"We are just strands in the web of life..... This we know, the earth does not belong to man man

We choose the "Loneliest Highway in America" to get us back to the coast. Hwy 50 took us from Ely to Reno, with a stop overnight at our wildest hot spring thus far.

This most desolate road takes you over something like 7-8 mountain passes most reaching 6000-7000ft elevation and then winding down into a straight shot across a desert valley, with familiar scenery to Death Valley.

Along this lonely stretch there is a hidden hot spring in the middle of one of the valleys. A rough dirt road guides us past an old gold mine and remnants of buildings from the gold rush, then opening to the hot springs and a few sporadically placed campers. These hot springs are a little tricky to find as there are a few spouts out of the ground scattered along this plane.

Some literally holes in the ground, while others are fed into circular watering troughs.

We spent the evening soaking and swapping stories with other travellers. Our last open desert night sky and we treated ourselves to a bonfire while being serenaded by braying wild donkeys.

Reno was just a quick stop to pick up some groceries and an overnight stay in a casino parking lot. You can tell a lot about a city if the Wal Mart greeter routinely checks your receipt with your purchases at the exit door. So instead of touring the city we decided to have a casual night in....honestly the allure and wonder of a new city is not really in our vocabulary anymore. We prefer interactions with people by chance as we wind down a road to a secluded somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

We drove through Lassen Volcanic National Park, this park is one of the least popular. This may have to do with the cold weather due to higher elevation. It really is a beautiful area. But we had a good taste of winter driving conditions. In fact we saw several tow trucks and even a few vehicles on the shoulder. One car actually slid into a tree, you'll notice how close the trees are to the shoulder compared to Canada. EEks!!

Descending onto the coast and leaving the snow capped mountains behind we were greeted with spring! Bright green budding trees and vibrant flowering shrubs lined the highway, calves and lambs playing around their mother's legs.

Our first peek at the ocean just north of Eureka California.

Again we have this nagging reminder that it may be difficult to find good camp areas in California, while it is much easier than So-Cal the North has its challenges. Trinidad Rest Area and our first encounter with these giant Redwoods. Many cities have laws stating that people are not aloud to sleep in their cars or campers unless in a RV park. This rest area allows you to stay for 8 hours. And was almost full of travellers and transient types sleeping in everything from traditional camper type units to mini vans, covered truck beds and even reclined in the front seat of their honda civic! Again its free with flush toilets and relatively quiet. In the morning we were greeted by a lush forest of Redwoods, the first we have seen!

We spent the morning on this beach, drinking coffee and looking for sea treasures...one of Paul's favorite past times.

We spent 2 days walking through the Redwoods. How can I put this experience into words for those that have yet to see these most wise of trees....I see large old trees as the grandfathers of the forest, wise seems like the best description. It truly is a mystical experience

Walking through these trails you need to take your time as your spend all of your time looking up at these immense giants. The air is dense and humid, a thickness that sits on your skin and fills your nostrils. The aliveness of this forest is apparent in the rushing water below, the vibrant tones of green, the growth of the forest as it seems to encompass and decompose a giant fallen nurse tree. It really is an experience like no other....

Benny has become an experienced little hiker...this was his first off leash walk to "Big Tree". It was only .1 of a mile one way.... Big Tree is 1000yrs old!

There are a lot of trees that have been damaged from fire but it seems that they are either still alive or that new life is growing on them.

This is a fallen tree, Paul is standing at the exposed root system!

It's difficult to show the size of these trees in a picture. I feel this helps to show the immensity of the Redwoods

We stopped at a Wal Mart in Crescent City California for supplies , intuitively we decided that this may not be the best place to overnight. Probably because there was an abandoned SUV with the tires removed and the windows were smashed out....which brought us to this beautiful cliff instead.

Our last night in California was a little nostalgic. As we inch closer to the border we are excited to be back in Canada but can't help feeling emotional that a big chapter is closing. What a way to spend our last night in California!

Since we live in 50 square feet, we spend as much time as possible outside. One reason why weather has been so important. We try to find stunning vistas for breakfast or lunch.

Similarly to the South Pacific Coast the North has been a little tricky to find good overnight spots to sleep. However it seems more tolerated, there are less no camping signs at the highway pull outs. We have even stayed in Day Use areas over night along with other travellers. I'd have to admit we are becoming seasoned at stealth camping!

Haystack Rock and Cannon Beach Oregon has been rated as a must see. Well here it is...

the town posed much difficulty as a place to stay. We are driving longer hours and with that its own tiresome challenges. We are learning to let go of worry and trust our instincts a little more. So after a long day of travel after Cannon Beach we randomly pulled off the highway and down a road. The end of the road came to a beach....Sunset Beach as it is called. We parked on the beach, had supper and enjoyed the sunset. We pulled off the beach and into a trailhead parking lot for the night. What a great reward!

Aberdeen Washington, for those who grew up in the 90's or had kids that did you would probably know the name Kurt Cobain. He was an influential 90's grunge singer who's death is somewhat of a mystery. Aberdeen was his hometown.

We spent the afternoon touring the small logging city. Star Wars and collectibles store a must see in Aberdeen

Kurt's childhood house

Memorial Park and famous Wishkah bridge.

We are on our way to Olympic National Park and the last park before we head back to Canada. The weather has been ideal, we are squeezing in every last sunset and nature walk as the days are now getting longer. We are feeling good, refreshed and relaxed. Same lake east and north west views. The bottom photo shows the Olympic mountains in the distance. Lots of love, Paul Leanne and Benny

Weexcited to see some familiar faces when we get to Victoria. Lots of love Paul, Leanne and Benny