Texas, you win! Nowhere else beats springtime like YOU. I'll admit that spring is my least favorite season (I know, I can picture you dropping your jaw to the floor in dismay). It's just that...the wind. The gloom. The cold breezes. The mud. I don't love those things. Anyone feel me out there?! I'm a fair weather kind of girl, what can I say? I was surprised however to have met the lovely springtime state of Texas. Here, we welcomed the change with warm and sometimes hot days, especially after escaping the breezy and below-freezing nights that were still lingering in New Mexico. Plus, after coming off our time in Big Bend National Park (where we spent a lot of time half naked), we were eager to continue exploring this delightful state. Unfortunately it's so huge that I feel like we barely scratched the surface.
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We were awestruck by the energy and beauty during our travels through the California Redwood parks, we decided they deserve a post devoted solely to them. The Redwoods have been sitting in my bucket list for over a decade waiting patiently for me to make the trip. I always heard people speak of these grand trees and couldn't wait to be standing at the base of them peering (way!) up. Driving down the California coast we were lucky enough to visit three different redwood areas: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Avenue of the Giants, and Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
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Our part three of Oregon will have to be in form of pictures. But pretty ones, so hopefully that makes up for lack of story. As we meandered along the southern and remaining section of Oregon we managed to hit even more stunning spots. We can't get over this state (and the luck we are having with weather). September and October turned out to be exceptional months to visit. Our highlights in this section include an insane mountain climb to one of our most favorite campsites of our whole year (HIGH above Detroit, Oregon), a 400+ van gathering in Bend Oregon called Descend on Bend, amazing sunsets and camping along Floras Lake, and our last day in Oregon at Harris Beach State Park. This state blew us away!
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If you read part one, you've likely gathered that Oregon has captured our hearts. We have more to share as we wander inland to Portland before being drawn back to the coast. We continue that pattern a few times, experiencing the national/state forests then snaking back out for sun, sand, and sea. In this section of our trip we encountered the rain Oregon is notorious for. Surprisingly though, we made the most of it and at times actually enjoyed it. Or, perhaps that's what sentimental memories do to a person - forget the annoyances and remember the pleasures. Either way, I'm diving in to Central Oregon and just like the northern half, it did not disappoint.
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I am still having a hard time processing our time in Oregon. It is hard to come up with new words and phrases to describe yet ANOTHER place that we've been to that is so remarkable. This one, however, blew our socks off. So far off that they're still in the trees dangling somewhere. Maybe that means part of my heart is still there. I think it might always be.
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One of the most exhilarating feelings on the road is the day we cruise into new territory. For us, that typically involves windows rolled down, excitement in our voices, and music bumping as we drive along about to cross a state line or border. We had a memorable last night in Washington but were thrilled to be taking the route into Oregon, a bucket list destination we've both wanted to visit for years.
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Michigan snuck up on us like a cool summer breeze. One minute we were seeing family and friends in Ohio and the next we were relaxing poolside at a vacation rental in Mirror Lake with Chip's family. We spent six lazy days here going on bike rides, hunting for mulberries with grandpa, swimming in the pool, fishing, and plumping ourselves up with a lot of wonderful food. But, as always, all good things must come to an end and after a week we had to say goodbye to the comforts of a big, cozy home and help from family. We hopped back in Spud and ugly-cried out of the vacation rental driveway. It is always hard leaving family but after giving my cheek a swift slap of the hand, I snapped out of it and immediately grew eager to explore the rest of Michigan.
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