Pre-trip and Sequoia (April 17th – April 20th AM)

Friday, April 17th,2009

Today John and Julie were up before the birds (aka – me). John looked like death with a hangover; it was not attractive. Thankfully Julie was driving to Peoria, because I’m sure I would’ve ended up in a ditch somewhere. And it may have been near Springfield, for all I know! He was looking really out of it, I tell you. Anyway, from what I gathered, the plan for today was Bloomington to Peoria to Minneapolis to Denver to Fresno to Sequoia N.P. All before dinner time! Thankfully they were able to smuggle me onto the planes, because I don’t think that my little wings would be able to fly that long. So I’ll be “flying” a different style.

We made it to Minneapolis without a hitch. However, the tram between terminals was down, so John and Julie had to walk the length of about 2 football fields to get to their next gate. Again, I just hitched a ride in one of their bags. Did I mention how accommodating they were? Well, outside of feeling claustrophobic and having to stare at John’s underwear for the entire trip, I was fine. (That’ll be an interesting therapy session for me!) When we got to Minneapolis, we were a little concerned about our flight to Denver, as they were expecting a snowstorm. In April. I’m so glad I live in the Midwest, where it only rains in the spring. Granted, I need an ark to get around town, but still. (I wonder who my “mate” for the 2-by-2 parade will be for that day? Maybe ? I can only hope!) I digress. We boarded our plane to Denver and headed out. No word on whether we would be snowed in at Denver International Airport. I hope not … Stranded people equal hungry people, and they usually go after the animals for food. Time to make myself small! We landed in Denver during a torrential downpour. That’s right – downpour. Not blizzard, like we were all expecting. But buckets of rain. Too bad I didn’t have my travel ark … I could’ve rowed us to California! But we landed in the rain and waited for the other (snow) shoe to drop. John was doing the rain dance at the gate; that, or he really had to pee. I never can tell with him. Finally, the announcement came: we were LEAVING!!! Good-bye, rainy Denver. Hello, sunny California! And, boy, was it sunny. And HOT! It was 90 degrees when we landed. I molted half my feathers when I got off the plane. I also saw a guy with a white, pointy beard and a cane giving me a strange look. I made myself even smaller, as I had heard stories of “The Colonel”. He was a very bad man in the poultry community. Thankfully, John and Julie were getting a rental car so we could elude “The Man”. And then we headed out into the country, towards the mountains. Past vineyards and orange groves and almond trees. Irrigation ditches and sweeping vistas stretched for miles towards the mountains. And then we had to go up them. And up them. I didn’t look out the window, for fear that I would get vertigo and throw up. Julie was an excellent driver, but the twisty, steep roads … with NO GUARDRAILS!!! … were a bit unnerving. And then we hit the levels with the wildflowers. All sorts of colors: purple lupines, white flowers, orange flowers, blue flowers, yellow flowers (I could only distinguish the lupines). Mountainsides were a kaleidoscope of colors. And then we left that region and came to the zone where snow mingled among the rocks and trees. This would be the level we would stay in. Thankfully, it wasn’t too cold. Probably around 60. I can handle this for the entire trip.

Then we entered Sequoia National Park, our home for the next 3 days. We took a wrong turn and missed our lodge. It was probably a good thing, because then we got to see the sequoias. Very red wood, glimmering in the late afternoon sun. I would’ve loved to stay at fly amongst the giants, but Juile and John were getting cranky because they hadn’t found their lodge. Oh, and they were hungry. Must find food .. otherwise, they’ll eat me. Turn the car around! They did, and went back towards the entrance and tried the other road. This one led them to their lodge and a restaurant and a general store and a visitor center. Basically, everything they needed. Crisis averted! They checked in, ate dinner, unloaded their luggage in their room, and promptly fell asleep. Talk about a hectic day! And I basically hitched a ride for the entire day!

Saturday, April 18th 2009

Today, John and Julie decided to go exploring some of the park. They started out their day by getting a few items in the store (Pepsi for John, water for Julie, nothing for me!) and then headed towards Hume Lake. What an awesome drive it was! Still scary, because it was basically a one-lane road heading towards the lake. But on our left was the Sierra Nevada mountain range. How imposing and majestic it was! All snowcapped peaks and rocky outcropping. And it’s basically a giant wall. How the settlers got through it, I’ll never know! I could fly over it and settle anywhere I wanted, but I’m a bird, and humans are humans. That’s my wisdom for today. Again, I digress. We wound our way down the road to Hume Lake, a little village right on the lake. There was a convention going on while we there, but we were able to take a hike around the lake. We saw waterfalls and mountains in the distance and a dam and John took a picture of me on the shore. Where’s the picture, John? (from John – Benny, don’t make me hurt you! You know what happened to my camera; you’re probably the one who took it! Bad Bird!) That took the morning to do, so we headed back up to the giant grove of sequoias we had seen on the way down. We stopped at one trailhead, where John and Julie had lunch. (None for me – Apparently I’m on a diet? Although I’m never hungry; I’m always stuffed. I haven’t figured out how that works?) Once they were done with lunch, they hiked the trail. Which wound down, and down, and down, through snowbanks galore. Eventually, Julie suggested they turn around. They went off the trail, took a picture in a meadow (with bear “scat”) and then headed up the trail. I was with John, who is so slow he makes a turtle like a speed racer. I tried pecking at his butt to get him to move, but was in his own world and nothing would get him to move faster. He’s very stubborn, that one. Once they got back to the car, they headed to the Grant Grove of big trees and wandered around with Ruth the Ranger. She was from Mexico and kept calling me a “loco pollo”. I think that means sacred bird? Anyway, she explained where the sequoias come from (little seeds that look like birdseed, but don’t take anything like it – I tried) and why some trees have names (apparently, the first ranger was bored and would name the trees). It was very informational, even if her accent was thick. When they were done with that trip, they had dinner and then went back to the lodge. I played some Scrabble with John and I also beat him at Connect Four. He’s not the smartest bulb in the box! Then they went to bed. I don’t even think the sun had set yet. They really are getting their workout!

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

Today John and Julie woke up and did the same thing they did as yesterday, but with a different destination. They went to the store, where John bought a Pepsi, Julie bought some water, and I bought nothing because they didn’t give me any money. Then they went to the other portion of the park. Here, they wandered through a big meadow of sequoias, where I had my own sit-in! I will not continue on until you feed me! Of course, they picked me and didn’t feed me. I’m calling PETA! Then they went to Beetle Rock and had lunch. I got to watch them eat it. PETA!!! Then they walked to Moro Rock. It was really high up there and really steep. But the view was phenomenal! I wanted to fly away from the enslaving humans, but they stopped me before I could soar away. Soon I’ll be on my own. Soon. After the Moro Rock hike, they went looking for a restaurant to eat at. And they couldn’t find one! Karma is your friend. Eventually they went back to the restaurant by their lodge. They weren’t keen on it (food was dry, service was horrible, etc.), but at least they got to eat. What have I had this trip? A sequoia seed that tasted horrible! Feed the chicken! Of course, they didn’t hear me and instead started out on a hike to Panorama Point. It was 8:00 before they got back (they didn’t take me … apparently, I’m not allowed to see any more breathtaking views). Apparently, the sign was wrong, because they were nowhere near the point when they turned around. We’ll try it in the morning, Julie said to John. John rolled his eyes. I knew he didn’t want to do it, but I also knew that Juile is a taskmaster and will make John do anything she wants to do. She was a drill sergeant at one, I heard. Note to self: Get on Julie’s good side by making John look bad. I went to sleep, dreaming up a plan to get food.

Monday, April 20th, 2009 (AM)

John and Julie were up early the next day. Not as early as the birds, who I had asked nicely to chirp as loudly as they could outside their window at 4 AM. Apparently, John’s a heavy sleeper. Bummer! Must come up with another plan to make John look bad. They headed out for Panorama Point before they headed out of the park for Yosemite. I got to with them this time – woohoo! It was a steep climb, with lots of curves. The last part of the road was snow-covered, so I felt like a penguin in those parts. Eventually, John made it up (Julie was a speck in the distance by the time we made it up there). The view was worth it, though, because we got an uninterrupted view of the Sierra Nevada. And we had the place all to ourselves. It was very peaceful, if not a little cold because of the snow. But the snow was what was keeping the people away. It was kind of creepy, though, hearing all of the snow melt overnight. I need an inflatable ark. Now. Julie and John headed back to room, loaded up their gear, and headed down the mountain to Fresno and Yosemite. I enjoyed Sequoia because it was quiet. Everything made me feel so small. If only I could fly up to the top of the trees for a view unparalleled on the ground. But alas, my wing strength isn’t what it used to be. I’ll have to see how the view are in Yosemite; maybe I’ll be able to fly to Half Dome? Only time will tell!