We’ve been on the road for almost a month now and have had some wonderful experiences and a few so-so ones. Kristel always enjoys lists so we thought we’d pull together a few lists from our first month.

Thumbs Up

1. California Sate Park Campsites (Beautiful)

2. The Road to Sinkyone Visitor Center (Thrilling, Beautiful, Natural)

3. Bob’s Red Mill Factory Tour (free tour, free samples and we even met Bob)

4. Leavenworth, nothing like a little bit of Bavaria in the middle of Washington

5. Hot Springs (minimally developed)

6. Missing the Edmonton Weather!

7. Cheap liquor available in grocery stores!

Thumbs Down

1. California State Park Campsites (Expensive!)

2. The Road to Sinkyone Visitor Center (Scary, Rough, and Dangerous)

3. Slugs! (poor Chester – he tried licking this one and we were pulling slime out of his beard for the next hour)

Things we are really happy we brought:

1. The Cobb (great meals)

2. The Wave3 heater (we may not have used it much anymore but it sure kept us toasty when it was cold and damp)

3. The Dog Bed from Pet Gear – Chester has finally quit claiming our lawn chairs (RUFF RUFF)

4. The Spanish learning apps and books (not sure how much is sinking in but it’s been a fun way to pass time in the vehicle)

Things we really should have left behind (and actually dumped in Oregon):

1. Extra water jug (pretty sure other countries will have water jugs if something happens to ours…)

2. Carpet for the floor of camper

3. Egg beater (too bulky and we were never used it)

4. The all-in-one dish scrubber and soap dispenser

5. Leaky air mattress (no excuse here…we actually knew the valve was busted when we left home)

In other news, we have continued down the Oregon Coast since our last post. We spent a couple of days near Brookings and enjoyed exploring the tide-pools. We also took a drizzly afternoon to catch up a some maintenance items with the camper (Fix a loose door install some coat hooks, fix the camper jacks, hook up the outside drain etc).

Next came the Redwoods of Northern California. We hiked the Stout Grove and drove the Avenue of the Giants before heading out to the Lost Coast and camping in the Kings Range. It was definitely one of the remotest spots we have been to so far.

The next morning Kristel decided to navigate through a short cut to Highway 1, but after a wrong turn we were on our way to Sinkyone Visitor Center. The road went from single track to narrower dirt track and then it started to rain hard. Then we had the pleasure of trying to pass a convoy of 8 jeeps coming up the road in the other direction. Despite a lot of swearing and other noises coming from Kristel we managed to get to the park’s Visitor Center only to find out that this was not a short cut. The road didn’t go through and we would have to return the same way. Kristel was not very excited about that. We decided to do so right away as the rain was not improving the road. I thought the road not only provided a great test for truck and camper (and driver) but was a lot of fun! Kristel may beg to differ but I only went where she told me!

Because of all the rain we headed inland and ended up camping in Napa Valley. We got up and had a good hike before hitting the road towards San Fransisco.

We settled into Samuel P. Taylor State Park for a couple of days and camped under redwoods. Our campsite was perhaps the nicest yet and one of the most expensive, but included our own hollow redwood tree.

In the morning we took a hike up to Mount Barnabe and got to experience some great views and a good workout. We spent a relaxing afternoon at the campsite (we were too tired after the hike to go on the bike ride we planned).

Today we headed into San Fransisco. We stopped for a photo op at the Golden Gate Bridge and then Kristel tried to navigate me down Lombard Street (supposedly the world’s crookedest) but bailed when she realized just how steep a San Franciscan street can be. We parked and walked down Lombard and then to Fisherman’s Wharf. Chester seemed to be in fine form getting lots of attention and loving it. Is this the same dogs that seemed so at home on the sand dunes? We stopped for Clam Chowder in a sourdough bread bowl before heading over to REI for a few supplies (and to burn up that dividend that I’ve had sitting around for a couple of years). It was a quick stop but we really enjoyed San Fransisco. Now were are off to Fresno for a rather unconventional tourist stop that we’ll tell you about next time.