November 2019

As we left LA and headed back into the desert for our final national park of this trip, I began to feel a mix of sentimental, grateful, and surprise.  Three years ago, when I concocted this insane plan to quit working and drive around in a motorhome, Danielle rolled her eyes and I didn’t actually believe that we would leave our apartment… and do it with a 18 month old.  Now, driving to Joshua Tree listening to Zack Brown Band, I just can’t believe that this came together.

We arrived in Palm Springs just before sunset and immediately hit the town.  It was Sunday night, so all of the 50 year old birthday parties and second marriage bachelorette parties have gone home.  To Danielle’s dismay, the place with the best live music and the most people was Las Casuelas Terraza… so tonight is Mexican night!  The next day we took the Palm Spring Aerial Tram to the top of Mt. San Jacinto for some light hiking. That night we had our first injury of the trip.  As I was connecting the golf balls Bryce had strewn about the course, I notice him start running toward the street at full speed.  Running across the mini golf course in the dark was not good for my right ankle. The urgent care doctor told me that I had grade 2 sprain and I should avoid hiking… like that’s going to happen…

With Danielle now carrying Bryce through Joshua Tree, we did the Barker Dam Trail, Skull Rock Trail, Arch Rock Trail, Hidden Valley Trail, and Wall Street Mill Trail. All relatively flat trails that weave through the remarkable landscape of cactuses, Joshua Trees and rock formations.  After a night of poring rain, we packed up and headed to San Diego to visit the Johnsons.

The Davis’s have upped our camping skills as the trip progressed.  Recently, we have been camping in the national parks surrounded by the beauty of nature.  Around LA, we were livin’ big with a site on the beach in Venture and 2 nights ballin’ on the beach in Malibu.  This is #RVLife

The purpose of our LA visit was to spend some time with friends that live 2500 miles away.  After a quick stroll down the Santa Monica Pier, we enjoyed some great cocktails with Brian and Soha at the nicest place we have eaten on our journey, Little Prince.  We spent the next day relaxing and contemplating life with Brian at Will Rogers State Historic Park.  At 3:30pm, we got back into our house on wheels to take the 45-minute drive to Irvine to see Alon and Family.  We arrived at 6pm after getting a feel for LA’s most famous past time: Traffic!  After a visit with Alon and Irina, we headed back out into the desert to see our final National Park of the journey.

The Channel Islands are a group of diverse islands off the coast of Ventura California.  The Davis Clan rode the 90-minute Ferry with dolphins and seals to explore this seldom-visited national park.  The premier hike from the Prisoner’s Bay dock is the Pelican Bay Hike, a 5-mile hike up the mountain and through 3 canyons concluding at a beautiful bay and pebble beach.  The only problem is that it is required to be guided.  We rarely take “guided” hikes because the pace is dictated by the slowest hiker, usually 4 years old or an elderly bird watcher.  Our hike had both!  After about half a mile, we spent more time waiting to see where the last person is than actually walking… and I was beginning to rethink this hike.  The guide who shared my frustrations then asked that one of the volunteers wait with the last person so we could actually do some hiking.  In the end the hike was beautiful and Bryce enjoyed throwing rocks on the pebble beach.  21 parks down and 1 to go…

Just south of Kings Canyon is Sequoia National Park, home of the largest Sequoia grove in the world and home to the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree on Earth.  For those who are curious about the difference between a Sequoia and a Redwood… the Internet has the answer (https://homeguides.sfgate.com/difference-between-sequoia-sempervirens-sequoia-giganteum-90373.html)

Our hike through these beautiful giants was the Giant Forest Loop Trail, an 8-9 mile journey that connected many of the trails and large trees in the area.  This was the first time Danielle and I struggled to stay on the path given so may unmarked forks and zero cell service.  The visitor’s center warned us about this and recommended carrying paper maps, but with few landmarks beside large trees, I am not sure that would have helped.  Either way, the hike was beautiful and walking amongst 20’+ diameter trees is an amazing experience. 

There are two exits to Sequoia National Park; the entrance in which we entered near Kings Canyon and the southern, more convenient exit.  Unfortunately, the bottom of General Grants highway is “not recommended” for vehicles greater than 22ft (the RV is 30ft) and looks like below… we took the longer route.

Also, Danielle drove some of the way, and again, we survived.

For those keeping track, THAT WAS PARK #20!

Danielle was successful in her first attempt at driving the RV and we are able to continue the journey with 2 competent driver. 

Kings Canyon National Park has 2 sections 1) a grove of sequoia trees which includes the second biggest tree in the world and 2) the Cedar Grove section which encompassed the valley and major hiking areas.  We arrived at Kings Canyon the day before it closed the cedar grove section of the park for the season and felt like we had the park to ourselves.  After 3 days of strenuous 8+ mile hikes, my shoulders were beginning hurt.  We took a more relaxing route along a river to a waterfall and Danielle wore Bryce in the frontal baby carrier.  After the hike, we stood on the bank of the river and threw rocks into the water.  Watching Bryce throw rocks into the crystal clear river with the towering granite mountains on either side reminded me how lucky I am to have the opportunity and everything else in my life.

The drive out of the Canyon provided some of the most spectacular mountain sunsets Ive ever seen.

Pinnacles National Park, designated in 2013, is located an hour from San Jose and home to Falcons, Golden Eagles and the California Condor.  It is amazing that a park this close to major metro areas was so empty.  We got aggressive and set out on the Balconies and High Peaks Loop, a 9 miles hike.  This loop covered the iconic features of the park, which are the Balconies Caves and the High Peaks.  The caves were crazy tight and difficult to navigate with the little man on my back.  There was a 10 foot section where I dragged myself on my stomach across the floor.  After emerging from the caves, we climbed 1,700ft to watch the condors.  During our lunch stop, we were harassed by bees.  Bryce quickly picked up on our discomfort with the bees.  He now yells “Beeeee, beeeee, beeee” in fear at every flying insect. Hopefully this is a phase. I took a lot of terrible pictures of birds off in the distance that I assume are the special condors and headed back down the mountain.  Next stop Yosemite!

As you enter the park through the north entrance, the massive granite walls announce themselves to the hoards of adventuring tourists who can’t help but stop and take a picture even before the real show begins.  We arrived at Yosemite on a Saturday and the weather was perfect so we were expecting the crowds.  Having other people on the hikes was a change of pace for us. In Olympic, Crater Lake, Red Wood, and Lassen, we were alone, but it was nice to have people to talk to and take pictures for us on the trail.  I am sure it is getting boring seeing pictures from the same angle with me obviously and awkwardly holding the selfie stick.

The first day we hiked the Vernal and Nevada Falls Loop.  This 6.2 mile, 2,000ft elevation hike turned out to be closer to 8 miles and had some of the best views thus far.  The 2 massive waterfalls were impressive even at their lowest flow of the year and the view from the top of Nevada falls was inspiring.  We let the little man out to run in a small clearing between the falls while we ate some sandwiches.  (When this trip is over, I am going to need a significant break from turkey sandwiches.) At first, I was disappointed that Yosemite Falls was dry, but this hike relieved any disappointment.

The second day, we left Yosemite Valley and Hiked along the rim to explore Tunnel View, Glacier Point, Sentinel Dome, and Taft Point.  All spectacular views!  We felt that we could have spent another day or two in Yosemite, but time is short and the great Sequoia’s are waiting.

After 5,500 miles of observational training, Danielle was ready to take the wheel of the RV.  If this ends up being my last post, you will all know why…

Each week of the journey seems to have a focus; either intensely hiking through national parks or spending time with close friends and family.  In week 5, we enjoyed time with some amazing people who I wish we could see more often.

The first day, we spent the day walking on the UC Berkley campus and visiting the Stepman/Freund clan.  Good friends, wine, beer, and Burmese food really hit the spot.

The next 48 hours, we vacated the RV and took up residence with Nonna in an Outer Sunset AirBnB for some more quality family time.  I don’t know who was more excited: Bryce to hang with Nonna,  Isa for seeing Bryce, or Danielle and I to get a break from the unrelenting energy of the little man.  We hung with Uncle Dan in Golden Gate Park, explored the San Francisco zoo and ate far too much. The days go by fast on this trip and in a blink, we were dropping Isa of at the airport and headed to San Jose. In San Jose

Danielle got to spend some time with her good college friend Mary while Bryce ran around like a maniac with Violet and Charlie, with baby Jack (he didn’t do much running). It’s really great to see Bryce having so much fun with other kids- but added benefit that he is so entertained it’s a nice break for us!

At each park, we seek out the most amazing views, spectacular geographic features and iconic hikes… within our physical (and time) constraints.  There is often debate on the Davis team whether we can do the black trails. A trail is black due to: greater than 20% grade (doable), narrow path with steep drops (debatable), technical climbing requirement (improbable) or extreme distance (can’t do). Lassen Peak, a 5 mile, 2000 ft climb, was black do to very steep grades, loose rock path and narrow path with steep drops… it was also to highest and most recommended peak in then park. After significant debate, the family voted 2-1 to do the hike… and it was outstanding. The views of the northern Sierra Mountains and surrounding valleys were breath taking. When we reached the top of the 10,000+ ft volcano, my legs were jelly. The next day, we viewed the hydrothermal features. We did Bumpass Hell trail to Cold Boiling Lake Trail. The boiling ponds and steaming streams of bumpass hell we super cool (or super hot :p). The extra 3 miles to see the cold boiling lake was probably a lemon that wasn’t worth the squeeze. 

On the way from Crater Lake, we stopped in the town of Grant’s Pass, Oregon to restock at the local Walmart and eat our favorite authentic Oregon Mexican cuisine, Taco Bell.  The journey from Grant’s Pass, OR to Crescent City, CA was 2 hours of windy roads along highway 199 in the dark.  As we approached Crescent City, the trees along the road grew as wide as cars and the highway seems to bend to avoid the trees.  This was our first view of the Redwood giants.

Redwood National and State Parks is a combination of 3 areas: Jedediah Smith, Prairie Creek, and Redwood National.  This was the first time that the RV inhibited our experience.  The roads leading to the desired hikes in Jedediah Smith were dirt roads that didn’t allow RV, so we were forced to bypass this section and head to Prairie Creek.  Again, one of the “must see” areas was only accessed through a road not accessible to RVs… but, could be accessed via a 10-mile hike from the visitor’s center.  This is where all of our training would pay off.  To access the legendary Fern Canyon, location of scenes from Jurassic Park 2, we would have to hike 3 miles longer than our longest hike.  After a family discussion, the vote was 2-1.  We were going to see Fern Canyon.  The James Irvine Trail to Fern Canyon was awesome.  The 5 mile out and back followed a scenic stream through miles of massive old growth redwoods.  Fern Canyon did not disappoint. 

After completing the hike, we relaxed on the beach at lookout point, facetimed Grandma and Grandpa, and let Bryce enjoy some well-deserved time to run around and chase sand crabs. We camped at Patrick’s Point State Park before embarking on the long road to Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the US, was caused by a massive eruption 7,700 years ago and created as the nations 5th national park in 1902. The weather was once again in our favor with temperatures around 50 and no wind.  The reflection off of the lake was crystal clear and the trails were empty since the park was about to close most major roads in a few hours.  We hike the Discovery Trail which continues into the Rim Trail.  It was scary that we almost missed this gem.  Happy Halloween!

During our time in Seattle, we realized that Crater Lake National Park pretty much closes for the season on November 1^st.  Our calendar has us in Crater Lake on… November 1^st, so we needed to cut a day from somewhere. Despite some great recommendations from Dusty B and several others, we were forced to cut most of Oregon Coast. 

With our only 24 hours on the coast we stopped in the sleepy off-season town of Seaside.  Hotels were so cheap that we decided to splurge and get a hotel room at the Shilo Inn and gave the RV the evening off.  We had 2 beers, ate dinner at a place where the average age was 75, and then went to bed.  The next morning we took a run along the promenade and watch Bryce play in the sand and then the pool before beginning our 4 hour journey to Crater Lake. 

Our 1^st stop on the journey was the town of Tillamook, whose prominent attraction was one big dairy factory with a museum, tour, food court, and ice creamery.  After several years in Wisconsin, my cheese senses are acute.  Danielle and I split a cheese curds appetizer (she ate 2 curds and I ate the other 1500 calories of cheese curds) then we ate full meals.  I finished off my glutinous display by “sharing” an ice cream with Danielle and Bryce.  I use the word “sharing” loosely.

Final stop for the day was Eugene Oregon in the Willamette Valley, famous for Pinot.  We parked the RV at a campsite and took an Uber downtown for some Pinot Noir tasting at Sweet Cheek tasting room. We skipped dinner as we were still full from our afternoon dairy overload.

Olympic National Park is my favorite park yet.  We saw 3 distinct areas of the park: mountain, beach, and rain forest.  Each area was amazing on its own.

We started the day hiking on Hurricane Ridge, known for high winds, freezing temperatures, and large snow falls, but on our day, the weather was chilly, dry, and calm; perfect for hiking the ridge line of a mountain.  The hike had 360 degree views of snow capped mountains.  We cut the hike a few miles short because Danielle was uncomfortable with us walking on some snow with cliffs on both sides… its not like I have our son in a backpack or something.

We then headed down to Marymere Falls and within an hour… BOOM… we are now in a rain forest with moss, ferns, and waterfalls everywhere.  On the hike, we met an Australian Nanny (~28 yo), Georgia, who was traveling around the US in a converted 1980s blue school bus with some Church name on the side of it.  She was a reminder that in about a month, we will be in the land down under… and there is lots of planning to do.  She also volunteer to babysit for us while in Sydney, which could be  nice break as long as she doesnt steal our child.

We wrapped up the day with a sunset on Rialto Beach, a rugged pebble beach where the huge pine trees approach the rocks and waves.  The pictures never do the scene justice.

The next morning, the three Davis’s embarked on a 7 mile hike through Hoh Rain Forest.  I am pushing Danielle and Bryce to see how far we can go before our team falls apart.  So far 7 miles is still good. One day, the coolest site in the park might be 9 or 10 miles hike (hint, hint).

It was remarkable that 24 hours earlier, we were on a ridge at 5400 ft and now we are in a rain forest.  Bravo Olympic… Bravo.

Seattle welcomed us with open arms. The drive from Leavenworth along rt. 2 was stunning with waterfalls, snow capped mountains, and pine forests.  We did a quick tour of Seattle’s Pike Place Market, panicked at the overwhelming number of tourists, walked to the Space Needle and I had some non-Starbucks coffee. 

We spend the evening with Catherine and Joe at their awesome home overlooking Seattle Harbor.  Relaxing by a fire with good wine, good beer and good friends while my kid obsessively and quietly played with magnetic trains for hours, was exactly what we needed.  Sunday, we spend the day with Billy, Katie and family.  Billy and I have been friends since elementary school and spent a lot of time doing nothing productive together in high school. After ~10 years since we last saw each other, it was great to catch up and watch our kids play together.  Danielle and I felt at home in Seattle… we will certainly visit more often.

The ferry over to the Olympic Peninsula had one of the best sunsets I’ve ever seen… this was just the beginning for our time in Olympic…