Sitting here on the last night – among the redwoods at Smithwoods just outside Santa Cruz. There are 2 squirrels playing tag around a massive tree as the evening casts everything vivid green and orange. (We backed the RV into one of these tree today they are as solid as they look) Been a huge three weeks; San Fran, Yosemite, Mammoth Lakes, Silver and Golden Lakes, Death Valley and the salt flats – Las Vegas, the shooting, the Lakers game then back to the desert, ran outta gas on the Mojave desert (almost) that is the arse end of nowhere and there would be a lot of X-Vegas bodies buried there. Joshua tree – Jumbo Rocks, Pismo (loved it) Monterey, Big Sur and Santa Cruz (only open on the weekends). We didn’t see a snake or bear but we did see everything in between. As Lynne packs and Teva gets lost in his phone, the quiet contemplation, the squirrels playing tag and the smell of old trees and BBQ smoke is filling the evening air – it’s been a magic 3 weeks, not always easy – Teenagers 24/7 take some adjusting, there is no Xbox, WIFI or friends and miles and miles is nothing is not entertainment – not sure how many kids could do it on their own with just their parents – it’s amazing what you talk about, learn about and adjust too – for everyone. Lynne was amazing driving as always – and I was excellent at drinking beer and just above average on navigation.
We met some great people, saw some amazing sites, we tried to understand a different culture and absorb some of the positives and learn some life lessons.
But the best part about living where we do (NZ) it’s always great to come home and in many ways that’s the greatest lesson to be learnt.
