Somewhere in the Shasta/Trinity Forest

 I'm recording this here just as I put it on Facebook during our trip:

Day 6 - Somewhere in the Shasta/Trinity Forest

We had planned to be spontaneous for the next few days. I know that truly spontaneous people don’t even “plan” to be spontaneous, but we are both planners who like the IDEA of spontaneity. Our campervan even has a hashtag on the back that days “detourism.” We had some of that today.

We did not have any reservations for tonight. We chose a campsite called Gumboot as a potential stop because it had a great hike very close. Google maps showed us the way.

However, when we arrived after about 5 hours of driving, that spot was not a campsite at all but a complete dead end. We had no internet and no paper map. We found a gal a few miles away who called a hiker friend on a cell phone. He knew where the real Gumboot was - not THAT far as the crow flies but over two hours of driving away (thanks,Google maps). A different local suggested Kangaroo Lake as a place to camp - also good because it was the opposite direction of the forest fires. I guess I didn’t mention that the smoke had gotten a little concerning and PCT hikers were flagging us down to ask what we knew about the fire - and was it a named fire?

Anyhow, Kangaroo Lake is a pretty spot. We have clear skies and no smoke. A 20 minute climb on a curvy one lane road to get here - but it was paved! Got set up before sunset.

Eureka

Have you ever Googled yourself and been surprised to find others with your same name?  I figure most people have done this but just won't admit it.  Well, I Googled myself a few years back and found that there was another Susan Seaman who was the mayor of Eureka, California.  It turns out our trip was taking us right through this coastal town.  I thought, "Well, I don't want this lady to be creeped out, but it would be kind of fun to meet someone else with my same name."  But I forgot to try to get in touch before our trip.  

Anyhow, when we found ourselves in Eureka (where we had our first In-N-Out meal!), we decided to drive through downtown.  I saw the city offices, so we pulled in for a photo.  

I even saw the mayor's parking place.  

Then a lady came out and asked if she could help me.  I told her I was Susan Seaman looking for the other Susan Seaman.  She gave a laugh and sad that the other Susan Seaman was working elsewhere that day.  I told her to tell Susan "Hey!" 

P.S.  I've actually spoken on the phone to yet another Susan Seaman, who lived for a time in the Tri-Cities.  We were patrons of the same library, and she was a homeschooler.  I would occasionally get calls for her.  She was a ballerina and spoke Russian fluently, so we obviously didn’t have everything in common. LOL.  

Avenue of the Giants

We left the Sonoma Coast and traveled inland to camp for a few days at Humboldt Redwoods - located on the Avenue of the Giants.  These trees are not as big around as the Giant Sequoias, but they are the tallest in the world!  The place has a holy feel to it.  It was quiet and majestic.  Photos, particularly those just made with a cell phone, cannot do it justice.  You must see for yourself!

Sonoma Coast

 I have always loved an ocean view!  But although they are much closer, I am not as fond of the southeast or Gulf coast, as I really like lots of cliffs and rocks.  California's coast did not disappoint!

This was a nice place to nap!

Have Breakfast With Me

On our first morning at the beach, I woke up early and walked down to the shore.  It had been dark when we arrived the night before, so I really did not know what to expect.  I took a chair, some hot tea, and my Bible.  When I arrived, I saw this table and felt the Lord say to me in an almost audible voice "Come have breakfast with me."  I guess I was thinking of John 21:12 when Jesus fed his disciples breakfast on the beach.  Anyway, it was a very special moment, and I had a wonderful time of prayer that morning.  

Somehow after that experience, I started noticing tables almost everywhere we went.  Each one reminded me of that first day and reminded me of how much the Lord wants to spend time with us. 

 

Here is a quote I had written in the first page of my travel journal.  I tried to really put it in to practice on this trip.  

"To be fully present to whoever or whatever is immediately before us is to pitch a tent in the wilderness of Nowhere (a combination of NOW and HERE).  We encounter God in the NOW.  Being fully present in the now is perhaps the premier skill of the spiritual life."  

30th Anniversary Road Trip: First Stop, San Francisco

 

For many years, we had talked about going to New Zealand for our 30th anniversary.  Then Rebecca decided to have a baby due on that exact day!  Terry thought we could probably still make the trip, but I said "No way!  Maybe we can go later in the year."  Ha!  2020 was not the year to be traveling out of the country.  We decided to tackle another item on our bucket list - seeing the west coast in a camper van.  

Why a camper van?  Well, we love camping, but dragging our pop-up all the way to the west coast just wastes too much driving time.  And we'd always wanted to try out a camper van (though I went back and forth between being excited and being nervous about 3 weeks of togetherness without a bathroom!).  Google searches led me to Traveller's Autobarn.  I highly recommend renting with them!  We had a van for 3 weeks for about $1500 with unlimited miles.  We weren't sure everything would work out with Covid and almost cancelled plans several times.  But we decided to go for it, first flying to San Francisco where we picked up the van.  

It ended up being a beautiful day to tour the city.  The traffic was non-existent and the skies were blue.  A friend had recommended some restaurants that we visited for pick-up.  We spent all day in the city and then drove to our first campsite at Wright's Beach.