Vegas is a city of waste. It’s a city where the rotten nature of humanity is celebrated. It’s a city that appalls me, but that attracts people like mosquitos drawn in by its neon lights. It’s a place where anything can be bought and no one seems to be true. It’s the abyss of western society. It’s a city that I truly loathe from the bottom of my heart.
– Tim-Hendrik Meyer (29.08.2018)
We have now commenced the part of our trip that once upon a time made Mieke and myself fall in love with the raw natural beauty of the United States. We were awed by Yosemite National Park, which easily catapulted itself to the top of our list of favourite parks and which is an absolute must do for anyone visiting California! We are now dozing away at Kings Canyon National Park, making sure to enjoy one of the most beautiful campsites that we have thus far been lucky enough to have been assigned. Campfire, marshmallows, BBQ and cold beer. To quote an older gentlemen sitting by the river in Yosemite Valley: “It doesn’t get any better than this, my friend.” How right he is!
California is burning. Wildfires are raging across the state, as 2018 is forecasted to be the most destructive wildfire season in California history. The increasingly intense blazes seen in recent years, are attributed to decades of fire suppression that have broken the cycle of fires that are inherent to forests, creating an unnatural build-up of tinder. Looking at precipitation statistics, I would personally add that global warming is also to blame, however, since global warming is considered “Fake News” in this country, I am not surprised that the media has decided to focus on other potential causes. What are the fires to us? Yosemite National Park was evacuated and closed temporarily, forcing us to alter our route and suffer the heat of southern California. What a shame!
The last week we took a break and spent six days at Benbow KOA and Manchester Beach KOA. The boys and I enjoyed the water splash park, swimming pool and playground, while Mieke finished her last university paper. We went to dinner at the historic Benbow Inn and stoped at the Trees of Mystery to be awed by the sheer size of the redwood trees towering up to 100 meter above us. Other than that we used the week to recuperate and prepare for the awesome weeks ahead of us. We are now in San Francisco and Gabriel is due to arrive today. Let the journey continue!
This toast, given by Laurel (Abby’s mother) on our last night in Portland, is a perfect reflection of our stay with the Kaufman family. Seldom have we felt so welcome. Seldom have we felt so relaxed and at home.
Continue reading Week 20 – To Family and Friends and the Fortune when they are both!
