Tehachapi (CA) to Twentynine Palms (CA) - 219 miles

Jan. 24, 2012 - Woke up to a foggy and breezy morning, but it cleared off nicely by the time we were ready to leave the motel.  We walked around downtown Tehachapi and took photos of some of the murals.  I love it when cities find artists to paint historic murals on their buildings.  We're finding more and more of that as we travel.  Tom and I shared a Danish breakfast roll at the German Bakery - Mmmmmmm.  Drove on to Twentynine Palms where we stopped for the day.  We're on the edge of Joshua Tree National Park now.  Tom and I drove into the park just before dark for a short exploration and to watch the light change on the desert landscape.

Pat by mural in Tehachapi

Willits (CA) to Tehachapi (CA) - 497 miles

Jan. 23, 2012 - Another day of driving in and out of rain.  It was a pretty drive, though.  We passed Clear Lake, known for great bass fishing.  Saw a small herd of elk on one of the golden hillsides.  After we passed through Bakersfield, we stopped at a fruit and nut market to buy California oranges, dates, pistachios, and a DATE SHAKE!  Saw a huge, beautiful rainbow over golden hills against a dark sky on our way to Tehachapi.  The camera was buried somewhere in the back of the car, though.  It is now in the front seat with us!   

Sequim (WA) to Willits (CA) - 776 miles

Jan. 21-22, 2012 - The last two days have been spent driving in and out of rain as we head south.  We made it to Grants Pass (OR) on Saturday night - a total of 467 miles.  We were ready for pizza and beer at the Wild River Brewing & Pizza Co. as soon as we got settled in our motel room.

Today, we drove the Redwood Highway out of Grants Pass (OR).  We had a 20-minute delay on the highway as we waited for crews to clear two trees that had fallen across the road.  After chain saws were used to cut the trees into sections, a snowplow pushed the debris to the sides of the road.  We continued on, driving in and out of towering Redwood stands, driving in and out of rain all day!  Stretched our legs at Patrick's Point, a California state park, where we watched the crashing surf explode over seastacks and the rocky shore.  It was as much fun as watching fireworks on the Fourth of July!  Made it to Willits (CA) before dark where we checked into a low-class motel because it was the only one we could find that would accept pets.  The room does have a TV, though, so Tom was able to watch the last half of a playoff football game.  He listened to an earlier game on the car radio.  There wasn't much traffic on the highway today.  Could it be that most people were home watching football?

Fallen trees on the Redwood Highway

Crashing Surf

Rainy day on the Redwood Highway

Football Playoff Game on motel room TV

Snowy Sequim to Sunny Arizona

Jan. 20, 2012 -  We're ready to leave snowy Sequim and drive south to sunny Arizona.  We're getting a later start than planned.  It snowed for three days here which readjusted our timeline.  When it snows here, everything shuts down!  Filing our tax papers got delayed, our bank was closed, the roads were a mess.   

But now, the Subaru is packed and ready to roll.  We'll be leaving Saturday morning with Teva and Cooper, our RV cats.  We're looking forward to a leisurely drive to Tucson (AZ) where we'll reconnect with our RV which is parked in an RV lot there.  It will be fun to explore the desert.
 
"We don't know where we're going, but we're on our way."

Snowy Sequim - January 20, 2012

Sunny Arizona and a Happy Saguaro

Vancouver (WA) to Sequim (WA) - 209 miles

Nov. 14, 2011 - Home Sweet Home ... We drove through a mix of rain and sunshine the rest of the way home.  We're still seeing fall color in Washington.  It's amazing that we have followed autumn through 15 states on this journey.  We stopped in Hama Hama to buy smoked salmon, one of our favorite stops along the Hood Canal.  As soon as I stepped out of the car, the fragrance of the cedar trees wafted down to me.  We spotted the elk herd in Brinnon.  The Olympic mountains are snow-capped and beautiful.  It is so good to be home again!

Our plan is to drive back to Tucson the middle of January.  We'll pick up our RV and spend several months exploring the Arizona desert.  I'll continue this blog when we get ready to take off again.  Thanks for coming along with us!

Sacramento (CA) to Vancouver (WA) - 611 miles

Nov. 13, 2011 - Woke up in Sacramento (CA) and ended up in Vancouver (WA), north of Portland (OR).  It was a really long day of driving!  The scenery got gorgeous again at Mt. Shasta (CA).  The drive through Oregon's Cascade mountain range was awesome.  We're spending the night at Vancouver (WA).  I'm relaxing with wine and chocolates in the motel room.  Tom is surfing with a remote control.  Cooper is perched on the window ledge and Teva is relaxing on the motel bed.  When I asked Tom about the highlight of the day, he said, "Getting out of the car after eleven hours of driving!"

Mt. Shasta through the car window

Pat blogging with wine and chocolates, Cooper on window ledge

Teva, the motel room cat

Twentynine Palms (CA) to Sacramento (CA) - 499 miles

Nov. 12, 2011 - A long driving day... It was interesting to travel through southern California's desert and hill country.  We found a great German bakery in Tehachapi, too.  But, the San Joaquin Valley was a real grind.  It was flat and monotonous with lots of traffic.  We're just putting on miles now.  Both of us are anxious to get home again.

Teva and Cooper, the Subaru cats

Cooper relaxing in the Subaru