Thursday 19th October
Today we drove to Road End and did a walk before driving back down Kings Canyon to Grant Village. It was meant to be a five mile circular but we were only able to get halfway to a bridge over the South Fork because they had closed the trail as they are setting prescribed fires the other side of the river - which is why everything was smoky yesterday before the breeze blew it away - so we had to retrace our steps. We didn't see any bears although they had been seen on the trail yesterday. The scenery is quite spectacular whichever way you look and the flies weren't as bothersome on the way back as there was a little breeze. We also stopped at Roaring Falls and had a lunch stop at Grizzly Falls, both of which were better than we had anticipated as it is the end of summer. 
We drove back on the 180, being suitably awstruck by the scenery, to Grant Village where we are staying at the John Muir Lodge. I had thought we were in a cabin but we have a very nice room in the lodge itself (with a coffee maker - Yeeee!). 
We decided to vist the Grant Grove before dinner and had our first experience of the Giant Sequoias - amazing trees! We had an excellent dinner in the Village Resturant and found our way back to the Lodge in the dark - note to self, must take the torch tomorrow!)




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