Richardsons Grove/ Avenue of the Giants

On to Richardsons Grove State park. Mim camped here as a child and was happy to be back and see the redwoods again. Our campsite was pretty awesome, we slept under that giant redwood. It was a little too chilly to swim once we made it down to the river, so we stopped for a swim the next day, on the way to Scott and Amber's house.

We picked the most difficult trail to hike down to the river from the road...anything to avoid the crowds of people. It wasn't a trail really...mostly just poison oak, log bridges and steep cliffs. No one is itchy yet, so I think we did well!

And finally here we are driving through the Avenue of the Giants. It was so beautiful and magical...and didn't last long enough. We almost turned around and went through a second time!

The Lost Coast

So, this little dirt road doesn't look too bad right? This here is just the bottom of it. We weren't positive of the road conditions beyond that first corner, but we knew we had to make it. About 6 miles of windy, bumpy, steep and precarious turns led us to a remote beach where weekend campers had just cleared out, leaving the beach all for us. I was so confidant after riding safely down that road, I drove my bike right through some scary looking sand at the bottom...and got myself stuck.

 After I did some fun rooster tails and got myself unstuck, we decided on a little spot on the beach to set up camp. See that fog in the rooster tail picure? It was so foggy that day we arrived, we couldn't see the whole beauty of this beach.

 But the next morning, we had clear skies that remained for us until we departed.

We found that stacking rocks was an appropriate way to spend our lesurely hours on this beautiful beach...

And the sunset??? Just leaves me speachless.

Mim and me enjoyed an abundant campfire one night thanks to some comical fishermen.

Another beach dweller gave us water which helped allow us to stay longer in this amazing spot. Neither of us wanted to leave...

But alas...we had no more water and decided we should probably stick with the plan and continue our trek up to Vancouver! Before we headed up the trecherous road, we saw some Elk grazing near the beach.

Usal Beach...unknown to many, a venture taken on by the infamous Mim and Danielle...

The Coast of California

We made it to the coast!! We made it!! We made it!! We made it!! Our first ocean experience was wonderful...a little cold and windy that first day, but so beautiful and it felt so good to finally get there.

Our first camp spot was at Dillon beach where the reality of California camping prices hit us hard...sort of felt like a punch in the gut! Dillon beach was a great place, lots of sand dunes and lots and lota of RV's. There were RV's on the left of us and RV's on the right. Luckily we had a good spot on the edge of the campground. After the cold ride that day, we set out to drinking some of the good wine my grandma had given us while we set up camp. Then we set out to take a walk on the beach and have a fire....and a little more wine of course (it was cold that day, did I mention?). We found a spot where there were glowing algae in the wet sand shining when we stepped near them. It was just like dance dance revolution! We had a few dance competitions. A few hours later Mim was teaching me how to roll down sand dunes and we had sand in every inch of our clothes, hair and, well, everywhere else you can imagine. Next morning we weren't too sure what happned. We rode about 30 miles and it felt like 200...and we weren't sure where we were going to sleep. But we made it to a great campground that almost didn't have a spot for us and ended up being the perfect place.

First off, there were peacocks!!! They were so friendly and ate right out of my hand!! The campground was completely full but the people who reserved this spot for the weekend had never shown up, so we got their space. It was beautiful, the sun set just behind the trees and shone through so magnificently and magical. Both our camp nieghbors were super nice and welcoming. A couple named Ray and Gina were staying on one side of us and offered us a delicious stake for dinner...the second steak we've been given on this trip!! And it was SO tasty, let me tell you. I was in heaven that evening as we ate our amazing steak with mac n cheese and veggies. We sure did need that meal that night. God was shining down upon us as always. After dinner, Gina heard Mim playing guitar and waved us to come over and join them at their campfire. They offered us beer, tequila and water and loved listening to us play music. As the night went on, we all talked and laughed and sang. Ray and Gina got a little frisky with each other while I sang a love song; it was so cute. And Ray got jiggy with it when we wrote my new song: Coast of California. It's a bluesy, fun tune. Thank you Ray and Gina for your hospitality and friendship and for inspiring my new song!

Mim and me with Ray and Gina

The nexy day was so gorgeous and we were all refreshed and enjoyed the ride on beautiful Highway 1

Taking a lunch break

We made it to a great campground, right on the beach and we could even see the ocean from the campsite. It was a walk-in campsite and was very quiet, most of the other campsites around us were vacant. It was a peaceful night.

Our first walk on the beach...in the daylight

We made the best dinner so far: stuffed bell peppers over the grill. Those things were so good. We stuffed those puppies with rice, yummy shitaki mushrooms, black beans, onion, cheddar cheese and olives. Oh man, we are such a good team, baby!

We slept peacefully that night, we had no idea the adventure that was in store for us the next day...

Stockton Ca

The ride from Yosemite into Stockton sure was hot! We stayed with my sister and the family for five days. We got to see my adorable little nephew and the whole family that I've missed so much since moving to Colorado. My grandmother gave us almost a whole case of wine, which you will hear more about later...

And we sang some praises with my Uncle and Grandpa on the organ and piano. They are so talented!

Then my sister and me sang a tune with my grandpa...

It was so nice to see everyone again, here we are with the whole gang!

Miss you guys already! xoxo