Day 38-41 (July 28-31): California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas

Day 38 (July 28): California to Arizona 

After another luxurious truck stop overnight south of San Francisco,  we headed out. Today's goal: Lake Havasu, AZ! We went here a few times when we lived in CA and loved it. Plus...we wanted some water to swim in after a hotter day. We definitely didn't take all those chilly days in Alaska for granted. We have all been dreading this day--especially Bennett!

We have never driven this far north on I-5 in CA and it was interesting to see all the agriculture in the area. Of course I did a little research and found that the 18 wheelers we were seeing packed with vegetables were carrying tomatoes, and most of the trees we drove by were growing almonds. 

If I told you we probably passed 50 of these trucks carrying tomatoes this morning,  I'd probably be off by 20-ish trucks.  Tomatoes were piled high in each one! 

When we stopped for lunch, Jeff pulled off right next to an almond grove/orchard. This obviously meant that I had to get out and check everything out! 

Almond trees

Yummy! An almond fresh off the tree!

Seriously Buc-ees?? 🤣

Whoo hoo!! One more state closer to home!

As soon as we pulled into our spot at Lake Havasu State Park, the boys and I put on swimsuits and enjoyed the water. Jeff took a nap! No pics since I was in the water. Had to come fet a few of the sunset though. Alaska is stunning but it doesn't have beautiful sunsets!

Bats started to come out to eat the bugs for us.

And as usual, Ry was enjoying himself (Bennett had gone in by this point).

A short time at Lake Havasu, but a good one!

Day 39 (July 29): Lake Havasu, AZ to Bowie, AZ

We treated ourselves to Starbucks and showed the boys the London Bridge in Havasu. This is part of the real London Bridge that was purchased and then brought over to America by a man who had a few dollars. 

Of course no one wanted to recreate the cute pics I found from when we visited in 2017. This is all I could get. 

Jeff found some of the numbers that were used for the recreation of the bridge at this location and also some names carved in the stone. 

To save ourselves a little travel once we get home, we made a pit stop at the outlets when we drove through Phoenix. This gave Jeff a nap opportunity while the boys and I knocked out some shoe shopping.  It also gave our tires time to cool down from the hot roads.  It was a mild 114° when we stopped. Just a teeny bit different from the temps we were enjoying!

We could have made it further to just inside New Mexico tonight but Jeff was tired and we were about to hit a time change if we crossed borders. We decided to stay in the same time zone and switch as soon as we got on the road tomorrow. We are used to pushing our driving but the motivation to do so is getting harder each day! That's why we have something fun planned for tomorrow!!! It's a place I've been wanting to get to for a few years!

Day 40 (July 30): Bowie, AZ to Fort Stockton,  TX

Welcome back to the Lone Star State!! We are SO excited to be back (minus the temps)!

We had nothing but I-10 and 18 wheelers today.  Our fun, quick pit stop was Balmorhea State Park (and of course I forgot to take a picture of the sign). 

The state park has the largest spring fed pool that stays at 72°-76° year round. It was chilly!! It has some fishing and turtles living in it so we had company!

Last family pic of this amazing trip.

Can you see me? I made Jeff take a picture since I wasnt in any! This is what I got!

We were there less than 2 hours because we wanted to get back on the road but it was a great break from the coach for all of us. We need our motivation!!

We'll be back one day--with floats and goggles so we can snorkle!

Day 41 (July 31): Fort Stockton, TX to Cuero!

Dear goodness those last hours always take the longest! Last night when we stopped I got 3 loads of laundry done so all I have to do when we get home is our sheets and towels! Yippee!!! We also cleaned the trailer so we don't have to do it when we get home....because NOBODY wants to do that!

Clothing, laundry, and most electronics are already packed to take into the house, so we'll have to co.e back t9 get food and all the other stuff we forgot/didn't pack yet!

This has been a true adventure and although we are all ready for "normal" to begin again, I will miss being with these people 24 hours straight.  Don't get me wrong- we have argued and driven each other crazy, but it's also been really great family time. I'm ready to do it again next summer!!

Day 37 (July 27)--Redwood National Park

It took us 5 hours to go 54 miles. But at least that was by choice! Stop #1 was 30 minutes away and we didn't even make it that far before finding a pullout and exploring! 

I don't know what I expected but these Redwoods blew me away! They are just. So. Tall! No picture I took did them justice but I took a bunch because it was just so breathtaking that these trees were SO tall. 

Plus most of the pictures won't sync here because they're in portrait mode. Boo. (But then there are the random ones that sync perfectly....

Stop #2: BigTree Wayside. 

There were a few short trails after seeing Big Tree. We went off path exploring and found another path ON a fallen tree. So cool! Jeff took a video of the entire path smallest diameter to largest. These trees are just so tall! 

Big Tree

Today was Bennett's turn to sleep through stuff so at this location he slept in the coach.

Jeff and Ry in a tree. I was skeptical but eventually crawled in. 

Wondering what the heck I got myself into! This was NOT in my marriage vows! 🤣

This kid was just full of expression climbing in and around these giants. 

This was where our "tree path" was cut as it went across the real path. 

He's so cute when he's exploring! ❤️

Stop #3: carved bears!
Ever since Jeff and I met and started our traveling adventures I've wanted a carved bear (or moose ... or both!). I found 1 (yes....only 1) carved bear with a Santa hat in Seward but didn't buy him and I've been on a serious hunt since then. Not only did I get 2 bears but I (we) got a tree too! 

These guys (Bear Naked Carvers) set up shop outside this campground in the summer and we're so glad we literally just drove by on our way home! What a serendipity! These friends just a hangin' out at the RV park. 

Carving our name

These next pics were on our drive. There are a few normal sized trees mixed in with the redwoods.  I tried to get a pic for scale....

Stop #4: lunch at Chimney Tree Grill

Redwoods National Park travels a portion of Highway 101. There are state parks throughout (odd to us) that had sections of redwoods. Checking out Google Maps i found a restaurant near the end of the Avenue of Giants (another scenic drove we shockingly didn't take). Near our lunch spot was a rover and all 3 guys were itching to get in, so off we went. It was freezing 🥶.  I wasn't excited and of course my children wanted nothing more than to get me wet. Life! 

No pics since we were in the water obviously.  After an hour or so we had to get going but even I'll admit it was a great break! (Like we didn't take enough of those today!) 
Riley mentioned the Golden Gate Bridge, so we added that to our itinerary  (I don't even want to get that toll invoice in the mail!!!). Our goal was rolled end up south of San Francisco.  It was later than we expected going over the bridge but it was still gorgeous!

And then another fun toll on the Bay Bridge.

And then....our route took us through San Francisco. NOT on an interstate,  but through tiny blocks with red lights and a TON of traffic for Sunday night. Jeff got us through like the champ he is but it was literally a tight squeeze! 

Prayers for fewer "tight squeezes" as we drive to Arizona tomorrow.  

Days 35-36 (July 25-26): Washington, Oregon, California

We're back in the lower 48!!! And we have to drive forever to get home!!! 😥

Day 35 (July 25): Bellingham, WA to South Beach State Park, OR

We disembarked in Bellingham,  Washington, which is north of Seattle (not far from Canada which is why our phones/watches were still wacky for our wake up time!). Since we were separately parked on the ferry we had to hook the truck back up before getting too far once we both got off. We sniffed out a local bakery for breakfast/coffee and got on our way.

For a Friday morning from 10am-noon, Seattle and Tacoma were horrendous to drive through.  We did get a drive-by of the Space Needle though!

You know what made me chuckle? Seeing 'ol George's silhouette for the highway signs. Apparently I've never really thought about our TX shaped ones!!

We crossed into Oregon as we detoured toward Astoria, OR. Jeff remembered it from his trip in 2005 so it was on the list! I researched and found that the Goonies house was there so we found a place to park, unhitched the truck, and went searching! 

Rules for visiting the house because it's privately owned and in a neighborhood.  

 I'm the biggest Goonies fan in the bunch, so I get my own picture!

We headed down highway 101 and it was absolutely beautiful! We also got to see the Haystack/Needles rocks that were in Goonies.

How gorgeous is this? TONS  of state parks line the coast of Oregon and in the water there are many areas with rocks like this. Other areas look like this:

A little scary driving beside a cliff that drips into the ocean, but oh SO beautiful!

I had wondered if Tillamook cheese was made in the town we were going through but didn't have internet to check since we unhooked our Starlink during the ferry trip and hadn't hooked it back up yet. The answer????Yep--it is! 

In honor of this knowledge Jeff bought some Tillamook ice cream at the store. We gave it a thumbs up! (I'd remembered buying Tillamook in CA when we lived there in 2017-2018 but hadn't had it since.)

Day 36 (July 26): South Beach State Park, OR to Crescent City, CA

Well, we should title this day "The Day the Dickens got Distracted"! The Oregon coast is stunning and we had to pull over a few times to check it out. I mean...we already have an 8.5 hour driving day and we're already making a detour to see the redwoods, but whatever! 

Stop #1--Devil's Churn: originally waves created a sea cave in this area, but it collapsed, creating the inlet we saw. This place would be amazing to see at high tide when spray from the waves splashes up. 

Walking along the basalt rock was tricky for someone who wears progressive lenses, needed a hat to keep my hair out of my face, and had on flip flops! Once I got to this section COVERED in barnacles and mussels it was much easier to step!

The Tide pools nearer to the edge were brimming with anemone and the largest starfish we've ever seen! 

Stop #2: random pullout

Stunning! 

My 3 guys scrambled down to the shore and had a great time exploring,  finding driftwood, etc--all while mom stayed safe and took pics! 

This picture is titled "Find the People".

Stop #3: near Pistol River, OR 

This was the pit stop that made us slow our roll. Sheer delight from the boys as they rushed the ocean, felt the water, and rushed back. Rocks were climbed, driftwood was found, and sand was rolled in. Both boys wanted to stay here for the night but this stretch of roadside didn't allow for overnight camping/parking. We made it south into California, found a casino parking lot to stay in, and called it a night!

Jellyfish (not at all like the ones in TX). Completely see-through!

Sideways pic but look at that smile! ❤️

Why the heck did I even purchase a white shirt? He's so proud of his darn sand angel!

This tree was huge! 

And then...things got interesting...

Jeff found THE piece of driftwood that HAD to come home with us. (We did research and you can take it if it's not buried in the sand a d you'renot intending to sell it basically.) It was so heavy they had to split it in 2 (no easy task). Once they got it up the dunes to the truck, Jeff decided we didn't need the 2nd piece!

Gotta go UP to the truck!!

We're planning on hitting a part of the Redwood National Park tomorrow but we got a teeny taste of them this evening before getting to the casino. 

Sideways again. Turn your head and notice how small the car is!

Prayers that we force ourselves to make it south tomorrow and for safe travels.