2nd day at YNP....COOL

We started out by going to Mariposa Grove.  It is the largest of the groves of Sequoias in the park.  We took another tram ride...they do not allow cars in the park.  It was great.  These trees are HUGE.  OK...I am not a tree hugger...but these trees are really pretty cool.  Here are some facts I picked up

They are the largest trees in the world by Volume.  The redwoods are taller...but skinnier

They have a sap consisting mostly of water...this is why they do not burn in forest fires

They can be up to 5,000 years old

The bark is kinda furry

One of the bigger ones was 28 feet across!!

There was one that fell in the civil war....it still and will not ever...rot away.

The trees never die from infestation or disease like other trees.  The main way that one of these suckers will die....they fall over due to heavy wind and snow.  This does not happen often.  The root system is not very deep.

OK....I am not giving up cables to become a treeologist....OK I know arborist...treeologist sounds better.

Enough of the trees.  The rest of the day we drove out on the Tioga Pass.  This road circles the outskirts of the park and leads you to Tioga Pass and the west entrance of the park.

Too much education on this post...more in a few