Home Sweet Motor Home

Winding through the rolling coastal hills of Southern California, we breathed in the ocean air and the scent of eucalyptus groves. 

We learned that the eucalyptus, which is native only to Australia, was brought to the California coast during the Gold Rush, in the late 1800's to help reforest the barren land and supply lumber for the massively expanding industry. Tycoons bought up large tracts of land and planted millions of blue gum eucalyptus seedlings. They built large sawmills, anticipating the harvest of these giant lumber groves. Little did they know, that these trees can't be used for lumber until they are at least 75 years old. Until then, the wood just isn't the right consistency and quality for lumber. The oils also didn't stand up to their native friends across the globe. So now these 150+ foot-tall giants are seen along nearly the entire coast of California. They sure are lovely. 

We decided to take our time and enjoy the famous El Camino Real coastal highway along the majority of the California coast. It was certainly the curviest road I have ever experienced. The huge cliffs and rugged landscape were just awesome. I can't imagine the job of constructing the roads and bridges all along the Pacific Ocean. What a gigantic project. 

As we came around one curve, we saw three California Condors perched on a cliff beside the road with their wings spread out wide, catching the rays of the setting sun. I remember learning about their extinction when I was in grade school. So I did some research online and discovered that in the 90's the remaining few were captured and repopulated then released in 3 states in the southwest. As of May 2013, there were only 237 of them recorded in the wild. If you aren't familiar, condors are giant vultures, with a wingspan of 3 meters, or nearly 10 ft. The largest bird in North America. Pretty cool. 

We arrived in San Francisco late one evening during a crazy wind storm that blew from the coastal mountains out to the ocean. We thought that was strange, and so we asked our hosts about it. They said that a couple of times each year these Santa Ana winds come out from the mountains and are historically reminiscent of major energetic shifts or natural disasters, such as earthquakes. (Shiver). Luckily, we didn't experience any quakes. 

The next day we took a ferry from Oakland to San Francisco for the day. We rented bikes and rode along the Embarcadero, which follows the piers and turns into a trail that ends up at the Golden Gate Bridge. 

 We rode out onto a pier to see Alcatraz in the distance. It was a Saturday, and parents had their kids out on the pier helping to catch fish and with checking their crab traps. We were fairly intrigued by a billboard that showed various species of fish in two columns. One side said "less chemicals" on green writing and one side said "more chemicals" in red. Neither one sounds appealing to me.  I feel sad that our oceans are so dirty because of humans. The world has treated them as a garbage dump for way too long. (One more point on the long list of reasons why we strive to eat a vegan diet.)

Lavender, olives in distance. 

After San Fran, we headed northeast into the mountains to  see a relative at a place called Lakeport, on the shore of Clear Lake, the largest lake in the USA. En route, we passed orchards of walnuts, olives, pears, and thousands of acres of grape vineyards. The terrain was very hilly and barren, covered in dry grasses sprinkled with gnarled scrub oaks. 

Ceago villa

We got a tour of some of the surrounding villages and had a stroll around a winery. Neither of us was feeling like ourselves that day, so we opted out of wine tasting. If we had done a tasting, this would have been the place. It was called Ceago and it was organic and biodynamically maintained. In addition to grapes, the grounds featured lemons, oranges, olives, and lavender. 

The same Santa Ana winds had hit the east side of the lake a couple of days prior, and dozens of massive oaks and palms had fallen across roads and roofs had been torn off of quite a few homes. The whole community seemed to be outside chopping wood and mending fences and roofs. 

Our next stop was the Redwoods. We made a quick detour to drive through a tree (I know. It sounds very touristy.) I can recall my grandma telling me about her family driving through the same tree 60 years ago. It's called the Chandelier tree and its over 300' tall. It would have taken a whole car full of people holding hands to hug that tree!

We drove along the Oregon coast and chose a state park deep in the majestic cedars to pitch our tent for the night. It was a clear quiet night except for the faint babbling of a nearby creek. There were only two other campsites occupied in the whole campground, probably due to the chilly weather. We woke up in the middle of the night to the most bizarre sounds we have ever heard in nature. My best description is a heavy old squeaky wooden door, mixed with humpback whale song and a child's plastic kazoo whistle. We heard two calls back and forth for about 5 minutes. Then they stopped. We were speechless and laid in silence for a half hour waiting to hear more. Nothing. 

Our conclusion? Sasquatch. Laugh if you will, but nothing else either of us has ever heard (and we both grew up surrounded by nature) anything like it. Not coyotes, not elk, not birds. Hey, it's possible that Bigfoot exists. Just sayin'...It's possible. 

We spent a night in Eugene, Oregon. What an awesome, artistic town. Wish we had more time there, but we were on a mission to reach our relatives on Whidbey Island, off the coast of Washington for Thanksgiving #2. 

They own a health food store and a vegan cafe, which were both welcome destinations after two months of mysterious greasy restaurant meals that our stomachs (and waistlines) weren't fans of. They also just completed a large retreat center on the beach, complete with a walking labyrinth, built with care by family and friends out of ocean treasures.  While walking it in a slow, meditative pace, a hummingbird zoomed by twice and then hovered right behind me. A good omen, I assume.

We spent 5 days there resting and enjoying the ocean and the eagles that were gracing us with their presence and songs daily. After 4 days of soggy, foggy weather, the sun came out. My "second mama" came across the bay from Victoria on a ferry to spend a few days with us before she departed to Puerto Escondido, Mexico for the winter. She will be teaching health and wellness at a place called the Sanctuary. Will that be our next destination? Time will tell. It's sooo tempting!

We arrived back on Vancouver Island and were thrilled to see that our moHo awaited us right where we left her with some good friends. A familiar place at last! We saw our first skiff of snow of the season today and were grateful that we didn't have to dig out of the blizzard that much of Alberta has been enduring this week. Sorry Alberta. We do miss our wonderful pals, but not the -30 Celsius weather. We have the heat on full force in here as it is, and it's only just below freezing here. Yikes. 

So. What now? I am personally feeling quite lost and out of sorts today. My mind is still traveling after two months, 28 states, 3 provinces, 2.5 oil changes, 7 ferries and 18,000 kilometers of road. You may wonder what I have concluded at the end of this journey. Did we find the answers to some of our questions? I will try to be concise:

1.  Wherever you go, there you       are. So. True. Always. 

2.  Be greatful for all that you have. There are millions (or billions) of people who have much less than you do. 

2.  Humans want to reach out and connect with each other, even with perfect strangers. Sharing stories, food, love and laughter is what makes life more wonderful. 

3.  Every place has its pros and cons. It is what you make it. 

4.  Most people are oblivious to what exactly is in the "food" that they are putting into their mouths and the mouths of their children. Or where it comes from, for that matter. If our moHo was a billboard, it would be flashing food facts to help people make more informed choices. Ooooh. I like that idea. 

***5.  In every state we visited, at every age, in all walks of life, people are working themselves to the point of illness and misery. (And we aren't exceptions...yet!) We saw the pattern daily. Everywhere. People hoping to achieve their goals and dreams, only to be stuck in a perpetual struggle of declining health (cancer, heart attacks, diabetes, high blood pressure) and endless debt payments. What is the point? There must be a larger purpose for humanity. Why do we all keep agreeing to perpetuate this mad system? Mortgages, rent, healthcare, credit card debt, car payments, student loans, taxes and on and on and on and on. First world tread mill anyone? Unplug it for good. We can make a shift if we all take a stand. As we uncover the solutions to the madness, I promise to share it. Right here. Piece by piece by peace. 

Ps. Comments and questions are always welcome. :D