After my never-to-be-forgotten baptism in the Pacific Ocean at Ophir Beach, we resumed our trip along the Oregon coast between Gold Beach and Brooking exploring the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, stopping at all the stunning view points and marveling at the ruggedness of the coastline and the iconic sea stacks and lone islands, the eroded remnants of jutting headlands and geologic uprisings; Buena Vista, Cape Sebastien, Meyer's Creek, Pistol River, Whaleshead, Lone Ranch and of course Natural Bridges Viewpoint.

There are nearly 2000 sea stacks and small islands to be found in Oregon creating a magical, almost mysterious visual panorama. They are part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge and are protected as they provide a critical habitat for thousands of birds and shore life, some rare and endangered. The rocky ledges are favored by seagulls, guillemots and cormorants which we could see at almost every stop. We also saw brown pelicans flying by in a V-formation, looking very much like prehistoric pterodactyls. The stacks are also home to  bald eagles and peregrine falcons who find fish and food aplenty in the pines and in the ocean. We are excited to see tufted puffins further up the coast. I keep my binoculars in the truck and take time to try and spot the birds.

After a few stops, we drove on to the Natural Bridges. We stopped and made the short hike over to the viewpoint to see the natural sea bridges, carved by eroding waves. We did not make it down to the beach or the bridges as the trail was wet and muddy from the previous day's downpour. It was so slick and steep it would have been easy to slip down the face of the cliff. We did not want to risk it, even though it was a beautiful day, the conditions just didn't work out for us.

One of the best features of the Pacific Northwest is how the pine trees butt right up to the edge of the ocean creating the most picturesque views where land meets water. We saw the very best of that today.

Our first stop in Oregon took us to Honey Bear By The Sea RV Resort just North of Gold Beach. We drove through the rain and fog on the US101 Highway through Brooking and then on to the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor. We couldn't see much due to the weather, but when the road leveled out and ran parallel to the Pacific Ocean we got our first view of the rugged Oregon coastline and numerous silhouetted sea stacks rising up through the crashing waves and sea mist. It was wild!

We arrived and set up the trailer under the pine tress with a gang of elk watching us from a distance. Once wifi signal had been established we could all relax for the rest of the day. Travel days are always tiring, so we had an early night as the weather forecast for the next day was clear and sunny and we wanted an early start.

The next day we were going to retrace our steps and leisurely explore the beauty spots along the scenic corridor, from Gold Beach to Brooking.

The next day was warm and bright.

Our first stop was right on our doorstop at Ophir Beach, about 500 yds from where we were staying. The sky was impossibly blue and the waves were shouty loud as they bashed and crashed their way to shore shouting their heads off, white spit launching with every outpouring. The turquoise waves, white sea foam and the swath of light sand was magnificent in a wild, Cornwall/Scotland kinda way.

Henry and I headed straight for the shoreline while Kim took his time getting his camera equipment out of the truck. A great view is worthy of the trusty tripod and the effort required to take an epic picture.

I stood back a little from the shoreline as Henry edged closer and closer to the edge to capture the roaring waves. I then decided to venture a little closer to the waters edge. And that's when it happened!

​A pesky sneaker wave (yes, that's what they're called) chased me up the beach, wrapped around my ankles, and caught me by surprise. Well, I went down with a splash, all the way in, head in the water and the sand. A total face plant! I was completely drenched from head to toe! I even got sand in my teeth!

Henry came in to rescue me and pulled me out towards the dry sand like a drowned rat. Well, we couldn't stop laughing. I was soaked to my skin. I plodded with water logged boots, hair dripping and in fits of giggles back to the truck. Kim had barely got his equipment out when he saw us returning. His face was a picture! There was not a hint of surprise, just smiles and resignation as we turned around and headed back to the trailer for a hot shower and to rinse all the sand away.

Of course both Kim and Henry tried taking pictures to memorialize the moment. 

Here are the best that capture the hilarity.

There are three waterfalls on the McCloud River by the small town of McCloud, California; McCloud Lower Falls, McCloud Middle Falls and McCloud Upper Falls.

After getting lost in the car park at the Lower Falls Trailhead which is almost ridiculously impossible to do, and then walking a good mile in the wrong direction, we finally made it back to where we started and found the trailhead to the Lower Falls, a couple of steps away.

Kim and Henry wish for me to put in a disclaimer here...

I solemnly swear that I was up to no good.  It was me, Laura Barnes, and me alone, that led us in the wrong direction. Henry clearly said he could hear the waterfalls in the opposite direction. Kim clearly said he knew we were going in the wrong direction. Alrighty then. Mischief managed.

At the Lower Falls the McCloud River tumbled through moss covered rocks, ferns, and overhanging trees in a beautiful picturesque-picnic setting, cascading into a deep pool of clear water where we could see the fish swimming in shoals. A fisherman stood on the banks and we saw him catch a flip-flopping rainbow trout that was as big as his forearm. Even from the distance we were standing we could see the trout's pink and green iridescent coloring and its silvery underbelly. The fisherman immediately packed up and left, happy with his catch. Henry had fun dodging all the bees as there must have been a hive nearby. He is paranoid about bees following him, so Kim is always tickling him on the back of his neck with a long stick and frequently makes buzzing noises. Family fun!

Next stop, further upstream, was the Middle Falls. The cascading water from the narrowing river brought the drama! The mist created lots of rainbows in the air which added to the magical atmosphere. We hiked down to the bottom of the tall falls and we had fun playing in the pools and clambering over rocks to get a better view. Not so many bees at the Middle Falls but plenty of dragonflies!

Lastly we stopped at McCloud Upper Falls, at 50 feet, the tallest of the three waterfalls. It was a hidden gem. With a single sleek drop, splashing into a horseshoe shaped pool, it felt private and intimate, a natural wonderland in the heart of the Shasta-Trinity Forest. We hiked down the river and around the rim through the fragrant pine forest, catching glimpses of the pristine wilderness beyond.

Although these waterfalls are not protected in an official Californian State Park, they. absolutely should be. The three waterfalls were stunning!

As part of Henry's mission to visit every National Park in America, we set off to visit Lassen Volcanic National Park in California. Heading south on scenic Highway 89 we stopped on the way at McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park. We couldn't miss visiting another waterfall, they seem to be everywhere in this region!

After driving miles and miles on roads lined with Ponderosa, Lodgepole, Sugar, Gray and Western White Pines and the occasional domineering Douglas Fir, we crossed the gorgeous bright green Lake Britton bridge and turned off onto a shady tree lined lane, arriving at the State Park nice and early.

The park itself is geologically located in the Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau region of Sisikyou County, created by volcanic activity that you can see in the black and basalt peaks, and gradual erosion from the weather, especially seasonal ice melts, and many rivers. The park's centerpiece is the 129-foot Burney Falls, which is not the highest or largest waterfall in the state, but is certainly the most dramatic that we have seen so far on our travels. The water originates from underground springs emerging to create Burney Creek and then flowing at the rate of 100 million gallons a day over the falls and then in to Lake Britton.

It was a warm day and butterflies were everywhere. We walked the short hike from the car park to the impressive falls. The falling water cooled the air and we could feel the spray on our faces when the gentle breeze blew it in our direction. If we'd have had more time we would have stayed all day exploring the trails, but this was just a quick stop on the way to Lassen.

After driving another hour or so through more idyllic California meadows and pine forests we finally turned into Lassen Volcanic National Park and immediately stopped for a lovely lunch of sandwiches and crisps on the banks of Manzanita Lake. Cheese and Branston, thanks for asking.

We then continued on to explore the park with a loose plan to hike Bumpass Hell, the heaving, panting and bubbling geothermal area, most popular with day visitors. Circling around the ice topped Lassen Peak at a lofty 10,456 feet tall, we stopped at rivers, meadows and the trailhead for a good look at the impressive peak itself. We stopped at some bubbling mineral-rich mud pots and steaming features beneath Brokeoff Mountain. Henry had never seen anything like it. The underground, active volcanic activity creating an environment where the earth was literally letting off steam. 

At the Visitor Center they were preparing for the Annular Solar Eclipse that would be visible at the park on September 14th. We picked up some postcards for my Dad, a metallic staff medallion for Kim's new walking stick and of course the cancellation stamps for our National Park Passport books.

We stopped to marvel at the mountain lakes that were impossibly clear and seemed to be absorbing the light into their deep blue/green water. Summit Lake, Emerald Lake and then finally parking up at Lake Helen. After admiring the lakes we set off to find the trailhead for Bumpass Hell.  

Just visiting a place called Bumpass Hell was exciting! We wondered what to expect! It sounded like a place where Gordon Ramsay would hang out and angrily cook wild beasts with his bare hands on an open fire, shouting obscenities to anyone who happened to walk by. In fact it turned out to be an area of surreal geothermal features brought to the surface from the park's deep volcanic roots. Lassen is the only National park with all four types of volcano; plug dome, composite, cinder cone and shield and the superheated molten rock just below the surface was evident at Bumpass Hell. It was a seething, steaming, hissing hydrothermal landscape full of hot springs, fumaroles and even more boiling mud pots. The colors were stunning.

There are only a few places on this beautiful planet that are inextricably linked with a single person, to the point where you cannot even think of one without thinking of the other. They are  energetically entwined and bound with the fine, silky threads of deep respect and utter devotion. Mount Everest and Sir Edmund Hillary, The Lake District and William Wordsworth, Gombe and Dame Jane Goodall, Walden Pond and Henry David Thoreau. For Yosemite, it is the naturalist, John Muir. No one has described the vast beauty of Yosemite, championed for its protection and impressed upon the world the necessity of such a place to reveal the connection between man and nature, like John Muir. 

If you have been to Yosemite, you know that words just cannot do it justice. It is nature's cathedral. It is a place that has to be felt and experienced. A place to bow down in reverence.

So of course, I have to begin with some descriptive words written by John Muir himself to describe this spectacular National Park.

The drive at dawn to the park from our campsite just outside Groveland was twisty and turny with panoramic vistas, sharp drops and skeleton forests burned to the bones, trees like living zombies standing tall, black at the roots and ghostly gray at the tippy tops. In the early morning mist it was a little apocalyptic.

Through the tunnels, then down in to the valley,  we stopped and started to take in the sights of Bridal Veil Falls, the Merced River, the looming gray sentinel that is the fearsome granite El Capitan, the sharp edges of the Three Brothers and then Half Dome, like a huge ship with its stone sail at full mast, sailing down the valley in the distance.

We parked and set off for a short hike to Yosemite Falls. Henry and I had come prepared, wearing our swimsuits, ready for a dip in the icy waters. Because we had arrived so early we were amongst the first to be at the Falls and we had a good hour to ourselves at the pool where the Falls gather in a deep overflowing granite basin before their final tumble down to the valley floor, feeding the lush meadows with fresh water. Our time at Yosemite Falls is already etched in my memory. Henry's huge grin and utter joy of being right there in the moment, in the glorious sunshine, with the spray of the waterfall hitting his face, scrambling over the rocks and taking a dip in the icy pool, was exhilarating. I will remember our time there forever.

Finally, at lunchtime our grumbling tummies dragged us away and back to the truck where we had our picnic lunch near the Visitor Center and of course we got our National Park cancellation stamps.

In the afternoon we hiked out to Half Dome, past the Ahwahnee Hotel, along the Merced River. We tried to spot the intrepid hikers heading up the rounded granite rock to the top on the 18 mile round trip via the Mist Trail, a feat completed by my brother-in-law Simon many moons ago. The long day hike now requires a National Park permit. What an incredible view of the valley there must be from the top! I did watch several YouTube videos of the demanding hike, so I could get a glimpse of the panoramic view. 

Seriously, words cannot express the magnificence of this colossal National Park. I tried with all my might to view it through the eyes of John Muir. I not only wanted to see its timeless beauty but feel that deep soul connection with nature in my core. 

I believe I did.

These photos were taken over several days in the Park.

As we got in the truck, the outside temperature read 136 degrees Fahrenheit or 58 degrees Celsius. From the steering wheel to the seats, everything burned. The air con felt like the devil's breath, only adding more heat to the inferno in the cab. Ugh! It was hot! Or as Henry keeps saying, "Hot as balls!"

We were desperate for some cooler weather and we found it at the top of the San Jacinto Mountains via the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. At a significantly cooler 73 degrees we were able to relax and breathe again. Ahhhhh!

In the rotating cable car, we traveled up over two and a half miles to the top of the mountain with breathtaking views over the Chino Canyon to an elevation of 8,516 feet at the mountain station. The views across the flat valley, stretching from Desert Hot Springs in the North to Palm Springs, Coachella and the Salton Sea to the East, were spectacular. The line of the I10 could be seen and traced as it traversed the landscape. We could even see the dark rim of the San Andreas Fault separating the Pacific and the North American tectonic plates. The desert is pretty inhospitable and the fact that it has been tamed by the will of man with water, solar panels, wind turbines and golf courses as key technological and urban necessities, it is truly astonishing. ​It almost felt as if we were viewing the landscape from outer space.

Once at the top, we stopped for a bite to eat and then set off on a hike in the cool pines. The last time Kim and I were here, there was snow at the top!

Mount San Jacinto State Park is considered an alpine wilderness. We began to walk slowly, relishing the cool temps, through the meadows, streams and the ponderosa, lodgepole and sugar pines. If you scratch the bark of the sugar pines, it smells like  warm vanilla butterscotch and the sugar pine cones are enormous! With the half moon peeking through, paying attention to the warnings for mountain lions, we enjoyed the nature around us. We saw grey squirrels, California chipmunks, ravens, hawks, steller jays, chickadees, swallows, nuthatches and colorful flickers. We heard but did not see the woodpeckers. The smells of the pines reminded us of Wells-Next-The-Sea back home in Norfolk, England and happy family memories. It was such a change from the dust, sand and blistering heat of the valley that we just soaked it all in. What a relief!

We stayed for over four hours enjoying the cooler climes.