Land of the BIG TREES!

Lighthouse on the misty Oregon coast.

How does one get so tired just riding in an RV?  Maybe it's from gripping the armrests on the curves?!?!  The last few days have been amazing traveling on Hwy 101 through southern Oregon and northern California.  The crowds finally dispersed as we passed Waldport (about 1/2 way down the Oregon coast) and the trees thinned so we could actually see the ocean.  So rugged and beautiful.  The foggy/misty conditions really contributed to the magical quality of the journey - very otherworldly.  

Misty Oregon Coast

Into the BIG woods

We crossed into California mid-day on Wednesday and were so excited to be heading into the Redwoods!  Jeff saved the day when he reminded us that we needed to stop at the visitor's center to get our National Park passports stamped and buy the sticker.  When we stepped out of the RV we thought we would freeze!!  It was 54 degrees and on top of that, the wind was blowing.  Chiillllyyyy!   Karen, at the visitor's center gave us a good tip for seeing the best parts of the forest.  We took the Newton-Drury Scenic route instead of the main Hwy 101.

 There really are no words to describe what it's like being in the forest with all those huge trees. We stopped at one pullout to take pictures and I said to Jade, "listen".  And she said, "what?"  I asked her what she heard and she looked at me puzzled.  I said, "that's right, nothing".  It was completely and totally quiet - no cars, no people, not even any birds singing.  It was heavenly.  I told Jeff that when I get stressed out at work, that's going to be my new "happy place" I go to in my mind - lol!!

The trees go up, and up, and up . . . 

Even Jeff looks tiny!

This sign says it all - "slow down or else!"

We took tons and tons of pictures but there is just no way a picture can convey the size of the trees.  Just standing beside them is awe-inspiring. To think they have survived and continued to grow for so long.  The second day we traveled along the "Avenue of the Giants" and saw even bigger trees.  But this is a well-traveled route and lots of little towns along the way and lots of people.  Not the serenity we experienced on the previous portion. Today we headed east.  Jeff wanted us to see Lake Tahoe since we were in the neighborhood and have to head east sometime.  We did have to pass through Sacramento and did manage to do so unscathed.  We read that Lake Tahoe was at 7,000+ ft so I was a little concerned about the RV making it okay but we did similar elevations coming through Canada and survived.  (The highest point is 7382 ft just before you head into Tahoe.)  We encountered lots of traffic - way more than we expected.  I thought Tahoe was this quiet little spot in the woods - NOT!!  A tourist mecca:-(  But the lake is beautiful - so blue, and it's huge.  But the beach looked like Waikiki:-(  We really are "sticks" people.  It's nice to experience it but I'm glad we only reserved one night. Too many people.

It's supposed to get to 36 degrees tonight. Mountain climate.  Tomorrows journey is into Carson City, Nevada and then Hwy 50 (the loneliest road in America) toward Great Basin National Park on the border of Nevada and Utah.  Hope the "BOODWA" continues to put up with the hills and valleys!  We only have one week left on the road:-(  The girls were having a hard time understanding where we were and when we would be home so we told them they had "8 more sleeps" and then they would be home.  They CHEERED!!!  Aunt Tina said to tell them to click their heels together and repeat, "there's no place like home,  . . . " - lol!!  But we still have 7 more days of adventure and we're going to treasure every moment of it!! At least Jeff and I will:-)