Travelling is a Gift...

That's our van and our tent trailer in the hub cap reflection....

I am sure that it will come as no surprise to those that know me that I love to travel.  Why do I love it so?














For one it is fulfilling to know that while the world can be large and ominous and downright scary at times traveling allows you to realise that it is also beautiful and miraculous.  That it is  filled with amazing scenery and just as amazing people.









Whilst travelling along the I5 (a major highway which runs from the border of the US and Canada to Mexico) we met a number of people whose acts of kindness were unexpected but gratefully accepted.  A lovely man named Don stopped us on the highway and let us know that one of the tyres on the tent trailer was about to fail in a spectacular (and dangerous) fashion.  He then offered to lead us into the nearest town to a tyre repair shop he knew of.  While we were waiting for the tyre to be repaired he asked about our plans and then gave us suggestions of what we could see enroute. This wonderful man helped out perfect strangers without a second thought and went above and beyond the expected.  We are so grateful he helped us out.

A surprising patch of California farming land

Travelling also expands your thinking and challenges previously held ideas about places and people. In this way it develops your knowledge base in ways you could never do in a classroom.   We drove through California expecting to see beaches and lush green fields.  What we learnt however was that California is a sprawling landscape of not only these features but of deserts and massive orchards, of steep mountain ranges and national parks worth treasuring.

Overlooking Yosemite National Park's Half Dome...

We saw Yosemite NP before it was devastated by fire then watched in sadness as news crews relayed images of it burning.  We saw wild animals in their natural habitat and learnt about how they survivedin often harsh conditions.  Just today Caleb recalled the actions of a mama bear we saw who walked away from her two cubs as they fought each other ferociously (You're just like that Mother bear we saw Mum!!! Yep I can roar like her too!!!!)

A Massive Sequoia Tree in Yosemite National Park.  

A fellow Canadian on vacation in Lake Tahoe

Another reason I love travel?  Experiencing the unexpected.  We have seen so many wonderful places on our travels this year.  Some we were expecting and planning to see (the Rocky Mountains, Big White, Vancouver Island) and some we happened upon not knowing what to expect.  One of these places was Lake Tahoe found in the midst of the Sierra-Nevada Mountain range which borders California and Nevada. We vaguely knew about Lake Tahoe but didn't in our wildest dreams realise how spectacular it is.  The lake is massive and its waters blue as the bluest blue.  



There are over 39 trillion gallons of water in Lake Tahoe.  This volume of water could cover an area the size of California with 14 inches of water!!  Lake Tahoe is so clear in some places objects can be clearly seen 67 feet below the surface.  Despite the hot temperatures the region experiences in summer the temperature of the water remains a chilly 39F year round.  That however didn't seem to deter many holiday goers.  There were plenty of people in and around Lake Tahoe enjoying a respite from the heat in its cool waters.
Visiting Lake Tahoe was like opening a gift you weren't expecting to get.  We came here simply as a stopover on our way to Los Angeles but left with a feeling of amazement that such a beautiful and pristine place exists literally in the middle of a desert.  We also left here wanting more.  Bren and I added this to our ever expanding "fun list" of things to do and places to see.

Most of all travelling allows you to get to know yourself and those you are travelling with a whole lot better -  and that is always a good thing :)

Who's that trip trapping over my bridge?