The Greatest Road Trip USA? - Our Round USA Road Tour.

This web page is part of the year long trip from Sept ’94 - Sept ’95 through 36 USA States and 2 Canadian Provinces by Jean and Graham Beven in 'Serendipity' their 30 foot Winnebago 'Chieftain'.

Follow the trip state by state. Lots of photos and information a real adventure that thousands of Britons dream of! 'Live the dream'.

General Sherman Tree Location - General Sherman Giant Redwood

General Sherman - Giant Sequoia

General Sherman is the name of a Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) with a height of 83.8 metres (275 ft). As of 2002, the volume of its trunk measured about 1,487 cubic metres (52,513 cu ft), making it the largest known non-clonal tree by volume. The tree is located in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in the United States, east of Visalia, California. The tree is believed to be between 2,300 and 2,700 years old.

Coastal Redwoods versus the Giant Sequoias - by Mark Adams

The Giant Sequoias (Sequoiadendron gigantean) of Sierra Nevada.

General Sherman is the name of a Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) with a height of 83.8 metres (275 ft). As of 2002

There are 75 groves nestled in the high Sierra Nevada Mountains of Western Sierra Nevada found in Sequoia, Kings Canyon and in the Yosemite National Park. Its scientific name is Sequoiadendron gigantean. Only three major Groves are found in the Yosemite: The Mariposa Grove, Merced and Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias. The Sequoias were named after the Cherokee Indian leader, Sequoyah. The mystery about the Giant Sequoia and how they got here still unsolved. The Sequoias are the largest, oldest and the fastest growing trees in the World with remarkable resistance against insects invasions, disease and fire thanks to the thickness of their bark. Their bark constitutes an armor and protects the tree from all threats. The bark can reach 2 feet large .The Giant Sequoias have a shallow root system that spray over 150 around but not deeper than 10 feet .The ancient Sequoias die as they fall over because of their massive weight that may exceed 2.8 pounds. Fire scars burned into their barks in the Yosemite and elsewhere witness their fire resistance and longevity. Join us on a hike to the Yosemite Groves of Sequoias and pictures these giants tress in Mariposa Grove or Tuolumne Grove.

Sequoias' Growing conditions require deep, well-drained soil and elevations between 4500 and 7.000 feet where water is available from melting snow (mild, wet winters and dry, warm summers) Young trees below 500 years-old have pointed crowns, mature trees approaching 1.000 years-old develop rounded tops while Ancient Sequoias approaching 3000 years-old have dead top as a result of repeated lighting strikes.

Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias for a Discovery Walk

There are 75 groves in the whole Western Sierra Nevada There are three major groves found in the Yosemite: The Mariposa grove, Merced and the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias. The mystery about the Giant Sequoia and how they got here still unsolved. Our Discovery Walk of 1.30 minutes for almost a mile each way will get you closer to these mysterious trees. The Hiking trail is easy going downhill, you will lose an elevation of 400 feet. However, It's harder on the way uphill. The Tuolumne grove itself contains a couple of dozen of young and mature Giant Sequoias, including one you can walk through!

This hiking trail is closed for all vehicles unlike the Mariposa Grove where a tram tour is available offering .

The Tuolumne grove is more peaceful and off the beaten path. It offers serenity, beauty and peace away from the crowds. As we start hiking downhill, you can admire the coniferous wild forest home to White fir, Red fir, Noble fir, Douglas fir, Sugar Pines, and the amazing Incense-Cedar characterized by the reddish of I their barks. Smell the perfume of the Pacific Dogwood as they start blooming in spring. They are small to medium-sized tree, reaching 10-25 m tall. Dogwood trees Offer beautiful white and pink flowers. Unlike the US East Coast Dogwoods where the flower provides four bracts around the fruit, the Pacific Dogwoods of the Sierra Nevada usually produce 6 large white pink bracts surrounding the yellow fruit in the centre. The fruit can contain up to 100 small seeds ( it seems to be edible but not tasty!)

The major highlight of the Tuolumne hiking trail is the massive Giant Sequoias that start profiling through the forest as we wind our road downhill. Our tour guide will talk about the importance of controlled fire carried out by qualified rangers to enhance the wildlife of the forest. The first Giant Sequoia will suddenly close all your perspective on the left side where you will see the first Sequoias of the Tuolumne grove. It is the oldest and largest Sequoia of the Tuolumne Grove. As we walk through the Tuolumne grove, you will see many other young and mature trees .The most striking one is the Dead Tunnel tree where you can walk through. It died after dogging a tunnel into it back in 1878 to allow stagecoaches to go through the Tuolumne grove. The trail has interpretive signs along the way that help the hiker to better understand more about the Sequoias. Another striking Sequoia as we cross a stream is the Fallen Sequoia with its huge shallow roots exposed at the base away from its summit. Some kids walk through it.

More Information: Mark Adams is a specialized writer in Travel & Tourism related topics. He wrote many articles regarding San Francisco Tours and many more articles can be found at San Francisco tour and San Francisco tours

Source: www.PopularArticles.com

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