Last weekend we had the privilege of visiting Death Valley. I honestly wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy it, but it turned out there was much beauty to behold. We were really just there for 2 days so we mostly just hit the highlights…Zabriskie Point, Devil’s Golf Course, Badwater, Artist’s Drive, Hole in the Wall, 20 Mule Train Road and we hiked around Ubehebe Crater and into Mosaic Canyon and Marble Canyon. We had to laugh because we went to the hottest driest place and we were camping in our tent. That first night it rained on us for two hours and we woke up and there was ice on the Jeep in the morning. We were there during the new moon and the second night we slept out under the stars and they were beautiful!
The last three days we travelled across California. The first day was mostly through desert to Bakersfield. The second day up to Sacramento was quite flat and there was lots of traffic. It was fun to travel through that area as so much food is produced there in orchards, vineyards and fields. The third day to Eureka was through a narrow mountain roads. There were lots of ups and downs…which means slow climbing in the motorhome only to get to the top and gear down before you head downhill so you don’t get going too fast. 🙂 We travelled up the 101 where there are winding roads along the lakeshores and through the forest. In California, the speed limit is 55 if you are towing a vehicle. Regular traffic gets to travel faster than that. That sounds like a great idea until you realize it is a two lane road. That means we were basically a moving road block. It also meant we had lots of “followers.” Thankfully there were lots of pullouts and we were able to let people by.
When we arrived in Arcata, we set up the motorhome and then drove to the ocean. It was fun to see people out enjoying the day…flying kites, fishing and enjoying the dunes.
After months in the desert it is nice to see green grass again. The California poppies are beautiful. We are once again having to wash bugs off the windshield. Gas is expensive in California ($4.39 a gallon). Motorhomes don’t get great gas mileage…on our flat day of travel going 55 mpg we got 7.9 mpg (we usually get 7.4 mpg). That’s okay, it is wonderful to get to take your house with you and always get to sleep in your own bed!
The beauty of God’s creation never ceases to amaze me. I love admiring His handiwork. This week I be exploring the Redwood Forests.
We are starting to make plans for the summer in Montana. It’s hard to believe we will be back there in a month. We are looking forward to reconnecting with friends and family.
We have had so many amazing experiences this year on the road and we have learned so much. Since our plans for volunteering didn’t work out due to covid restrictions, we instead took this time to do a lot of discovery. We are still discovering a lot about ourselves as well as the areas we explore. Some of the things we are discovering are: how to find adequate internet for Darrel to do his work, what pace of travel we like, where we like to stay, what we enjoy doing and how to better connect with those around us. Life is a journey and we always have something we can learn! As far as the future…We are still looking to the Lord for guidance as to what to do this next fall/winter. We love this nomadic lifestyle and see so many opportunities and but want to be led by Him.