Day 12. Lake Isabella to Mariposa. Sequoia National Park.

We exited Lake Isabella and were hoping to go through Lamont, which we understood was a very friendly town. But it wasn't to be - a fire in the canyon cut off the road to Bakersfield and we were forced to take the wiggly route north to Sequoia National Park. Extra hours of driving through narrow roads. Hannah needed air a couple of times but we made it without seeing her breakfast a second time!

Rachel helping the children with their Junior Ranger activity books at Moro Outlook, which affords views over the Sierra Nevada.

The trees are so big that you can drive your cars through them. Wheeeee.

Everyone was impressed by the giant trees - well, everyone except Hannah, who thought that General Sherman, the biggest tree on earth, wasn't really that big. The diversion from Lake Isabella made for a long day's drive, which wasn't helped by me taking the wrong exit on US99. A total of 398 miles by the time we reached Mariposa and bodies were not in sleeping bags until after 10.30pm.