Fueling Up

There is not much going on in the city of Bakersville. It is urban sprawl to the max... with more than a few oilfields and working derricks thrown into the mix. In fact, the oilfields are right in the middle of the commercial areas. So much for urban planning! There's the Target, the Carl Jr's, an oil derrick, a refinery, now the Lowes and Del's Taco...








With over 34,000 people though, it affords us a place to restock before heading out into Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

We do our laundry at the hotel, hit the massive Food Co. for supplies, find a natural food store for the stuff we can't find at Food Co., fill up Honky, grab a gluten free oven fired pizza lunch and then head on up to Sequoia.

It's a transition day so we aren't planning to get much hiking in. Due to the incredible amount of smog and pollution from LA and Mexico, you can't even see the Sierra Nevada until you are in the foothills.

We arrive at the park entrance just after 4:30 p.m. By 6:00 p.m. we are set up at Buckeye Flats (around 3600') for the night. It's a cosy campsite of 24 or so sites, nestled in amongst an oak grove alongside a roaring canyon stream. The newest development is our personal bear box. All the sites have them and all food, garbage and any other scented products must be stored inside. It's the law! You can't lock the goods up in the car — the bears will do a smash and grab.















After our satiating late gluten free pizza lunch (gosh we love the food availability here!), we can't muster up much enthusiasm for dinner so we have some soup and corn tostados and watch the passing thunderstorm. We only get a few drops, but the wind roars through the canyon at full force.

Next to us are Tom and Laura — east coast Floridians who have relocated to the west coast (Monterey) for a few years while Tom completes grad school for the navy. They are using their weekends to explore California and maximize their time together. With Tom is in the Navy, this two year school stint will be the longest stretch of time they have actually been together in the same place. Keir and I are interested to hear about life on the sea (for Tom) and life while Tom is at sea (for Laura).

We enjoy a shared campfire, chatting and laughing together. Keir and I thrive meeting folks and having the opportunity to hear a bit of their life stories. We feel ever grateful for those shared moments of honesty and authenticity.