And to think that I missed the first episode of "Dinotopia" for this stuff ... by the way - if anyone has a complete taped set of the "Alias" episodes for this season, can I rent them from you when I have an uninterrupted two days of TV time?

The image above is a 360 degree panorama from the top of Moro Rock in Sequoia Natioinal Forest. It is the one place in the whole park where I could get cell phone reception, so I took advantage of that fact to call my family and wish my mom a belated Happy Mother's Day. WARNING - the larger image linked to this one is about 700K. If you don't have DSL or cable modem, click on this, then go have dinner, get your oil changed or read a chapter of War and Peace while the picture is loading.

I woke up early this morning, about 6:00, so I could break camp early and continue on. One of the advantages of the Lodgepole campsite is that there were hot showers available - of course, they were run by a private concessionaire, so I had to feed two dollars worth of quarters into a coin box, kind of like at a laudromat. Well, it was a laudromat of sorts. I was more than a little "ripe" so I took full advantage of the 10 minutes of hot water that the two dollars purchased. Maybe I should have just taken my dirty clothes in with me and washed them at the same time.

Are you getting tired of looking at big trees yet? I've got lots more pictures if you want them.

After leaving Lodgepole, I slowly meandered out of the park. The temperature was in the high 60's, and the sunshine made the day perfect for stopping and walking, which I did. I must confess that the climb up Moro Rock was totally unchallenging. Although it was steep, stairs and handrails had been installed. Even so, the railings were quite low, so it could still be a great location for a "Grand Canyon Divorce". - "Gosh, Mr Ranger, I turned around and she was gone!"

Eventually even I had as much of Big Trees, Big Mountains and Big Sky as I could absorb in one day. Coming out of the park, I stopped in the town of Three Rivers, had lunch at a Mexican Restaurant, and called the Park Service reservations line to check on campsite availability in Yosemite. As it turns out, I couldn't get in until Wednesday, and then for only two days. So, I checked in to the local Holiday Inn which gave me the opportunity to exchange email and update the web site. I still have a day to wait before I can get into Yosemite, so I'll have to check the map to see what else there is to do - maybe a fun-filled evening in downtown Fresno?