Day four of my road trip had many ups and downs.  According to Wikipedia, Henderson, NV (where my day started) is 1867 feet above sea level.  Badwater Basin is 282 feet below sea level. Vasquez Rocks is 2500 above.  Santa Clarita – 1207 feet above. Bakersfield – 404 feet above.  And finally, Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park (where my day ended) – 7200 feet above.

My room at the Waksachi lodge was down a flight of stairs.  With gravity assist going down the stairs wasn’t a problem.  But, those same stairs would also have to be climbed. On my way to my room, I met a group of people in the hallway.  Smiles and nods were exchanged, but nothing said.

I dropped my gear off in my room and retraced my path to the stairs.  I’m far from being physically fit, but I managed to make it to the top of the stairs without having to take a break.  And there, gasping, I joined the group I’d met in the hall.  They were also catching their breath.

In their group was an older fellow with silver hair.  He was bent over with his palms on his knees.  He looked up, smiled, and asked, “Where you from?” Taking a deep breath, I answered, “Four hundred feet above sea level.”