We were excited to be able to reserve one of the last spots inside Sequoia National Forest campgrounds. It was going to be another late night for us because we had to stop at Walmart to get groceries. Cell signal was spotty for the first few hours and completely gone the last few. Luckily, google maps still works as long as you don't need to change your course. We were doing great until we got to the Sierra Nevada Way. The road was closed! Our campground was on this road just 30 more minutes away. We kept driving until we got a signal. The ranger hours at the campground were closed so we could call them for directions. So we called a lodge close by and the lady confirmed the road was closed so we have to go around a huge lake to get to the other side of Sierra Nevada Way which was opened. An hour and a half later we arrived at our campsite in completely darkness.
The Fairview campground was at the farthest end of Sequioa National Park. One local camper told us that this was the best campground in the park, but away from all the touristy stuff. We didn't have the heart to tell him that we were those touristy people! He also informed us that it snowed so much here this past winter that the snow melt was causing all sorts of river floodings. The road we were trying to go on to get here was closed due to flooding. And the road we wanted to continue on was closed because of snow.
We decided to walk up to the general store and see if we could get more information since there was no cell coverage at the campgrounds. It's nice to disconnect from the world, but not when you need information! The sign at the closed general store was hilarious, but it made us realize how sleepy this area really was! It was 11 on Theresa's watch. The store sign said they usually open at 10, sometimes 11, or maybe they'll drag themselves in a little after 1. So just keep checking back. When you're the only store around, I guess you can do whatever you want. You know people will come back if they're desperate enough! Clint even tried to use the pay phones outside to call home. Didn't work. We just lost 4 quarters of laundry money! The restuarant next door didn't open until 4pm and only on Fri, Sat, Sun. Lucky for us it was Fri, but unlucky because it was only 11. However, one of the cooks was outside, so we asked him about road conditions. He said the road going to the Visitor Center was open, but he didn't know if our RV size could handle the curves. He recommend we go around the mountains which would take us 3 hours.
On our way back to our site, we spoke to a ranger driving through. She said she didn't know how far up the roads were open and she wouldn't recommend taking the RV on the road. But she told us to catch the sheriff and he would know.
We found a hiking trail that was 2 miles to a hermit cave but it was very steep. When Ariadne heard there was a cave, she was determined to make it up there. Almost a mile in, people were passing us on the way down. Theresa asked everyone who passed if they made it to the cave. Everyone said no. They all gave up around the mile marker and turned around. When we made it to the mile marker, the view below was beautiful, but the cave was no where in sight. Ariadne insisted we continue on, but we knew there was no way we were going to make it there back before dark. Instead we headed back down for dinner on an open fire and a marshmallow roast.
The next morning Clint did spot a sheriff driving through the campgrounds and flagged him down. The sheriff said that the roads were open and tons of RVs go through it. The Trail of Giants, a hiking path filled with huge Sequioa trees, was closed. Bummer! However, along the drive, we were able to see some sequoias amongst the snow. There were parts of the forest that looked burned. We were told that there was a huge fire a few years ago, but they also do controlled burning to get rid of the underbrush to help new trees have room to grow.
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