Sequoia 2023

Saturday we drove from Anaheim to our place near Sequoia and Kings Canyon National park. Bramhall reunion! We stopped at the Costco about an hour away to pick up groceries and had to be very judicious about what we bought so we could fit it all in the car! We just happened to run into Nana and Grandpa which was funny. It was BLAZING hot outside, so everyone came in to Costco for a pit stop and food while I shopped. Dad gassed up, and it was actually pretty efficient stop. 

We arrived at the house and it was …interesting. Actually, it was kind of a weird place with add-ons, and a lot of bunk beds. There was some speculation that it might have been a Christian meeting place, but who knows. There were a lot of bedrooms and bathrooms which was fantastic for the group, but the place was pretty filthy. We were not allowed to flush toilet paper because of the septic system, and we saw our first mouse and huge spider the first night. Luckily Jett didn’t freak out too bad about the mouse like last year, but he was really nervous about the spiders and I had to frequently scout and area before he would feel ok moving around the house. One day I was putting out some mouse traps, and Ty disapproved because it is horribly “inhumane” to trap the mice in sticky goo without killing them. Well. On the last night at the house we were all gathered in the main room playing a game. Jett was particularly upset about a spider he had seen and was perched on top of a folding table so that his feet wouldn’t be anywhere near the floor. I was sweeping under the couches looking for any lost toys or other items that we wouldn’t want to leave behind. And then…I swept out a mouse trap with a live mouse writhing on top. I was not about to point it out so Jett could go into a full-blown panic attack, so I swept it back under the rug and mercifully Zach took care of it after the kids went to bed. And Ty made sure Zach knew the mouse had to be dead before he was disposed of. 

Outside the house there was a very small, dirty pond that enticed the kids. There were a million tiny little frogs, and a few bigger ones. Apparently someone saw a rattlesnake in the road too! One morning the yard was full of cows. We called the rental managers who called the owner, but I guess nobody showed up quickly and the cows were lost for a few days. We just got word that the cows were found! $20k worth of cows! I’m glad he found them, but hope he takes better care of them in the future!

The funniest thing happened when we arrived. Tate hopped out of the car and ran inside, then came back quickly with wide eyes. He said to me that our girl cousin had grown “really big.” I figured he remembered Camryn and Alice’s names because we had just visited them. So I said Emery? He said Yes! She’s really big now! Did he mean Giannina? Nope. So we went inside and I realized he was talking about Jazlyn. He didn’t remember who Jazlyn was. So when he saw her he thought it was Emery and that she had grown into an adult since the time we saw her a couple of months ago! It was hilarious. So I stood Giannina, Jazlyn, and Emery together and re-introduced Tate to them. My goodness, that kid’s brain is amazing and so entertaining!

We had such a fun week hiking and playing with cousins. We went into the park several days to hike and see the enormous Sequoia trees and stumps. Our longest hike was up to see Tokopah falls which was pretty spectacular. Probably the most strenuous hike was to the top of Moro rock—which was basically just a half mile up stairs to the top lookout. We also spent a day out at Hume Lake which had a really cool waterfall/slide area that was a bit too dangerous for the little kids. The kids spent hours in the lake climbing on and off big logs in the water. One day while hiking I heard a huge tree fall. I turned around to see a cloud of debris flying into the air. I walked across the clearing and talked to some people close to the downed tree, and there was a man who was sitting 3 feet away from the tree when it went down! It would have killed him if it had landed on him! We saw a bear in the park and a few marmots. Ty added 4 birds to his life list. And now apparently Grandpa, Dana, and Zach are all interested in birding too. 

The trees were stunning, and pictures don’t do justice to the enormity of them. I really loved the park, but not sure I ever want to go back. The road up to the house was unbearably curvy. And then from the hour to the park was more of the same. It left many of us groaning with nausea, and I was kicking myself for not getting an extra refill of my nausea patches. Dad LOVED driving the roads. A few times he tried to talk us into taking the long way back to the house, but got rejected by the rest of us. I told him he could take the car and drive all day long if he wanted—as long as I didn’t have to be in the car with him!

When we weren’t out in the park, we played games at the house. I played wingspan 3 times in one day! We had the most epic game and I took second place with with 99 points to Zach’s 108! That’s a record for us! There were also some very competitive games of Bananagrams, and swapping of Pokémon cards. Dad got to play his favorite Isle of Cats multiple times, and the kids had a ball playing the “Name Game” again. A favorite pastime for all was passing around Remi and Pyper who were extremely smiley and sweet. We ate all kinds of yummy food, but for Tanner, the best was our s’mores cereal. He absolutely loved it. The Staples kids only get to eat cereal one day a week, but I predict Tanner keeping a secret stash at work or something. I personally was partial to Dana’s muddy buddies, and the cupcakes Nana made for Giannina’s birthday. 


I admit to being a bit relieved to head home on Saturday. It was a long, satisfying road trip, but I was sooo ready to sleep in my own bed again. We met the Calebs in Barstow where they picked up Ty for his next adventure in California. Then we made our way to St George to stay the night in our favorite (CLEAN) hotel in St George. We pulled in too late to eat at Angelica’s, but we did manage to squeeze in TWO ice cream orders in one day, so I think overall everyone was pleased. We had a delicious breakfast, church, and some pool time with the Staples before heading home. Honestly it’s hard to remember a time I was so happy to return home! I slept soundly in my gloriously dark bedroom and didn’t even stir until 11:30 Monday morning. Ahh…Home Sweet Home.