Cabin Creek Rest Area - off Interstate 5, Oregon

Last night was a stop of convenience. We pulled into the Cabin Creek Rest Area off busy Interstate 5 a few hours after leaving Ashland, Oregon where we'd spent a brief but very enjoyable visit with Denise's old school friend, Rhonda, in a log cabin beside a tranquil lake in the hills behind Ashland. Intimidated by the 10-12 hour trip to Seattle we had originally planned, we decided to leave Rhonda's after an early dinner last night to get some miles behind us heading toward Seattle. Our Rest Area, like most others, was right beside the Interstate highway. We were surrounded by the inevitable sounds of cars and trucks as they whizzed by and others as they came in to use the Rest Area. But it was free. And we were comfortable in the van. This morning, we hit the road again at 7am as the girls continued sleeping. We are now heading north to Seattle, hoping to be back in our home by mid afternoon.

Incline Village (near Lake Tahoe), Nevada

After leaving Los Angeles we spent two nights at Sequoia National Park, located in the pristine foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, followed by four nights in the insanely beautiful Yosemite National Park. We pulled into Incline Village last Monday and have set up with another of Denise's sisters for a week that includes Ruth's 7th Birthday celebration today. Sequoia National Park, California The biggest tree in the world, the “General Sherman”, lives inside Sequoia NP. It is tucked away in the heart of the park amongst a majestic grove of 2000 year-old giant Sequoia trees. We learned that while other trees are taller than its 275 feet, and some may be wider, none are bigger – as measured by the wood volume of the tree. The trunk measures 102 feet at the base and tapers only slightly on the way up. Viewed alone, it is an impressive natural wonder. But when viewed as part of a grove, it feels like Mother Nature has created a giant natural cathedral. A certain reverence and humility feels appropriate in the presence of these truly ancient, majestic trees. Access to Sequoia NP requires driving along a steep, winding road where vehicles are lucky to complete 20 miles in an hour. Our entry was made memorable due to a young Black Bear siting - the first live bear we’d seen. It was cruising alongside the road and caused all traffic to halt. We got to enjoy watching him scamper and forage along the forest edge for a few minutes before disappearing into the forest again. We’d been fortunate to secure camp site reservations online for Sequoia NP but had no luck doing the same for Yosemite – a highly popular National Park just to the north of Sequoia. With some trepidation we struck out from Sequoia at 6am hoping to arrive early enough in Yosemite (4-5 hour drive) to secure a “walk in” site. We were lucky. At the park entrance we learned that the Crane Flat campsite would be opening at Noon that day - the first time it had opened this season. It was 11:30am. We had a 40 mile trek to the campsite so headed directly there. By night fall the 166 site campground was full. Yosemite National Park, California Crane Flat is approximately 10 miles drive from the highly trafficked Yosemite Valley, and around 2,000 feet higher. The campground is relatively primitive. Over the course of the next few days we came to think of Crane Flat as our “home in the suburbs” -- a place we slept and had breakfast and dinner -- while we visited the “city” of Yosemite Valley with its shuttle bus service, visitor center, garage, shops, cabins, showers, campgrounds, bike & raft rental places, and rangers quarters. Ordinarily we’d have enjoyed the quiet of the suburbs but, without reservation, Yosemite Valley is one of the most insanely beautiful places we have visited. Not content being created with a lush, green, open meadow capped with large, shade providing trees, Yosemite Valley had to also include a wide and fast flowing river, the Merced, that pours cool and clear over rocks and pebbles, alternating between a quiet even flow and the roar of small rapids as it steps its way down out of the valley. And, as if that’s not sufficient, Yosemite Valley is framed with impossibly tall solid granite walls carved eons ago by glaciers that left them smooth and polished. Lastly, as if all that beauty is still not enough, the valley lies in a very accommodating east-west orientation allowing warm, bright sunshine that is abundant in the summer to shine ostentatiously on all that is has to offer. Quite sublime. Enjoyed by millions of visitors each year, Yosemite Valley has a beauty not easily described but we clearly fell under its spell. Our Yosemite NP visit was capped off with the last night spent at 8,500 feet – in Tuolomne Meadows – a campsite that only opens in late June due to persistent snow. While much quieter than Yosemite Valley, the upper meadows were themselves breathtakingly beautiful. Recent snowmelt fed crystal clear creeks and streams, their waters running over huge granite rocks that lay shimmering some 3-4 feet below. Afternoon sunlight danced in the fast flowing waters while bathing the surrounding meadows in an intense, clear light. A couple of hikers, lying on rocks next to the stream and reading their books in the sun, captured the stillness and serenity of the upper meadows. Overall, Yosemite is a place we’ll return to visit someday. Incline Village, Nevada Visiting another of Denise’s sisters, we pulled into Incline Village on Monday afternoon. We celebrated 10 months on the road yesterday with a group hike alongside a forested stream that wound past clusters of beautiful wild flowers before opening into a lush, green meadow. We’ve taken time to “spring clean” our van in advance of our imminent return to Seattle. And what treasures we found! It is truly amazing what can be tucked away in all the secret nooks and crannies of a 6 and 9 year olds upper bunk (in the van). We plan to head to Ashland, Oregon on Sunday to visit an old school friend of Denise’s. Then home to Seattle – a long haul that we might break into two days. But we figure we’ll be propelled by the desire to get home after our nearly year-long journey away. On July 4th we leave for a 10-day trip to Hawaii before returning full-time to Seattle, and the true end of this journey.

Manhattan Beach – last day, CA

Last night we watched the last of the six Star Wars movies. Amidst great concern for the future of the Republic now that Anakin Skywalker had turned to the dark side to become Darth Vader, there was also joy that the newly born twins, Luke and Leia, had been carefully hidden in the safety of loving families - away from the watching eyes of a growing evil Empire. And so ended (or just begun) the Star Wars movie adventure that has been delighting us every few nights of our stay in Los Angeles. For the past few months “Star Wars” has been an occasional topic of conversation -- on our hikes, or around the campsite, or while driving. The girls were fascinated to hear the fantastical story of a young Jedi Warrior, Luke Skywalker, and his ancient Master, Yoda, as well as the wise Obi Kenobi and the ever-loyal droids, R2D2 and C3PO. Rose was readily able to draw storyline parallels between her first literary love, “Harry Potter”, and that of "Star Wars". Ruth was enchanted by the myriad of strange creatures, droids and distant planets and the idea of being able to “use the force”. For Doug and Denise it was a chance to re-visit the movies that marked a generation growing up in the late 70’s and early 80’s. It seemed appropriate that we’d be in Los Angeles – the land of Hollywood - to finally see all six of the Star Wars movies at one time. We expect that there will be the occasional Light Saber moment in the days ahead as we continue our journey today, heading to Sequoia National Park for a few nights then hopefully onto Yosemite National Park for a few more nights before heading to another family visit this time in Incline Village, Nevada. A big part of our Los Angeles stay has been centered on family. We attended a graduation for a nephew as he completed his Ph.D. – that included a wonderful gathering of extended family and friends. We took bike rides along the beach front, including to the marina to see a young Grey Whale lolling in the shallow waters of the marina harbor. Denise and her sister Karen organized cards and mailings for the upcoming family event in Hawaii. The girls got to hang out (a little) with their cousin, Michael, as he moved home from college for summer and went out surfing most mornings. The notorious California “June Gloom”, typified by cooler overcast days, has been a welcome relief from months of blasting desert sun that we’ve traveled through. When the sun did break through most afternoons then cooling sea breezes would keep the heat and humidity in check. It has been great to be near the beach and the water once again though we are looking forward to heading into the mountains for the next few weeks before returning home to Seattle.

Manhattan Beach, LA, California

Cooling ocean breezes. Warm, sandy beach walks. We're finally out of the desert and back on the west coast. Arriving after a nearly 7 hour drive from Las Vegas we "checked in" to the Karnowski home - another of Denise's sisters - on Friday afternoon and have set up here for the next week or so. We're less than a mile from the beach and rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean. We went for a bike ride along the strand yesterday enjoying the warm sunshine and extraordinary people-watching.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Pulling into Las Vegas yesterday afternoon we had originally made plans to camp in an RV park attached to Sam's Town Casino near the older part of Las Vegas. But the heat was intimidating. For a small rate increase we opted to upgrade to a hotel room so we could "hide out". Unpacking the van it was 101F. At night it cooled down to 73F but we were already lazing in the quiet coolness of our hotel room. Our hotel lobby has an atrium complete with water fountain and animatronic animals that "perform" 4-5 times each day. Doug and Denise think it's a little tacky after the natural beauty and wonder of Zion. But the girls love it! We're getting some maintenance work done on the van so booked 3 nights here in Las Vegas. We're going to head down to the Las Vegas Strip in the evening to check out the light shows and have been told by some Seattle friends of Rose and Ruth which hotels we should check out. Then onto Los Angeles and a few weeks in California. Entering the state of Nevada has meant the full-circle return to Pacific Time (now on Daylight Savings) just as when we left Seattle. We're getting closer to home and our discussions are turning increasingly to the things we'll be doing when we get home.

Zion National Park, Utah

We opted to stay in Zion for five nights. It’s been wonderful to remain in one place for a while, especially given how beautiful Zion is. The huge canyon walls, sandstone monoliths (some of the largest in the world) and the desert climate that characterize Zion are made more picturesque and unique by the cooling and life-giving Virgin River that flows through the park. The river is right near our campground and as temperatures soared into the mid 90’s we’ve cooled off swimming there most afternoons. Sometimes an impressive thunderhead would build n the late afternoon and deluge the park with cooling wind and rain. The sun would be back out drying up the place in just a few short hours. Every night the wind blows and we find ourselves ever grateful to be camped in a van rather than a tent. In the late evenings we can sometimes hear the new/first-time arrivals to the park banging in additional pegs to better secure their soft-shelled tents as the night winds nearly bend them in half. Today, our last full day in the park, we arranged an early start to tackle the famous Angels Landing trail – a strenuous 1,500 foot climb along a 2 mile trail with multiple switchbacks. There is also an additional half-mile scramble at the end of the trail along a precarious rocky ledge out to the top of a large sandstone outcrop that provides a panoramic view into Zion valley below. As a hike pre-condition we told the girls they could stop at any point they felt tired (or nervous). We’re pleased to report that everyone made it up the first 2 miles – arriving at Scout Lookout to savor the epic view that precedes the final half-mile scramble out to Angels Landing. Seeing the trail change markedly from a pathway to a chain-supported, sometimes vertical climb across very uneven terrain, the girls took pause to consider how far they’d attempt. Eventually Ruth opted to give it a try and, accompanied by Doug, made it a few hundred yards out along the rock scramble to the safety of a flat viewing area before deciding she was done. Ahead lay a small descent onto a knife-edge trail with 1,200 to 1,500 foot drops on either side before a nearly vertical ascent to the final platform of Angels Landing. She was the youngest and smallest person out on the trail that far. We took “victory” photos then returned to switch with Rose. Rose had spent time gathering her courage and opted to head out with Doug again to the same location that Ruth had gone. More “victory” photos then a scramble back to regroup with the family. A small snack, then a return hike along the 2 mile trail down to the valley floor below. The day had warmed considerably since our early morning start and the sun beat down harshly as we returned to the trailhead. Nearby Zion Lodge had an inviting green field for us to enjoy our picnic lunch so we hung out under the shade of a huge, 200-year old Cottonwood tree and happily munched away. Returning to the sun-baked campsite, the cooling Virgin River began calling us. We headed to the river and paddled, swam and jumped from the banks into the coursing flow before drying out on the sandy shore. (Fortunately, these afternoon swims have also served as our showers since we’ve been without that service since arriving in the park). A few hours later, the afternoon thunderheads had built again and unleashed a cooling torrent of rain over our campsite before moving up canyon. Zion has provided an idyllic camping and National Park experience. Tomorrow we head to the neon-infused, fast-paced, gambling Mecca that is Las Vegas. Our weather forecast is for some extremely hot days ahead.