Palm Springs Road Trip

We left at 9:25 for the first time and had to turn around 5 minutes later when April called to ask, “did you forget the pizza?”  Doh!  My friend Ed loves Lou Malnati’s pizza so there was no option but to turn around for it.  Luckily we wern’t far from home. After jamming the pizzas in the car we left for the second time at 9:38. We came very close to being forced to deploy the alternate transportation method (bikes) just north of Springfield after pushing the gas gauge to the red and beyond.

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Day 37: July 23rd, 2013: Redwood State Park, CA to Elk Prairie Campground - (More) Redwoods, CA

A sign in front of a prison in the Redwood State Park. In the state of California they train prison inmates to become forest fire fighters.

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Day 38: July 24th, 2013: Humboldt Redwood State Park, CA to Oregon Caves

We stopped in Crescent City to try and get some information on the Oregon Caves and check out their library.  Appearances can always be deceiving.  The library was a glorified trailer, but it had incredible Internet.  Like most libraries we have encountered in the west we had to wait until they opened at 11.  Yesterday we had to wait until 12 for the library to open.  Cody pointed out the beautiful flowers and actually asked for a picture by them.  While we waited for the library to open we headed to a magnificent park.

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Day 33: July 19th, 2013: Yosemite National Park

Our campsite just outside Yosemite National Park in National Forest land.

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Day 34: July 20th, 2013: Yosemite National Park

Scott went for a bike ride up to Glacier Point this morning.  He rode 19 miles. He happened to catch some hang gliders up at Glacier Point.

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Day 35: July 21st, 2013: Livermore, CA to Salt Point Creek, CA

Showers!  It has been one whole week since our last shower.  At this rate we should only have one more shower to look forward to before we are home!  75 cents for six amazing minutes of feeling clean.  Showers make me so happy!

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Day 36: July 22nd, 2013: Salt Point, CA to Redwood State Park, CA

A quick morning wrestle and snuggle before breakfast and heading back to windy Route 1 up the coast of California.

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Day 31: July 17th, 2013: Part 1 - Sequoia National Forest to Kings Canyon

Scott went for a bike ride this morning at 7.  He was supposed to go a little earlier, but it was a wee bit cold and he waited for the sun to warm the Earth just a little more.  I am not complaining.  Especially since the Valley of Fire was a just a few days ago, but this was the first time on the trip I woke up with frozen toes during the night.  Lucky for me I am sandwiched between two adorable sleeping space heaters.

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Day 31: July 17th, 2013: Part 2 – Sequoia National Park to Kings Canyon

We drove along the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway to “The Roads End”

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Day 32: July 18th, 2013: Kings Canyon to Yosemite National Park

Since we pulled in so late last night we didn’t have an opportunity to meet our incredible neighbors from Philmore, California.  They had a little girl who was three and a little boy who was five.  Brooke played with the little miss at our picnic table for a bit before breakfast while Cody played monster trucks with the little boy in the pine needles and dirt. Does this scene look familiar?  They started yesterday morning on a large rock collecting small rocks.  New day, new rocks, new friends, life is good.  The family we met is on a quest to visit every one of the National Parks before the kids are eighteen.  The mom pointed out that there is a national park in the Virgin Island and the Samoa Islands.  We plan on meeting up there at some point. :-)  The mom was in awe that we packed for a two month trip.  We shared that planning for a two month trip isn’t all that different from packing for a weekend.  As far as clothes go if you are grabbing one pair of shorts just grab a few more.  You can’t pack enough food for two months, so you have to plan on shopping. You still need all the dishes, pots, pans, stove and stove fuel for a short or long trip.  Really the only difference between the long trip and short trip is that the longer trip gives everyone a chance to get into the camping routine and the longer trip makes all the effort of packing seem much more worth it.