Ending, Beginnings and Ladybird Books

The past week has been a bit of an odd week really.   It started with us finally reaching the Pacific Ocean at Fort Stephens, Oregon. Almost 3 months to the day since we landed in Washington. This was as far west as we could go.

 It was a significant moment for us because it meant we had driven the US coast to coast. Us...Lynne & Trevor from Reading...we've driven plain across one of the largest continents on earth.We finally stopped asking ourselves 'are we really doing this?' and instead said 'Look what we've done!'

It was a bitter/sweet kind of moment because it meant that the Coast to Coast part of our tour was done and for a while it felt like it was all over. The big destination had been reached, the major locations all behind us, only 1 state left to do and now it was just a long journey home. Dumb or what! We've over a month...a whole month...of our trip left to do. For goodness sake, if anyone else had a month of holiday time ahead they'd be jumping for joy. It was time for a shift of thinking. This was the beginning of the grand Pacific Coast adventure, south on Highway 101 and California 1 from the northwest tip of Oregon all the way down to the Mexican border. There's Yosemite to plan for, the Golden Gate Bridge to drive over, and the Redwoods.

The drive down the Oregon coast has been full of those 'Oh Wow!' moments

with more stunning views,

 cool histories and wildlife seemingly around every corner.

 We've walked on miles of sandy beaches, seen giant sand dunes,

 watched surfers

and lost ourselves just staring at the ever changing face of the Pacific Ocean. At night we listen for the beat of the surf on the shore, it has become a comforting rhythm.

So, what's this about Ladybird books?  There's one part of our trip which goes back further than 18 years, a powerful image from our own childhoods.  We both remember reading a Ladybird book at primary school that had a picture of Redwood tree so big that a car was driving through it. Neither of us then could believe that trees could grow that big but, having crossed into California, we found the Redwoods.

They are that big...and even bigger! (just for scale, Trevor is 6' tall) These trees can live for over 2000 years, grow up to 350 feet tall and can have a circumference in excess of 70 feet!!

The awe and respect the red giants inspire cannot be expressed. Entering a forest of Redwoods is like entering a cathedral.  The softness of the forest feels like carpet. The quality of light is as through a stained glass window. And the silence...oh the silence...a safe, warm, comforting 'hushed, quiet silence'.  You come away knowing what true stillness feels like.

The other effect is to make you feel small, like a child again. It made us giggle and want to play hide-&-seek.  We couldn't help but climb into the hollow trunks and look for places to make camps like we did as children.

We haven't found one to drive through yet but it doesn't matter, we've seen trees big enough and it's all we need to validate that childhood memory. Ladybird books don't lie.

What day is it?

Friday?  Saturday? We often have to look at our phones to find out. It's the mileage done, number of days left and how much mileage we still want to do which are important. It's nearly October, that much we know, and tomorrow (or the next day) we'll be at the Pacific. It seems like only last week we were in the New Mexico desert!  Every so often it all gets a bit much and we feel the need to be still. Today was such a day No travelling, no sightseeing, just curling our toes in soft green grass and watching the river flow past. No restaurants or bars, juts roasting marshmallows over an open fire and baking apples in the embers while we gaze into the flames trying to let our hearts and minds absorb it all.  New Mexico was a thousand photographs ago.

September has been probably the most intense period of the whole trip. We've covered over 3000 miles, visited 9 states and crossed 3 timezones. But it's the places we've seen and the change of season that were intense. We've been below ground to see the amazing caves and formations of Carlsbad Caverns...

...and stayed until dusk to see the bats take flight. We've stood in the wagon ruts on the Santa Fe trail and heard the whispers of a thousand ghosts on the the wind at Fort Union

We've ridden a steam train on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railway at Chama and imagined we were back in the Wild West

We've climbed Chimney Rock with a reincarnated Shaman, on a path surely intended for goats...

...and been barely able to breathe at the end because of the altitude. At Mesa Verde we were transported back in time 1000 years to walk in the steps of the ancient Puebloan Indians, among their amazing multistory cliff dwellings.

 An unplanned detour to Arizona and Utah took us through Monument Valley and Arches National Park. Dwarfed by massive natural structures, the shapes and colours of the rock formations had us on another world.

Another little detour in Colorado led us to the Black Canyon of the Gunneson. Deep, dark and mysterious. Had we younger legs we might have ventured down those granite cliffs but contented ourselves with hiking the rim. High enough?

But Yellowstone...land of many colours. Caught between late summer and autumn. Where the days were warm and the nights dropped below freezing. No picture can do it justice.

 At all of these parks visitors are extolled to "Take only pictures and leave only footprints".  Pictures?  We have taken away hundreds but we have also taken away a renewed sense of wonder for this amazing planet we call home. Footprints? Thousands in  mud, sand, ash, dirt and grass. But in the case of Yellowstone we have perhaps left something more - a little piece of our hearts.

The Land of Contrasts

Today we drove through part of Wyoming and were amazed at the contrasts we saw along the way.  Straw coloured rolling hills, lush green valleys, mountains, mesas and rocks of every hue.  It kind of encapsulated many of the environments we've seen on our trip.  So this is a photo blog, starting in Asheville NC to try to show you what we mean. (You have no idea how difficult it has been choosing these pictures from the hundreds we have taken!)

Let's start you off gently with the woodlands and streams of Asheville. Lovely and cool.

Now we're taking you southwest through Georgia, first to Atlanta...

Lake Lanier

 ...then further east to Savannah.  (The Spanish Moss is a dead give away isn't it)

 An unplanned detour further south into northern Florida and the Atlantic coast...

Fernandina Beach

 ...before heading west through the widest part of Florida where it got kinda woody for a while.

near Talahassee, Florida

Keep heading west along the Emerald Coast in NW Florida (it rained most of the time so no pics, sorry) Then into Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

The Bayous of Mississippi

 Now you're heading west to Houston, Texas which is more like Louisiana than most people think.

Brazos Bend near Houston

Continuing west to San Antonio then heading north up to Dallas.

Dallas is greener than you think.

From Dallas through West Texas and South East New Mexico it's all pretty flat desert.  A hard rocky place, not sand dunes like the Sahara.

Flat, dry, rocky desert.  zzzzzzzzzzz

Or sometimes, hilly desert like near Carlsbad, New Mexico...

People once lived in them thar hills

...until you hit the Sangre de Christo Mountains near Las Vegas, New Mexico. The very southern end of The Rockies.  Feels a bit more comfy now doesn't it.

Another place of contrasts because not far away there are the High Plains. Remember the Santa Fe trail from old Westerns?  You can still see the ruts made by all those wagon trains.

Fort Union overlook

 Once you leave the Sangre de Christo and travel further north it starts to get a little bit more interesting.

Then you hit the New Mexico/Colorado border around Chama and you feel like you are in The Alps. Yodelayeehoo!

Heading northwest into Colorado, the scenery changes again.  The mountains are still there in the background...

...but you start seeing strange, rocky outcroppings...

Chimney Rock, Colorado

 ...and Mesas...

Mesa Verde, Colorado

 ...which are in complete contrast to the plains below.

View from Mesa Verde

Head west into Arizona and through Monument Valley to Utah.  It's like driving on Mars!!!

Keep going and you'll hit to Arches National Park...

Wilson Arch

 ...where you'll start seeing shapes in the rock.

Bird kissing a pig??

Feeling a bit hot and bothered? Let's head back into Colorado then. But before you start to relax we'll drop you into the Black Canyon of the Gunneson near Montrose.

Feeling a little dizzy? Well let's head back towards The Rockies and a view that looks a little more like home.

You look a bit exhausted so go get a cup of tea and take a nap.  We get to do it all over again tomorrow!!