CA to AK, day 1

Today we began our journey back north to Alaska. First we had to pack everything in and on top of the car, which counted as our morning workout. We aren't used to making road trips without our Master Car Packer, which was evident to each neighbor walking by with their dog while The Nana was sitting on top of the roof box while I tried to get it to lock. 

Two hours later, we were finally on our way, with zero space left in the car. We made our way to Roseburg, OR. It rained about 3/4 of the day, and we were surprised to find how ignorant we were of Northern California geography. The entire I-5 corridor from Sacramento to Oregon winds up, down, and through mountains. I'm sure it's beautiful when you can see it without blinding spray from semi trucks. 

We were especially excited to arrive at our hotel--it includes actual beds and chairs. We have learned that sleeping on air mattresses for 12 days is cold in a house that doesn't hold heat when empty of furnishings. 

Tomorrow, it's on to Bellingham, WA, where we will catch the ferry Friday afternoon. We are thankful that we only have two days in the very-packed car this time around! 

This is the only scenic view we got a thru-the-window shot of, Lake Shasta in CA. 

AK to CA: Day 12(the short version)

Crescent City, CA to Garberville, CA: The Redwoods

This will be short since we are at a nice hotel with a bad wifi signal. I will post a full Redwoods National and State Parks description as soon as we have Internet at our new home. 

We spent 8 hours driving just 150 miles today, stopping along the way to climb into and through trees larger in diameter than our car. I took close to 100 photos, but nothing will do the trees justice. It's just one of those places that you have to experience for yourself to fully grasp. We have been lucky in that we have ended up in many of those types of places on our journeys. Standing next to a 300-foot redwood that is 1500 years old puts things into perspective. 

We are in Garberville, CA, which is having a heat wave like much of the western states. It was in the 60s along the coast, but it's 95 here. Luckily, Alameda looks to be at least 10 degrees cooler. Only 200 miles left! Tomorrow: home! (Where there is no air conditioning. Yikes.)