The End of our Adventure

We have had an amazing adventure, and have seen and experienced so many wonderful things!  Thanks to all of you who stuck with us on our blog and sent us messages from home!

I would like to add a special thank you to Sean and Rianna.  You have grown up so much over the course of this trip.  You make us laugh all the time (and cry here and there), and we are so proud of the wonderful individuals you are becoming.

My biggest thanks go to David.  You are the love of my life, the joy in my heart, and the driver of my trailer.  I am so grateful that I have you to walk with me through all the adventures of life.

The sun has set on this MacGregor Family adventure, and we are eagerly awaiting for the sun to rise on the next one.....

Final Statistics

30,570 kilometres

11,500 photographs

174 days

55 campgrounds

25 states

10 provinces

6 time zones

5 countries

3 ferries

3 sets of trailer tires

2 tire blow outs

2 adults   2 kids   2 dogs

1 truck and trailer

 

The MacGregor Family Trip – one amazing adventure!

Stay tuned for one last and final installment of the MacGregor Blogspot.

Safe and Sound

Our last big worry of the trip was whether or not we would be able to get the trailer into the yard at the cabin.  Some years, the snow is packed so high in the driveway that we can’t get into the yard.  But with the last couple of weeks of warmer weather, the snow was pretty low, and we were able to get the trailer in using the 4 wheel drive.  David and I let out a big sigh of relief after the trailer was settled in its spot!  There is will have a well-deserved rest until spring.

 

We spent a couple of days unpacking, cleaning and organizing for the final few miles home to Calgary.  The snow falling on the lake is always a beautiful sight, and I must admit that I have missed it!

 It is the weirdest thing, though, we don't really 'feel' like we are still travelling.  After a couple of days at the cabin, it just feels like we came down for a weekend.  I know we have just finsished this amazing adventure - I guess we just don't want it to end!

Even after all the amazing places we have been, I still     believe that the scenery along Highway 22x is          some of the most beautiful in North America.

Coeur d'Alene to Canada

 

We have finally hit the land of snow!!  We have seen snow before this, but as we head north from Coeur d’Alene, the ground and trees are covered with lots of white stuff.  This is David’s first experience driving in snowy conditions, but as with every other challenge, he does a great job!! 

 

The sight of the Canada Flag at the Kingsgate border resulted in excited cheers inside the truck – we are very happy to be back home in Canada.  The fellow at the border seemed a little surprised when he asked when we went into the States, and we replied October 7^th!    We had no problems going through the border, we just had to give up the lovely bag of oak and hickory firewood that we bought in Texas.

Of course, we had to stop at Tim Horton’s in Cranbrook for a double-double.  The last Tmmy’s we had was just outside of Freeport, Maine.  How fortuitous that we make it back just in time for Roll Up the Rim.

Great Friends in Portland

We stopped in Portland to get our trailer winterized.  I guess that means that freezing cold weather is coming!!

We had a lovely visit with our friends John, Cheryl, and Marci Rose, which included a fun afternoon of bowling (which we hadn't done on this trip yet).  

Oregon is always beautiful, the trees and moss and mountains are looking more and more like home!!  We were a little concerned about travelling through the Columbia River Gorge at this time of year as it can be quite windy and  icky, but it was all good!   
Just a quick overnight stop in Cour D'Alene and we will be at the cabin and back on Canadian ground!!!

A different kind of scenery

We saw this row of trucks when we pulled into a station to get fuel.  The kids noticed what a neat picture it made, different from more 'natural' settings, but still pleasing to the eye.

We have seen more than our share of trucks on this journey, and now have a much greater appreciation for the job they do, and the hours they spend on the road.

So this is our tribute photo to truckers!!

Mount Shasta

Just visualize this rainbow as being a whole lot brighter in real life and you can imagine what a great view this was!!!  The scenery through this mountain range was pretty spectacular, and reminds us of home!

Colours of Malibu

Our trailer was sitting up high on the cliff above the coast, which gave us amazing views of sunrisees and sunsets.  I couldn't have dreamed of a better spot!!  The flowers in the campground were amazing as well!  Oh what a gardener could do with so much sunshine and warm weather.

It is really hard for us not to book another few days at this campground, but we have to head north.  There is some tricky weather in the forecast and we are trying to stay ahead of it!!

We are heading up the I-5 to Portland where we will get our trailer winterized, and then on the the final stretch for home!

Desert Hot Springs

Here are some more photos out of order, from our beautiful campround at Desert Hot Springs, which is right above Palm Springs.  We spent a lot of time at the pool, swimming and relaxing, trying to store up some warmth for when we get home.  This was a great spot to soak up some sunshine and do some reading!!

Oops, this one is out of order

I must have been tired when I did that last blog

because I forgot some stuff!!

Throughout the desert, the early native tribes settled in areas where they could get water.  These pockets with underground water produced plants,  birds dropped seeds, and eventually an oasis was born!

Our adventure today involved a dune buggy ride.  We could have driven through the wind turbines (where they filmed the helicopter scene from Mission Impossible) , and that would have been really cool, but we chose instead to go experience a real life oasis.

The dune buggy trip down the highway and through the desert and dry riverbed was awesome!  Then we had a 20 minute hike up the 

hills to get to the grove of palm trees.  There was 

a slow spring seeping up into a small cave. The 

trees were black and scarred from a fire that 

swept through the area 5 years ago.

From this distance up the hills we could see for

miles across the valley.  It was quiet and serene, 

and it really felt like an oasis in the desert!

As we looked across the valley floor is was easy to imagine ourselves as travellers, finding life in the arid desert, or as Spanish bandits waiting for caravans to rob - there is much sustenance for the imagination here! 

Sean is now convinced that we need a Dune Buggy for our own personal use, so I guess he will have to start saving his allowance!

Yet another amazing ocean view

This is the view out of our bedroom window today!  We are staying at the Malibu Beach RV Park which is nestled in the hills above the Pacific Coast Highway.

   We have canoed in Algonquin Park and played on Samuel Champlain's beach during an amazing sunset in the Great Lakes.

   We have stood on the Northern tip of Newfoundland, wrapped up in our warmest gear as the wind blew us sideways and salt water from the Atlantic sprayed in our face.  

   We have sailed on a ship off the coast of New Brunswick  and watched whales swim under the boat.

   We have gazed up on the Statue of Liberty 

from the deck of a ferry in New York City.

   We have ridden through the waves outside of 

Savannah, Georgia, watching the dolphins play.
   We have cruised through the Carribbean, gone snuba diving in the ocean off Honduras, and rafted down a river in Belize.

   We have caught fish off the dock in Islamorada, in the Florida Keys.

   We have sat on a snow white beach on the Emerald Coast on the Gulf of Mexico.

   And now we relax for a moment, and watch the sun rise and set over the Pacific Ocean as we are about to start the last leg of our amazing adventure.

Botanical Field Trip

During it's Hollywood hey day, "Cactus Slim" Moorten was a

gardener who landscaped big name actors' yards, and helped 

provide backdrops for movie sets.  He started a garden in his backyard, and many movies and TV shows have been shot there.  Now, his son continues to develop this amazing garden, and to be involved in film and TV productions.  There is an amazing collection of desert plants from all over the world, and most are labelled, which I really loved!!

He also had this amazing dinosaur footprint from Texas.  His father worked with National Geographic for many years as a resource, and he got it through this connection.

Even though the rest of the family wasn't quite as excited about this little trip as I was, they ended up being very impressed.  There are so many amazing types of cacti and succulents, and it was very cool to see them all together, organized by ecosystems. We chatted with Mr. Moorten Jr. for quite a while about his experiences and it was great!!

Of course Sean could not

 be close to all of these cacti without being a bit of a goof, but what else would you expect??

At least he can identify this type of barrel cactus now!!

View from the top of Palm Springs Aerial Tram

This is the view from the top of the Tram, down into the Coachella Valley.  Palm Springs lies at the base of the hills, and to the left there is a huge field of over a 1000 wind turbines, one of the largest fields in the world.

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

About a mile outside of Palm Springs, travelling up a steep road, lies the bottom station of the Aerial Tramway.  The tram (gondola) carries passengers over 8000 feet straight up to the San Jacinta Forest at the top of the mountain range.  The tram turns as it goes up so you get to watch in every direction.

We knew that there would be snow at the top, but being good Canadians, we decided to wear shorts anyway!!  Rianna was the smart one in pants!  What we did not know was that we would have an opportunity to go tobogganing, and again, being good Canadians, we had to go! Who  

else but the MacGregor's buys a sled in the desert!

It was all good until Rianna and I, who were  

riding together, hit a big hole at the bottom of the hill and went flying across the snow.  Anyone who has felt "road rash" from ice knows how much fun that would be!

But still, tobogganing in the Californian desert, how cool is that?

Afterwards we went for a bit of a hike to the crest of the ridge.  The view down into the valley was amazing

Oasis in the desert

From Phoenix we travelled through more desert to the Coachella Valley in California.  This is where you find the communities around Palm Springs.  We are staying in a beautiful campground called Sam’s Family Resort and Spa in the town of Desert Hot Springs.  This campground has four five hot pools/spas and a large swimming pool, all heated from underground hot springs.  It is an oasis in the desert with huge palm trees and cacti. 

This valley is surrounded by beautiful hills and snow topped mountains.  I have been 

getting up to watch the sunrise and the colours are amazing (much better than the sunsets for some reason).  The first rays of light turn the mountains dusky purple and pink while the Mourning Doves call the world to awaken.  The stars are still visible in the sky, and the air is filled with quiet serenity.  What a way to start the day….

Finally....some heat in Phoenix

We stayed in a wonderful RV Resort just outside of Phoenix, and finally caught up to some warm weather!!!  The campground is full of oranges, grapefruit and lemon trees!  It is nice enough to sit outside to have our morning coffee again!!!  It is even warm enough to swim in the outdoor pool (heated from natural hot springs).

We have passed through more interesting desert now, with lots of cactus, mesas, and mountains.   These saguaro cactus are our favourites!  We feel like we have really been to the desert now!  The ones in the picture hear would be a couple hundred years old - they grow fairly slowly.

Winter in Texas

Texas, along with most of the other states, is experiencing the cold grip of winter!!!  While taking the dogs for a walk, I discovered a puddle turned to ice.  Makes for chilly camping!!  We are a little concerned about our pipes freezing, so we are really hoping for warmer weather soon.

We had an overnight stop in Fort Stockton, Texas, and Lordsburg, New Mexico.  Not a whole lot in this area besides desert scrub brush.  Most of the towns we have driven past consist of run down houses and trailers.

Driving through El Paso was an interesting experience.  It lies along the border of Mexico, so on one side you see the American businesses and homes, and across the barrier, up the hill in Juarez, Mexico, are poorly made houses and shacks with dirt roads.  We were listening to the radio, and learned that the crime rate in that Mexican city is huge – the number of murders last year was in the thousands.  The presence of border guards was much more obvious in this area!

Amazing desert scenery

We have seen amazing views as we drive through the desert, like this yucca plant, and mountains!

Rianna's Photo

Rianna is getting very good at taking photos which are one arm length away.  She can while away many hours in the truck, just taking photos!!  (This one is at the Alamo)

Sean's Mug Shot

David took this "mug shot" of Sean - see what happens when he gets the camera??

Natural Bridge Caverns

There are many underground caves and caverns in Texas.  About 10 miles north of San Antonio are the Natural Bridge Caverns.  They are quite impressive, going down over 200 below the surface.  There were many different features that we learned about inside the caves, which were discovered in the 1960's.

It was quite a hike down, and then back up again, but it was well worth it!!

Remember the Alamo

The Battle of the Alamo is an important historical, event, particularly to Texans.  There were huge line ups to go into the Mission and the museum.  But it was really interesting to learn about another era of history, the Mexican-American conflict.  At night, when it is lit up, the Alamo looks particularly beautiful!

The trees in this area are hung with white lights, which are still beautiful, but not quite as nice as the ones along the river.  

Most of the office buildings in the downtown area were lit up in various ways for Christmas,

all in all, a very impressive display!

Happy New Year from San Antonio

After a quick over night stop in Houston, we are now in San Antonio, Texas!  We came here to celebrate New Year's Eve, as we work our way home.  The area of downtown San Antonio is beautiful, with a slow moving river winding it's way through the restaurant on shops.  This "river walk" is a three mile loop which is bordered on both sides by a walking path, and beautiful trees.  The bald cypress trees, whose needles are a beautiful rust coloured shade, are hung with draping lines of coloured lights.  At night, these lights hang over the paths and river like twinkling rainbows.  

Throughout the day and evening, slow moving river boats take tours along the river.  We did an
evening tour so we could glide along under the lights, and it was absolutely wonderful!

On New Year's Eve, there was a party downtown, with thousands of people, carnival rides and games, food kiosks, and amazing fireworks.  It was a great party, but we were also left wondering what New Years would be like in New Orleans, where even a Saturday night was an excuse for a party!

Hurricane on the Bayou ( Time for an educational blog again)

The Mississippi is a huge river (3d largest in the world, I think) and empties water from three provinces and fifteen states into the Gulf of Mexico.  It is the colour of café au lait, filled with the silt from thousands of miles.  Every year, with the spring floods, these nutrient rich waters would add a layer of rich soil to the floodplain at the bottom of the river.  In the 1930’s and 40’s they started “managing” the river – putting in canals and levees to contain the river, keeping cities from flooding, and using the water for agriculture.  These things were important, but at the time they had no way of foreseeing the problems that these man- made changes would bring.

Over time, this has actually caused a huge loss of natural wetlands along the Gulf Coast.  This area was full of cypress trees, and they acted as a buffer zone, holding the land in place, and slowing down the winds from hurricanes.  In many ways, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina was made worse by mankind messing with nature. 

We watched a movie about this, at the Imax theatre, which was very educational – hopefully everyone who lives down in this area will learn these lessons about what  needs to be done to reset the natural balance of water and land.  The bayou is a beautiful 

place, hopefully one that will be protected, and in turn will protect others.