Tornado and Community

After San Diego, we headed out across the very rainy desert...towards Quartzsite, AZ. But you can imagine what happens in the desert when it downpours for days. It floods. So we stopped short of our destination and hunkered in for a few days at a campground in Blythe, CA.

It was an interesting little place...most of the people camping there had been coming back every year for 10-20 years and they all knew each other well. It was such a neat example of the type of "alternative community" that the RV lifestyle brings. Matt LOVES getting out there and talking shop with all of the older travelers. All the ladies knew him by name ;-) I love my man.

The first night we were there, the rain was beating the front windshield so hard that we couldn't see out. But as we were peering into the dark wetness, we overheard them announcing outside that there was a tornado warning. Ok then. Not knowing exactly what to do or where to go, we just stayed put and checked the radar. It was coming straight at us, but at the last minute it veered off and our lives were spared. Well, it wasn't quite that dramatic, but I was hiding with the girls under the bunk bed. Not sure what good that was going to do when our RV spiraled into oblivion with Dorothy and Toto, but I FELT safer there.

After the rains, we had fun finding the everyday beauty in that little park. This is one of the reasons we love being on the road...we would have never stopped there normally, but due to the circumstances, we did...and we were totally blessed by the people and the landscape.

Although, if you are ever seriously considering MOVING to Blythe, CA...you might want to re-think your decision. There isn't much there. BUT, there is a Starbucks. With a drive-thru. Which makes it ok in my book.

Photos of Blythe, CA and the desert here.
Photos are available for comment on Flickr.

The Magical Redwoods

"And whatever you do, don't take Bear Creek Road."

In hindsight, it would have been wise to read through Sarah's email more carefully before we headed into the Redwoods on Thanksgiving day. We ended up following the GPS instead of her directions and it took us on a rather precarious ride! Let's just say that a 40 foot RV towing a truck does not do well on hairpin turns with oncoming traffic flying by on the other side.

We ended up getting stuck on a turn with one wheel in the ditch. Several police were involved (to help block traffic) and about 30 other vehicles who were trying to get around us and get to their Thanksgiving dinners. I'm sure they were super happy with us. It's the first time I've been in tears over any situation on the road. Our lives were never in danger...but it was startling to say the least. We ended up with just a cracked windshield from the way the RV was twisted. We landed at such an extreme angle that it was hard to walk from the front of the RV to the back.

God sent angels that day to help us...one who was able to get our truck unhooked with great force while Matt stayed at the wheel and one who led us with his truck to the other side of the mountain. We are forever thankful for those helpers who graciously gave up time on their holiday to help strangers.

After such an intense beginning to our day, we were all rather emotionally burned out before we even arrived at our destination. But once we pulled up to camp* and I saw Sarah waving me in with her sleeve tattoos and her cute little red glasses, I knew it would be wonderful regardless of how we got there. We got settled into our campsite...down into the HUGE redwoods (see us waaaay back in there?). It's one of our favorite spots we've parked in the whole country. Ahhhhhh....I can smell the green moss and mushrooms now.

We spent the afternoon and evening with their extended family and many friends who came over for Thanksgiving. It was so nice to have a warm, inviting place to be for the holidays. Even though we couldn't be with our own families, we felt right at home.

The rest of our days there were filled with lives shared. Discussions about Jesus, parenting, unschooling, ministry, travel, worship, food, authenticity, and the blog world. We laughed, watched movies, sat by the fire, explored in the forest, walked together through Santa Cruz, enjoyed a fabulous farmer's market, gathered eggs, knitted, went to church, and shared meals. The girls played and played and played. We never wanted it to end.

This is an amazing family..truly like no other. They are artists. They have fabulous rituals. They know who they are and why they do things. They are speaking wisdom into other's lives. They are making a difference for eternity and living sacrifcially. We learned so much from them in the short time that we were there and we can't wait to be reunited...someday. Eric, Sarah, Ocean, Ellibella, and Phoenix...we love you guys!

We spent Sunday afternoon by ourselves exploring Santa Cruz. It's a BEAUTIFUL town, with fun shops, unique restaurants...and surfers! I could seriously sit and watch surfers all. day. long. I love it. Bella loves being in the ocean as well and she ran free at Natural Bridges State Beach...chasing Daddy and getting sand in her toes. We also walked the monarch trail and saw all of the monarchs coming out of their coccoons!

So many of you ask us where our favorite stop has been so far...definitely the Redwoods!

Photos from the Redwoods here.
Photos are available for comment on Flickr.

*For privacy purposes, I have omitted the name of the camp that Eric and Sarah run. If you are interested, please contact me directly for more information. I need to screen out the internet creepers :)