When we got to Sequoia, spent a lot of time at Hume Lake. The water was cold, but satisfying. When we were there, we found a giant floating log in the middle of the lake, so we decided to get on it. My Dad also bought us a plastic raft, which we really enjoyed. It was difficult to paddle and steer the raft, but after much practicing, I managed to handle it.
Next, we went canoeing and kayaking. The first day, I went canoeing with my Dad, who helped me row when I needed to take some breaks.
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My Dad and I canoeing. ( Photo by Mom )
The following day, my older sister and I went kayaking, which was a very tiring but, worth it. Kayaking was fun for me because I love to be on the water.
( Photo by Mom )
The General Sherman Tree is twenty-one hundred years old. Wow!
Can you guess which pine cone belongs to the General Sherman Tree?
Photo idea by my older sister
If you picked the bigger pine cone as your answer, you are wrong. Many people confuse the Giant Sequoia pine cone ( smaller pine cone ) with the Sugar Pine Tree pine cone ( bigger pine cone ). The Giant Sequoia tree is a rare tree, and although the tree may have thousands of small pine cones, the chances that the seeds will ever become a full grown tree are very small.
Have you ever been to Sequoia National Park? Have you ever seen the General Sherman Tree?
Dear Alexandra,
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrific post about your trip to Sequoia National Park! Your photos were fabulous (and included photo credit) and your hyperlinks were fantastic! Each link took me to a site with more great information! Good job, Alexandra!
I have been to Sequoia National Park with Mr. Yollis. We like to hike and be out in nature, so we visit lots of national parks. I remember seeing the General Sherman! What a trunk! Did you remember that California state tree is the redwood?
My summer has been very eventful. The ISTE conference in San Diego was a real highlight because I got to meet Mr. and Mrs. Morris and the presentation was well received. Hopefully we'll be getting more teachers blogging!
I've also spent some quality time with Buck. He is growing up so fast, but is so much fun. We got him a pool which he loves. Check out Buck's Pool Party! Does your dog like to get in the water?
Your proud former teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
DeleteThank you for leaving such a spectacular comment on my blog! I did remember that the California state tree is the redwood, and I don't think I will ever forget. I saw your ISTE post and the Buck's Pool Party, they both looked fantastic. I really enjoyed watching the slide show of Buck in the plastic pool.
Is there anything else you are going to do this summer?
Sincerely,
Alexandra
Dear Alexandra,
ReplyDeleteIt was so great to meet you at Royce's house a couple of weeks ago. I arrived back home in Australia on Thursday. I had a fabulous time in the USA and one of the highlights was meeting you and your lovely friends (and of course Mrs and Mr Yollis)!
I'm glad to hear that you had a great time at Sequoia National Park. If I come back to the USA, I'd love to visited the park.
The General Sherman looks like a spectacular tree and I was surprised that the larger cone didn't belong to the General Sherman.
How are you spending the rest of your summer holidays?
Best wishes,
Mrs M☀rris
Dear Mrs. Morris,
DeleteThank you for leaving such a wonderful comment on my blog! It's funny that you mention that you want to visit Sequoia National Park, because I would love to go to Australia. Sydney Harbor looks like it would be a great place to see in person.
I was also surprised when I found out that the larger cone came from the smaller tree. I have been spending the rest of my summer playing a lot of basketball and trying to stay cool, because California has been really hot.
Sincerely,
Alexandra
Dear Alexandra,
DeleteThank you for writing back to me. I hope you get to come to Australia some day. You will love the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I once walked all the way to the very top of the bridge! It was a lot of fun.
Enjoy the rest of your summer and your warm weather. I am very jealous!
Best wishes,
Mrs M☀rris
Dear Mrs. Morris,
DeleteClimbing up to the top of Sydney Harbor Bridge sounds fun. I wonder how great the view would be?
Sincerely,
Alexandra
Dear Alex,
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking us with you on your vacation to Sequoia National Park. Growing up, my parents used to take me and my sister to Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks every year. It was our favorite vacation destination. It was from these trips that I learned to love nature and to enjoy hiking. Surprisingly, I have never taken my family to visit these great parks, but it is definitely at the top of our list of places we want to go. I have never heard of Hume River, but from your description it sounds beautiful.
Where would you want to go next?
From,
Victoria (Sarah's mom)
Alexandra,
ReplyDeleteI am a teacher who is taking some online classes (because teachers never stop learning, either!) and came across your link on Ms. Yollis' blog. I'm learning a lot about teacher and student blogging, and I really like your idea to write about your summer adventures. It's like having an online scrapbook! Do you think you'll continue blogging for quite awhile?
From an interested teacher in Texas,
Ms. Margocs
Dear Ms. Margocs,
DeleteWriting about summer adventures is really fun! It's like telling people where you have been and what you have been doing. I will continue blogging, because it is a great hobby and it is also very interesting. I haven't been able to blog as much as I would like to lately, because I have been so busy with so much basketball.
Sincerely,
Alexandra
Hi Alexandra.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your post and learnt a lot about kayaking and your special trees. I am not sure how to pronounce the name of the tree though. Can you give me a clue about that? I am a classroom teacher from Australia and we have been at school while you have been on holidays. It is winter here and we think it has been freezing but you would probably disagree. We think freezing is a top temperature of 12! I am guessing it gets a lot colder where you are.
Keep up the great work blogging!
Mary
Hi Alexandra, my name is Jackie from Mr. Miller's class. I liked your blog post. I have never gone kayaking, but soon I hope to do that. Is it hard to paddle in the water? I've also never seen a Sequoia Tree. I mostly see them in books. I liked how you compared the cones in the picture. In science we learned about certain cones. Is canoeing similar to kayaking? I ask because my sister is in a project with concrete canoeing. She and her team have to build a canoe out of concrete and make sure it works. How'd you learn to go kayaking?
ReplyDelete