Yosemite National Park

Fresno, raison capital of the world, garlic capital of USA, and a gateway to the Sierra Nevada mountains. When the Spanish first landed in America, they named things for what they saw. Sierra means 'Saw' as in sawtooth blade, and Nevada means 'Snow', meaning the Spanish saw the jagged snow capped peaks of the mountains and named them exactly as such. Likewise, Fresno is named for the Spanish word for an Ash tree.

Our tour guide for the day is Daniel, a sweet 81 year old man, slightly hard of hearing on one side, 15th generation Californian whose family resided here before the States became United.

We start our 300 mile trip in a new Chevy EV the tour company has never used before, with 75% battery and 213 miles range, and sweet Daniel doesn't know where to charge along the way.

We start with the giant sequoia trees. These trees wont grow below 5000f (1.5km), but will live for thousands of years. 

It's difficult to photograph these trees, as wide angles skew the reference points. Here's a placard of the 26th largest tree in the world, and key feature of the Grove to try and show this.

Like many giants here, their tips have been annihilated by lightning strikes, and the Grizzly is no different, having been here for about 2500 years.

It's a big, beautiful bustard.

It's friend nearby, the tunnel tree, is one of many the early pioneers thought a novelty of, and cut a path through for a road. They initially thought it was fire damaged and soon to die, however these trees secrete a sap called Tanim, which blackens and seals any damage they sustain. They survive fires this way, and by squeezing off any low branches as they widen over the years.

The forest floor burns, and the giants survive. 

Onward we go.