This mega trip is within a few hours of coming full circle. Route 66 and the deviations have exceeded expectations while causing us to pause. We’ve learned that we are great travel companions, that we can thrive in close spaces and that the roads less traveled suit us just fine.

Traveling light is essential for happy traveling! Leave behind extra clothes, food and toiletries. For me one lipstick is enough….and that’s saying a lot for this lipstick queen! A pair of sandals and tennis shoes will keep you walking anywhere you need to go. The next trip will find us with even fewer items than what we thought were essential.

Traveling light evolved over these three weeks in one other essential way too. As the miles accumulated we let go of cares that became unimportant, fears and anxieties that weighed us down, self inflicted obligations that don’t really matter and responsibilities that could easily be let go. With a higher level of joy and gratitude we are repacking our bags happily light!

We’ll reconnect again on future adventure. Until then keep your bags light and have a whale of a time on your life trips!!!

Sometimes after you leave a place it suddenly occurs to you how much you missed. That’s a time to celebrate because it gives you the perfect excuse to come back! I definitely need to go back to the Grand Canyon!

Driving across Wyoming and Nebraska gave me some delightful time to learn about Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter. I learned of her briefly while we were exploring and knew just enough to take pics of several of the 8 buildings she helped design and decorated in the early to mid 1900’s. She was an architect in a male dominated profession, she utilized native materials to blend buildings into the natural surroundings. She integrates Native American art and culture into buildings that have proven timeless and inviting and used to the present day. We actually enjoyed 4 of these buildings without knowing her perfectionism, attention to detail or many of the stories behind the person. I did know that she even designed the China foe the hotel we stayed in and was inspired enough to buy a couple pieces for us to eat our toast on in Michigan! She was brilliant.

Bravura of her genius and my new found understanding of this pioneer women I must return. She had the foresight to include the canyons natural elegance in her work. She recognized the beauty and talent of the indigenous people’s craftsmanship. She had the strength of character and belief in herself to make workers redo work until they got it right. She was a women with vision ahead of her time. And I’ve only begun to scratch the surface.

Hitting the wall today as we settled in to brown and flat landscapes with pencil straight roads and winds that buffeted that little RB to turn it into a bucking broncho! When the GPS said go straight for 523 miles we knew we were in for a seriously boring ride!

But all was not lost as I caught up on business, read and was relieved of my photography and navigation roles!

Seeing the salt piles around The Great Salt Lake reminded me of the salt fields in Portugal. If it would have been Thursday we could have listened in to the fabulous Morman Tabernacle Choir practice. Instead we settled for a view of the Tabernacle protected by reconstruction and a large wall.

But the saving grace was the Red Iguana featured on the food channel! Fabulous food and beverages closed out the day with a bang!

Have you ever had a day when you thought, “I sure don’t know very much!” Well today was one of those days of pure humbleness. We’ve all heard of the mighty Redwoods, we’ve seen the pictures of cars driving through them and we know they’re BIG and a national Treasure. BUT experiencing them up close and personal adds a dimension that magnifies their quiet dignity and stirs our soul.

Factoids that are mind boggling;

Redwoods cover 200,000,000 acres

Only 5% of old-growth redwoods stand in primeval majesty

95% of old-growth redwoods are in California

The coastal redwood is the tallest living thing on earth

Roosevelt elk, once teetering on extinction, now thrive in this habitat

Huge ferns flow like waterfalls down the steep canyon walls

Secondary growth forests are so densely populated that meticulous thinning is the only way to produce a healthy new forest

The park system includes 40 miles of pristine protected marine coastline

There are THREE redwoods all in the same subfamily!

Feast your eyes on these ancient trees, canopies and shorelines that defy human imagination! We plunked ourselves in some pics just to show scale and dimensions. These giants can grow to the height of one football field and 75 feet in circumference and 23 feet in diameter.

NOTE: if we had a car we could have gotten onto more access trails. As it was the little RB was prohibited entry on some of the even more exciting trails and views!

Not one straight piece of highway between Bodego Bay and Trinidad, the Gateway to the National Redwood Forest. Green forests of every hue enveloped us as we twisted through wine country, dairy herds and mountains. As we swung away from the ocean the peace of these tall, stately trees mesmerized us and transported us quickly from the heat of the desert.

And then we arrived at our campsite directly across from the majestic Pacific Ocean. I felt immediately at home seeing the glistening water, hearing the pounding surf and reaffirming that I am truly a water kind of person. Tomorrow I’m sure the giant redwoods will capture my heart, but tonight my soul is content next to the water!

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Take a look and listen!

To the prairies (and forests!)

And the oceans white with foam

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, it did! California Highway 1 all the way to Monterey Bay and beyond is one breathtaking hairpin turn after another. Those of you who have bit your nails through the Road to Hana or pushed your feet through the floor boards on the trip around the north end of Maui know what I mean! Tom gets 10 stars for driving it with the RB….where oh where is the Camaro!!!! Another 8.5 stars for stopping for pics.

So folks it’s a new day and a new world! Full disclosure that yesterday was a ridiculous ride….359 miles stop and go until we left Malibu. Let’s just say that the Navigator was not a happy camper when we pulled into the camp at 10pm!That was about 12 hours of driving. NOT everyday of the travel world is exciting!

We woke up on Morro Bay…of course not knowing what it looked like! The beach was literally at the dead end of our road! The surfers had already started and the fishermen were catching dinner. Carla’s restaurant had fresh crabcakes Benedict and we’re ready to roll down Highway 1. Temps are a stark difference from the desert: currently 57 with fog! The sweatshirts are doing a happy dance to be out of the closet!

All is right with the world after sleep and food….and perspective!

There was never any doubt we would see the Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica Pier! Today we put our feet in the ocean celebrating and reflecting on this trip of a lifetime. With our remarkable sense of accomplishment comes the bittersweet realization that our last Route 66 road sign is in the books!

This last day was slightly painful following the Mother Road through all the little suburbs and side streets and the big city streets….we really missed our wide open spaces, open vistas, small towns and burros! After 7 hours (only 180 miles!) the Pacific Ocean looked mighty sweet!

So this chapter has closed except for discerning what we learned! And the next book is waiting to be written as we’ve passed through Malibu and jumped on Highway 101 up the California Coast to the Redwoods. Stay tuned as we head to Morro Beach, CA for some R&R.

Thanks for hanging in there with us and enjoying the ride!

The Mojave is so hot that when they do the cowboy re-enactments and fall down ‘dead’ they can not put their arms on the black asphalt as it is a sizzling 125 degrees!

BUT the scenery is another awe inspiring jolt. I’m beginning to think they should call this the Miracle Road. It’s been two weeks today that we set out! Here we are in California after feasting on an ever changing terrain that makes you want to shout: This is the day that the Lord has made, let us REJOICE and be glad in it!

And all His people said: Amen