Gentle Giants and Gentle Hosts

Day 11: July 8, 2009 – Yosemite National Park to Kingsburg, CA
Of Sequoias and Friends

This morning we woke up on the other side of Yosemite, the Southern side. Again, we loaded up the tent and hopped in the car, making our way into the park to visit the Mariposa Grove, one of California’s many protected Sequoia Groves.

We had considered taking the open-air tram but decided after noting the price-tag that a small hike through the forest was easily as sufficient if not more so. We enjoyed walking up the trail that we came to discover was the “road-less-travelled”. We were impressed by the true grandness of the Giant Sequoias. Some of them have lived in this forest for over 3000 years. It’s as if they had come to prepare the way for Jesus and are now awaiting his return, they are ancient. It is hard to put into words or even to photograph the majesty and splendor of these Gentle Giants. We have been privileged to walk among them and were even afforded the opportunity to watch three deer graze as well as a mother quail and her chicks take a mid-morning stroll through the forest.

After a couple miles of hiking we returned to our car where we finished writing over 30 postcards between the two of us, most of which will be sent out to some of the HSI camper’s who were either in our Wings or our Teams. By mid-afternoon we were ready to exit the park one last time and make our way to Kingsburg, CA (an area right outside of Fresno) to meet up with an old friend. Little did we know the hospitality and generosity that awaited our arrival…

Our friend, Seth who we know through our time in Campus Ventures has been working in California for a few years now. He has recently become engaged to a beautiful young woman named Charlotte, the two make a perfect pair and extraordinary hosts. To begin, their home is located amongst the orchards and vineyards of California, making for a sublime and peaceful setting. Next, their home is gorgeous! Offered to them by some good friends for a reasonable rate, they have a round home with three bedrooms, a lovely yard and lovely landscaping. But more importantly than the home itself were the two who welcomed us in. Within five minutes of having met Charlotte, she was offering us a stay in her family’s cabin so long as it was available, unfortunately it is in use, but her willingness to offer us the best they had was warming and one of the most hospitable acts we’ve yet seen on our trip. Seth and Charlotte prepared us a dinner of pasta with marinara, salad and rolls with home-made jam – DELICIOUS! They proceeded to invite us to a small birthday party for one of their Bible study friends where we enjoyed chocolate cake and spread the word about CouchSurfing, as there is zero to no hosts in this region.

Returning to the future home of Mr. and Mrs. Hansen, we enjoyed some great conversation about places we’ve been, places we hope to go, our engagement stories and much more. Within the conversation, Charlotte also made the offer to use her parents internet, so, to all our blog readers, send up a warm prayer of gratitude for the kind souls we were fortunate enough to meet while in California so that you may all enjoy the most recent news of our adventures. We then enjoyed a cup of Lemon Soufflé Rooibos Tea with a bit more conversation before retiring to bed for a restful and comfortable nights sleep.