WEST COAST AMERICA TO THE BORDER.

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AMERICAN AIRLINES LANDED US ON THE WEST COAST. WE THEN HEADED TO OUR FAVOURITE RENTAL CAR COMPANY, DID THE DEEDS AND THEN BEGAN TO MOTOR SOUTH EAST TO BAKERSFIELD, TO OUR DEAR REVY AND THE CHEVY.
THIS LITTLE TRIP, WE GOT QUITE BRAVE AND DID MINUS OUR LITTLE BARB (GPS) AS WE FELT WE NOW KNOW THIS SIDE FROM LAST YEARS TRIPPING AROUND AND IT WAS TUCKED IN THE RV WAITING FOR US.
ARRIVED IN BAKERSFIELD AND HEADED STRAIGHT TO THE STORAGE TO SEE HOW OUR USA HOME AND TRUCK HAD SURVIVED 7 MONTHS IN THE CALIFORNIAN SUN.
ALL LOOKED PRETTY GOOD, EXCEPT SOME CHARMING BANDIT HAD STOLEN THE TAILGATE OFF THE CHEV. THANK GOODNESS WE TOOK OUT INSURANCE.
WE THEN MADE OUR WAY TO THE WELL PRICED -SUPER 8 MOTEL, HEADED OUT TO THE RED LOBSTER FOR A QUICK TEA, THEN CRASHED 10PM LA TIME BUT 1PM NEW YORK TIME, SO WE WERE READY FOR A GOOD SNOOZE.
NEXT MORN IAN WAS UP AND AWAY EARLY IN THE RENTAL CAR TO TAKE THE RV IN FOR A SUSPENSION SERVICE, 2 NEW TYRES AND HEAVY DUTY SHOCK ABSORBERS IN PREPARATION FOR THE ROADS AND ROCKIES, AHEAD OF US.

WHILE E WAS ON VEHICLE ET RV DUTIES I WAS BACK AT SUPER 8 WASHING AND BLOGGING.
THE AFTERNOON WAS SPENT ON SUPPLIES SHOPPING AND THEN BACK TO SUPER 8 TO MEET MERN’S AFRICAN TRAVELLING COMPANION, WILL, WHO LIVES UP IN THE HILLS ABOVE BAKERSFIELD, WE HAD AN ENTERTAINING EVENING HEARING ALL ABOUT WILL, HIS TIME IN SRI LANKA, AFTER THE TSUNAMI AND HIS THOUGHTS ON QUEST ZOUERA IT WAS A FUN NIGHT, WE BOTH LIKED WILL AND THINK HE WILL MAKE A GREAT COMPLIMENTARY TRAVELLING COMPANION FOR OUR MERV.

NEXT MORNING WE HOPED IN THE CHEV, TUNED THE IPOD TO JOHN WILLIAMSON AND OUR FAVOURITE SONG ABOUT THE BUDGIE AND HEADED FOR SAN FRAN, IT FELT GOOD!

NEXT STAGE OF OUR ADVENTURE WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN, SOOOOOO FORWARD HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
CALIFORNIA, OREGON, WASHINGTON, THEN CANADA AND ALASKA !!!!

WE PASSED SOME VERY SERIOUS WIND FARMS ALONG THE WAY.
OUR FIRST 3 NIGHT STOP WAS UP IN THE NORTHERN NEVADAS ABOVE SF AND OAKLAND IN THE ANTHONY CHABOT STATE PARK, A LOVELY SPOT UP IN A EUCALYPTII FOREST, WITH A LAKE BELOW AND A REAL GOOD SPOT FOR A LITTLE OUTDOORS R&R. IT WAS LOVELY AND QUIET, AIR WAS CLEAN AND IT FELT GOOD TO BE BACK WITH OUR OWN (USA) BED, TOILET AND BELONGINGS AGAIN.
SUCH HOME BODS WE ARE AT HEART!!!!

3 DAYS LATER, NICELY RESTED AND BUSH WALKED, WE GOT UP AT 5.30AM TO HEAD OFF ON OUR 390 MILE SCENIC DAY ONLY TO FIND WE HAD A B. FLATTIE ON THE RV, (NOT ONE OF THE NEW ONES FORTUNATELY.) AS WE WERE STILL ON THE LEVELLING BLOCKS THE CHANGE WASN’T AS HARD AS IF WE’D BEEN ON THE RD SO THE CHANGE OVER DIDN’T TAKE TOO LONG, IAN IS SO GOOD AT ALL THIS STUFF, MY HERO!!!!!
SO AT 6.45 OFF WE WENT, DAY 2 , ON THE ROAD.
OUR PLANNED DRIVE THAT DAY WAS NORTH UP THE CALIFORNIAN COAST TO THE REDWOODS, UNFORTUNATELY AT EUREKA (OF ALL PLACES!!!!) WE GOT A SECOND FLAT TYRE, SOMETHING WE DIDN’T NEED AS IT WAS SUCH A BIG DRIVE WE HAD PLANNED 390 MILES ALL UP (OUR BIGGEST MILAGE DAY EVER, INCLUDING OUR AUSSIE TRIPS) BUT APART FROM THE CHALLENGE OF THE 2 FLATTIES, IT WAS AN ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL DAY AND THE CLIMB UP THE DEL NORTE COAST WAS SO SCENIC, THINK MAYBE EVEN MORE SO THAN THE SF TO LA PART.
AND THE POSITIVE THING ABOUT IT ALL, WAS THAT WE NOW HAVE ALL NEW TYRES ON THE RV SO WE SHOULD BE SET FOR THE ROCKIES.
BUT DUE TO OUR TYRES, -IT WAS ABOUT 7.30PM WHEN WE FINALLY ARRIVED AT MILL CREEK CAMPGROUND, IN THE REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK BUT THE SUN WAS STILL UP, SO IT WAS STILL REASONABLY LIGHT, JUST THE SAME IT WAS A LONG DAY, AFTER A 6AM START AND WE WERE BOTH STILL A LITTLE JET LGGED, PLUS TIRED.

SO NEXT MORN, WE SLEPT IN A LITTLE THEN GOT UP AND WAS HIT BY THE AROMA OF THE REDWOODS!!!AND THEN WE LET OUR EYES AND MINDS SOAK IT IN, -----YOU SEE, LAST NIGHT WE HAD DRIVEN IN, BUT ONLY THIS MORNING WE WERE RESTED ENOUGH TO REALISE, WHERE WE HAD ARRIVED. WE HAD WOKEN UP IN THE MIDDLE OF A 2000 YR OLD REDWOOD FOREST, WHERE, EVEN WHEN WE STRETCHED OUR HEADS BACK AS FAR AS WE POSSSIBLY COULD, IT WAS STILL NOT POSSIBLE TO SEE THE TOPS OF THESE OVER 300FT HIGH TREES.
THE NEXT THREE DAYS WE DID LOTS OF HIKES, JUST SOAKING IT UP!!! US AND THE CHIPMUNKS !!!!
WE TRIED HUGGING THE TREES BUT WE CALCULATED TO DO A PROPER HUGGING IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 20 MEN, STILL TOGETHER WE DID GIVE IT A GO.
ON THE 16TH WE HEADED UP THE COAST FOR A LITTLE, AND THEN ACROSS THE CALIFONIAN BORDER INTO OREGON- THE BEAVER STATE AND TREES, TREES AND MORE TREES, BY PASSING THE CITY OF PORTLAND, JUST SIGHTING THE SMOG AND SKYSCRAPERS.SINGING ALONG UP INTERSTATE 5 AN THEN INTO THE STATE OF WASHINGTON FOR A ONE NIGHT STOP AT A LITTLE LAKE, ON THE EDGE OF MOSSYROCK DAM ON HIGHWAY 12, IN HOPES OF SEEING MT ST HELENS THE 8,364 FT HIGH VOLCANO THAT LAST ERRUPTED ON MAY 18TH 1980,BLOWING 1300 FT OFF IT’S PEAK, WHICH TODAY IS CONSTANTLY MONITORED, UNFORTUNATELY WE WERE TOO LATE FOR THE VISITORS CENTRE,BUT THE NEXT MORNING AS WE HEADED OFF TOWARDS CANADA, WE DID MANAGE A VISTA OF SNOWCAPPED MT RANIER AT ------14,410FT!!!! THE HIGHEST PEAK IN THE CASCADE RANGES.
THIS DAY TOPPED OUR OTHER BIG DAY AT 420 MILES, BUT WE WERE HEADING FOR THE BORDER, SO IT WAS ANOTHER BYPASS ROUTE TO AVOID THE TRAPPINGS OF SEATTLE, SHAME BECAUSE WE HAVE HEARD IT S A SPECIAL CITY, BUT WE HAD A PLAN AND “THE GREENEST GRASS I’VE EVER SEEN”-------- WASN’T INCLUDED.

AT 6PM WE WERE QUEUED AT THE CANADIAN BORDER, AND AFTER ANSWERING A SERIES OF QUESTIONS RE OUR PLANS AND BEING TOLD IT“SOUNDS MORE LIKE AN ADVENTURE”, WE WERE ON OUR WAY INTO VAN, THE LOCALS NAME FOR VANCOUVER.

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