Travel in a Shoebox (Part Two)

So we had one more stop to make before leaving the desert, a quick visit to Salvation Mtn. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvation_Mountain(featured in the current movie, "Into the Wild")...where we followed the "yellow brick road" up to the top of Leonard's creation! 80,000 gallons of paint & alot of singular dedication on his part to "spread the message". He's a lovely, kind & gentle soul...some wonderful young folks came by one time and fashioned a new top for his hammock swing with strips of fabric, to give him a shady resting spot!

After rounding the bottom of the Salton Sea, it was time to head north again, past the windmills of Palm Desert, an overnight at the Devil's Punchbowl and along the north edge of the California Poppy Reserve.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antelope_Valley_California_Poppy_Reserve

Back out on the coast, we managed a brief visit with cousin, Jenifer at her Research Facility at Moss Landing in Monteray Bay. We had the opportunity to interact with one of her "pupils "...

http://slewths.mlml.calstate.edu/jz.htm


then it was time to move on...and so we zigged & zagged our way across California, finding snow in some areas near Lake Tahoe! (many campgrounds weren't open yet because of this)

However, it was a good day to hike down to Emerald Bay to see "Vikingsholm"http://www.vikingsholm.org/ on Lake Tahoe (also not yet open for the season) but a good way to stretch our legs! The "teahouse" Mrs Knight had built on the adjacent island was sight to behold! Then on to Sierra Hot Springs for an overnight stay....ah, relaxing in the meditation pool was sooooooo nice!
We found another natural springs further on, but as we left Shasta Recreation Area we lost the sun...even had a snow shower on the pass between California & Oregon.
We decided to try to reach Bay City on the Oregon Coast for a seafood dinner for our anniversary on April 30th.....love those oysters!


As we travelled north the weather got cooler & damper....reminding us that spring was still late arriving in our part of the world! (we hit Vancouver on May 2) But we had lots of warm memories to take with us from this first trip in Westy! And we'll be itchin' to get away again...soon!!!

Travel in a Shoebox continued.....

Coming soon!

Travel in a Shoebox

In April we decided to head for some sunshine....south, perhaps east??? The coast is always intriguing, whether sunny or inclement. For us, it was mostly the latter...but we were anxious to see how our little camper van would perform...turned out it behaved flawlessly. Unlike it's occupants...who have much to learn about the nuances of life in a shoebox. However, it must be said that we were very tolerant of one another and in fact, are still married...actually it went surprisingly well! So much so, we are ready to do another trip!

The trillium on the coast were "gigantic" and came in, not just white, but mauve, deep pink & burgundy colours! And the Sequoia (Redwood) trees were absolutely awesome! They were "this big...!!!!"


After some cool nights on the coast, our goal became one of looking for hot springs...we found some lovely natural ones, and spent time at several developed ones, too. Once we turned inland, heading east, we began to enjoy endless sunny days & blue skies!















It truly was spring, wildflowers everywhere, trees all in leaf....but I could hardly wait to get to the desert! And what rewards there....the cacti were in bloom, the lizards were out basking in the sunshine....we even had the good fortune to see a desert tortoise on our hike to 49 Palms in Joshua Tree National Park