protect 404,064 acres of forest, and is also home to Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States (14.505 feet above sea level).

As we wandered among these ancient and massive trees of the southern Sierra Nevada range, we were awed by their strength and beauty and it was impossible not to contemplate the many changes witnessed over millennia by these sentinels of the forest. Giant Sequoias are the third longest-lived tree species with the oldest known specimen to have been 3,266 years old. Their size has more to do with girth, than height, even though the largest of the sequoias stand as tall as a 26-story building. They typically grow to more than 20 feet in diameter and up to 35 feet across.

General Sherman, at 2,100 years old, weights 2.7 million pounds, is 275 feet tall, and has a 102-foot circumference at the ground. The third largest tree by volume is the President, with over two billion leaves, and an estimated age of 3,240 years.

Although sequoias were logged in the 1870’s (something I have such a hard time wrapping my head around) their brittle wood does not make for good lumber. However, due to the presence of tannic acids, they are incredibly hardy, resisting fungal rot, wood-boring beetles, and fire, as their thick bark is flame resistant. And thankfully, these trees are a protected species today, ensuring their continuation into the future.

In addition to the magnificent trees in Sequoia National Park, there is also a hidden system of caves running below ground. We took a guided tour of Crystal Cave, walking along a steep trail flanked by waterfalls to the cave entrance. The cool 54-degree temperature inside the cave was a nice respite from the summer heat, and we enjoyed hearing the history of the cave discovery and seeing the impressive cave formations. 

Concert in The Caverns: Tommy Emmanuel

For years Dan and I have been fans of the PBS series Bluegrass Underground, which features music covering the full spectrum of the bluegrass, jamgrass, roots, and Americana genres. The first nine years of the program were recorded before live audiences in the Volcano Room, a cave 333 feet underneath McMinnville, Tennessee, but in 2018 the concert series moved to a new venue, The Caverns, located within the base of Monteagle Mountain near Pelham, Tennessee.

Our travel itinerary for 2018 allowed us to work in the stop in Manchester to catch a concert at The Caverns venue. Although they weren’t taping an episode of Bluegrass Underground the day we were there, we were able to see Tommy Emmanuel, an Australian guitarist, songwriter, and singer whose talent and live performances are among the best we’ve ever seen. We’ve been Tommy fans for years, and have seen him perform a few times before, so we were more than thrilled to be able to see him perform in this setting.

We were not disappointed! Our tickets were a full package deal that included meal vouchers, hats, tee shirts, posters, and a free download of a “best of” Bluegrass Underground music album. The cavern temperatures were very cool, we probably could have dressed a little warmer (we were warned, not a surprise!). While it probably wasn’t any cooler than most caverns we’ve visited, we normally aren’t inside for 2-3 hours, which is long enough to get pretty chilled. 

Tommy is a self-taught musician and has been playing the guitar since he was 4 years old. He traveled and performed with his family for years while he was growing up. He doesn’t read music - he watches, listens, imitates, and then creates his own style of music which is upbeat and high energy, and just all out fun. The show opened with another musician, Jack Pearson, who played electric guitar, and who joined Tommy on a few songs, and another musician who played a mean harmonica.

How exciting it was to actually realize this long time bucket list item!

 Below is a video of Tommy Playing one of his signature pieces: