We bypassed the Nasty, sketchy-looking Days Inn John had picked for us from his computer in Rock Hill. With limited service, we appreciated his help. But!!! when we saw it, and the blown out cross bridge, I got on the highway and kept searching! All this happened BEFORE the PWForest (which is why we were still on the road and able to see it)
We stuffed ourselves into the relatively posh hotel, and spread out on the beds and floors. The kids always love hotel breakfast and the Lexington's was as good as them come.
We bailed out the car onto the parking lot and created quite the mess: McD wrappers, coffee cups, random paper that grew out of the floor boards, disemboweled backpacks, an old diaper...Then we "organized" the van. An impossible task! We needed to accomplish this task before the sun beganto scorch us. I felt the heat intensifying with the passing minutes.
Just prior to perching myself in the driver's seat, I noticed a newly hatched, featherless bird that had fallen from the tiled eves of the Lexington, it's body still twitching in the heat. With torn off cardboard, I gently carried it to a kinder resting place under a scrubby bush. I heard a chorus of birds chirping a dirge. We proceeded on to Grand Canyon. A literary sort, I reflected that I hoped life didn't foreshadow itself.
Back to our drive up to Northern CA. Wow! quite the mountains!! No hills. I guess you know a mountain when you see it...plus, you've got to put the car in low gear! We're at over 6800 ft according to a painted sign nailed to a 60ft evergreen tree. The redwoods have not appeared yet, but their cousins have begun welcoming us.
We're following a deep river gorge and I'm beginning to become exited!!! Standish Hickey state park is our location. Coldplay's, "Greeneyes", croons over the speakers. I suppose the iPod senses the emerald mountains, for the next song which is also a Coldplay song, references "This mountain of mine" We've just passed a small stand of redwoods, and we're cheering!! More stands keep appearing. We marveled at the first sight of saguaro cactus too, just outside of Phoenix. then a forest of cactus overtook the flattening mountains, which quickly became hills. We did see the giant smoke plume from the fires raging 60 miles away in Prescott, AZ. Fire will NOT be a concern up here in the mountains of CA today. We're in Piercy now. and there's no service.
Rivers flow through the gorges they've carved over millions of years, unlike the dry washes called "washes" in AZ and South eastern CA. "Washes" criss-cross AZ, and although they require a bridge,evidence of an annual rainfall, usually the wash gives no respite to thirsty desert dwellers.
Okayy !! So the views are magnificent! The most beautiful of the trip! They rival NC Smokies! EXCEPT, we get to see redwoods along the roads here....
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