Freebird Journey

We are in Oregon and only 2 ½ hours from Drew, Shelby, and Evelynn.  Do you guys feel a shift in the force?  Ha!  We are staying at an RV Park outside of Yachats called Sea Perch which is midway between Florence and Newport on the Oregon Coast.  I found this RV park a couple of years ago just looking at Google maps and this park has been on my radar ever since.  It is a small park, and our site is no more than 50 yards from the water.  I would say 50 yards from the beach, but “beach” does not really describe the situation here.  No sand, just lots of large black rocks which makes walking out of the RV and directly onto the beach a bit difficult.  We would still stumble over the rocks, but we’ve been under gale warnings most of the time we have been here.  Yes, more rain and wind!  We had a few days’ break and got in a few more hikes.  Finally, Loki has been able to hike with us😊 Thank you Oregon!

We have been making good use of the days when it rains and is windy.  Bob has been getting a lot of CME done.  We have both been using the gym at the park.  We found a great ice cream/candy shop.  And reading, lots of reading.  I am finally able to concentrate for long enough periods of time to lose myself in books.  Finally!

And just like that…we’re in the Pacific Northwest.  Well, after 5000+ miles that is!  After leaving Napa we went north and west just under 300 miles to the Redwoods.  Wow!  The Redwoods are amazing!  The whole forest is amazing.  So green and lush and wet.  Did I mention wet?  Moss and ferns are everywhere.

We stayed for a week at Azalia Glen RV Park just outside of Trinidad, CA.  The RV Park is small, and someone there has a green thumb because every inch is landscaped.  Rustic landscaping.  Not perfect or perhaps, it is perfectly undone.  Spring will be spectacular.  Blooms were just beginning when we left.  The park was about 8 miles north of Trinidad.  We have read that some people use their RV excursions to find their next home base.  Trinidad certainly ticks a lot of boxes for us except for lack of family nearby and no major airport.  But it is a pretty little town right on the water with a working marina and the Redwoods nearby. 

If you have not seen the Redwoods, try to make plans to do so.  They are simply majestic.  The Redwood National Park and three CA state parks have joined together to protect and restore the Redwood Old Growth Forest.  The hiking trails are spectacular.  And they were very wet!  And this is yet another National Park that Loki could not hike with us.  But they have been a highlight of our trip.  We hiked in the forest and walked on the beach as much as we could when it wasn’t raining.  But it rained a lot!

The weather for the majority of our trip has been typical of late winter and early spring.  And I’ve never experienced wind like we have had.  I thought once we were out of the desert, we wouldn’t have so much wind.  But I was wrong.  Looking forward to some “late” spring weather!

*Fun fact: Redwoods develop burls on their trunk.  These burls contain the entire genetic code for that tree.  When the tree is stressed, children (clones because they are genetically identical) trees sprout from the burl at the base of the parent tree and can develop “fairy rings” or “family circles”.  Rings of many Redwoods all genetically identical.

It has been an amazing journey with almost 5,000 miles and 22 destinations and counting.  6 destinations ago we entered California in the desert.  I spent my first years in the Mojave so it was fitting that my return to California after 45 years (except for some vacations) begin there.  My sense is of a background familiarity that precedes memory.  The coastal hills, the mountains, the beaches, the Valley, all have changed but also have qualities that seem more eternal.  Of course, our time with my sisters Mary and Karen and their husbands Kelly and Scotty brought back that feeling of home so long ago.  They are doing so well, and we had such a wonderful time with them.  Our common memories connect us even if our uncommon memories (I am sure I did not do that to my sister!) can unsettle!  Even with our differences, and because of them, I feel closer to Mary and Karen.  The relationships with my sisters will be the longest I will have.  

After visiting Karen and Scotty we made a trip through the coast mountains to the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery where Mom and Dad’s ashes are interred.  It was a beautiful afternoon with a breeze and sun and clouds.  The stones are, of course, identical except for the etchings on the sides.  Their symmetry and lines reveal the deeply caring work of those who set them.  At points they stretch to the horizon.   There is a community in the uncountable number, the shared experience of having known such honorable men and women and loved them.  But there is a contradiction that such seemingly identical stones set so perfectly in this beautiful place should bring out Mom and Dad’s unique individuality.   Their presence is felt.  Ghosts still touching our souls. 

And now we move further north through the cathedrals of the Coast Redwoods to the wild rocky Oregon coast to family awaiting. 

Bob

We drove our tiny home on wheels from Pacifica and made our temporary home in Napa for a few days.  It was only about 50 miles, but we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and dealt with SF traffic.  As we were leaving the campground in Pacifica Bob was approached by a couple of fellow campers asking questions about our rig.  We find that our Dynamax stands out in the crowd we attract a bit of attention when arriving and departing the campgrounds.  It is a great icebreaker and conversation starter.  Campers come from all different backgrounds, but it is those differences that we find the most interesting.

The layover in Napa was for 2 reasons: it’s Napa! And we met Bob’s sister and brother-in-law.  They drove down from their home in the Sacramento area, and we enjoyed a couple of days with them.  As is often the case with families living in different areas of the country, visits have been dictated by work, illnesses, and funerals so this visit was long overdue.  Karen and Scotty are both delightful, witty, and are truly wonderful humans.  I am so glad we had this time with them.  And this comes shortly after meeting with Bob’s youngest sister, Mary Kay and brother-in-law, Kelly for dinner when we were in SoCal.  He is blessed with fantastic sisters and brothers-in-law that I hope we see more of going forward. 

After Karen and Scotty left to go back home, we had another full day to enjoy Napa.  It is every bit as beautiful as I had imagined.  And the wine is OK😊 I know, I talked about moving beyond constant vacation mode and making better lifestyle choices, but we were in Napa!  We did get several walks in so hopefully it was a wash.

Our campground in Napa was a full-service campground in the middle of the city.  Full service means we had all the hookups: water, electricity, and septic.  We figured out that we are either RVing or camping.  RVing is usually in a city or a resort and has full hookups while camping is in national or state parks or Corp of Engineers, etc. Camping is further divided into 2 categories: limited hookups or dry camping (no hookups).  We prefer camping in state or national parks, but it is nice to have full hookups in between to get caught up on laundry, grocery shop, etc.  Napa had good grocery stores!

We are traveling rather quickly through California but look forward to staying at our next few locations for a bit longer.  Close family and friends may remember how hard it was to be so far away from Drew when he moved to Oregon in 2015.  Like most things, it got easier over time.  AND now we have Shelby and Evelynn!  I thought it might be easier being away from Parker since we are the ones that left.  But I was wrong.  I miss Parker, Kaley, and my parents like crazy.  But I think Parker and Kaley probably need their space and my parents needed their home back!!!

Love & Hugs,

Kristi

Today marks 2 months on the road!  Since January 13 we have traveled south through Virginia, North and South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and we are currently making our way up California with Oregon in our sights.  We stayed at 5 Harvest Hosts (wineries & a bee farm), 2 national parks, 5 state parks, and 9 private parks.  We learned to maintain our rig in 22-degree ice in Florida and 101-degree heat while dry camping in Texas.  We have driven through wind and dust storms, experienced a 5.4 earthquake in New Mexico, and had a bit of snow while leaving Joshua Tree.  There have been no significant incidents so far😊 

We were quite busy the first few weeks learning about the rig and figuring out how to live in a tiny space.  Then a bit of shell shock set in over our new reality. We realized that living in vacation mode isn’t sustainable, so we are trying to establish routines for healthier habits. 

We spent half our time in the deserts, from Big Bend National Park in Texas to Anza Borrego and Joshua Tree in California.  It was beautiful but no desert blooms this year due to the drought.  We are giving serious consideration to getting a couple of trail bikes to take advantage of all the dirt trails that our gravel bikes just can’t handle.  We both realized that the desert will be good to visit, but we both prefer lush greenery to dry brown desert. 

We are currently in a RV park in Pacifica, just south of San Francisco.  It’s not much more than a parking lot, but it is oceanfront and just south of the city, so it is a good stop for a couple of days.  Before the rain hit yesterday, we went on a quest in SF to find the best sourdough.  I think we may have succeeded.  We bought loaves and pastries from seven bakeries, taste-tested them in the rig, and froze the leftovers.  We have enough sourdough to last us a while!  While in the city, Bob had his hair cut.  He has found that traditional barbershops offer hot towels and include neck and head massages.  It is basically spa day for men.  He also got the best haircut he’s ever had!

Yes, we are living in a small space.  I have gotten a bit testy at times.  Bob has not.  Loki seems happy and adapts easily.  We are still in agreement that this is exciting, and we don’t regret jumping into the unknown.

This first entry is meant to give an overview, but we will be updating regularly and giving more details.  We miss you friends and family in Virginia!

Kristi