Mel & Trinity

I am so happy!!

It feels like everything has fallen into place having crossed into California. The weather has improved dramatically from our drive down the Oregon coast, which although gorgeous and dramatic, was rather treacherous.

Northern California (well at least the coastline) is amazing! Our first stop in California was Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, which much to my surprise was free to enter. That’s a first.

The Redwoods are gorgeous! It’s so amazing to walk amongst trees that, like Big Tree (the largest of them), are 1,500 years old. The thought of that alone is astounding. It truly is a humbling experience and I feel so blessed to have had so many of these moments during my trip. The photo and video below will hopefully give you a taster of what there is to find in this region.

That evening we stayed in Arcata. It’s a cute little town with an eclectic mix of people. Our hotel was on the town square which has a very different feel on the northern side to the southern side. We had chosen a hotel on the southern side. Oops!

I do love the Californian hippie culture but there is a fine line between hippie and bum. The town square straddles that line for sure.

The towns we stopped in south of Arcata have been fantastic though. I absolutely loved Mendocino and the cabins where we stayed last night, The Andiron. I would stay there again any day!

Nicola and I had adjoining rooms called ‘Here’ and ‘There’. I choose the latter as it had a huge wall map of the U.S. which felt like I was at home again (I currently have one on my one wall at home). The rooms were just brilliant! Each has its own character, very tastefully decorated, and direct access onto a patio looking out towards the sea (over some trees).

The cabins provided us with charcoal so that we could have a BBQ (a braai for us South Africans); firewood for the fire pits; and marshmallows to toast. Woohoo! I am very happy to report that I can still make one mean fire (I made sure it was dead and buried before I went to bed). The meat wasn’t too bad either.

Below is a very happy (and even slightly tanned) me.

What a perfect evening!

I woke up today in a brilliant mood and it only got better throughout the day. The scenery was breathtaking; the weather was perfect for riding; and my smile kept growing every time I saw a sign for San Francisco.

I could feel a real sense of pride growing inside of me today thinking about what I have experienced over the last 3 months and what I have achieved. It was also wonderful to feel excited about going home and seeing what the future holds.

I have found the peace and happiness I was looking for on this trip!

Below are a few photos and a video of the coastline I’d like to share with you before I end my post. I hope they bring you as much joy as they brought me. Enjoy!