- FORT BRAGG -

A new little tree.

Wednesday I left the cool clean air of the mountains. The rain had stopped and the clouds were working their way to another location. Everything was fresh and the morning was beautiful and sunny. It was wonderful.

Getting taller.

I headed back over Donner Summit and again stopped at the rest area that is at the top of the summit. There was a great view of the clouds and I briefly talked with a young man that was walking the Pacific Crest Trail, starting south and going north. He said the past few nights were quite cold and obviously wet. He seemed in good spirits.

Continuing to get taller and with new growth.

I arrived back in Auburn and did some errands, met Gaytrell for dinner and stayed the night at Machado's. They now have fresh peaches that were picked that day. I bought a bag for me and one for Millie. I simply love eating fresh home grown peaches. And Machado's are the best.

The sweet rain drops on the needles.

Thursday I went down to Roseville and got the RV serviced. They didn't have the air filter for the generator, so I ended up staying the night with Millie. We did a Costco run and had dinner at Olive Garden. I hadn't been there is many years. Millie found a cooking pot I had wanted, so now I am ready for anything (to cook, that is).

Old and new pine ones.

Remember how I was going to go any direction except west? Surprise. I wanted to get to the coast so west it was. The temperatures in the valley were predicted to be crazy hot and I preferred to avoid that. So, I ended up in Fort Bragg. At my beloved coast again, just further north than usual.

Even purple flowers bloom up here.

Thankfully, It is a lot cooler here. A great nights sleep under a light down blanket. Love it. Daytime mid 80's are much more doable than 105 + any day. There seem to be many permanent people here and fishing appears to be the choice of activity. I listened as several of the guys were talking tales of how they avoided the Fish and Game the other day. Kind of funny, though I feel a bit sorry for all of the new rules and regulations on the commercial fishermen. I guess it goes both ways.

At Donner Summit

This morning, Saturday, I woke to the sounds of my wonderful robins and chickens. Lots of other birds whose songs and sounds I am familiar with, although unable to identify, were also abundant. The evergreens are here, as well, and the smell is awesome. Ocean and evergreens, difficult to beat in my opinion.

At Donner Summit

Well, I am truly on my way. I will continue to head north along the coast. I can take my time and explore the areas that feel right to me. Picture taking is much fun. It would have been nice to get one of my first glimpse of the ocean, however, there was absolutely no place to pull over. Hwy 1 is a magnificent drive along the coast. It is full of windy turns along with the views. There are few turnouts, especially for an RV.

It is always so dramatic when driving through the redwoods and other evergreens, as they provide shade across the roads, and then the sunlight filters through. It feels magical to me, almost as though I am in a special and mysterious space. Makes me smile.