Sequoiadendron giganteum

One of the things we like to do when camping at Calaveras Big Trees is visit the "Big Trees". These giants are Sequoiadendron giganteum, the largest trees on earth. They may not be the tallest (that honor goes to their cousins the Sequoia sempervirens) but they are the largest in terms of mass. You can see the largest known living sequoia, General Sherman, at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park near Fresno, California.

Above you see the largest tree in the North Grove. It's called the Empire State Tree.

When Augustus Dowd first discovered these trees around 1850, there were even larger trees like the one shown above. Unfortunately, this one was cut down and for several years used as a dance floor, bowling alley, and meeting place. And back in the 1970's I attended a wedding there. Ah... the 70's.

Some trees that have fallen down are hollow and you can walk inside them. In the Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park there is a fallen tree that was used as a home in the early days. These are some big trees, aren't they?

We enjoyed walking amongst the trees, breathing the fresh air and seeing the majesty of it all.

The campground is close to the Stanislaus River where the kids went fishing one day and caught two trout whilst I took photos of flowers and bugs which I'll share with you tomorrow.