xmas cardHere’s wishing everyone who has been following our adventures a Happy Holiday season! I procrastinated on my annual Holiday e-card, as usual, but of course I had to use a photo from our trip. The tree is a giant sequoia called General Grant, which was named “The Nation’s Christmas Tree” by President Coolidge. General Grant is the second largest tree (by mass) in the world, and is simply breathtaking. It’s obviously too big to hang lights on or even take a picture of in one frame!

We also visited the world’s largest tree nearby, General Sherman. These and many other giant sequoias only grow on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevadas – you can see them in Yosemite, King’s Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks, all of which we visited this year. They are truly amazing trees, able to withstand year after year of fires as long as some portion of them from top to bottom is left intact. As a result, many are hollowed out inside or have huge tunnels through them, making them a lot of fun to explore!

Seneca and I are on separate sides of the country this holiday season (our first time apart since we started our adventure in June), but we’ll be back together for New Year’s Eve, just in time to pack up and move down to California. Here’s hoping that mudslide season can wait a few more days until after our big move!

To all our family and friends who have made this trip possible: thank you for giving us a place to park or stay on our journey, letting us use your showers and kitchens (and even your beds), praying for our safe travels, and in some cases storing our stuff for six months while we were on the road. We are so grateful to have so many wonderful people in our lives all over the place! Now once we’re settled in a new place, we’ll be ready to return the favor and give our friends and family a place to stay while we play tour guide in our new home town. You’re all invited (just not all at once)!

Happy Holidays!