We have made it back to the US and our trip has slowed down quite a bit as we are enjoying wonderful reunions with family and friends, as well as, repairing and preparing the motorcycles for the many miles still to come. This schedule will continue until the end of January when we plan to cross the border into Mexico on the Baja Peninsula!
So where are we now? Santa Cruz, California. Where did we come into the US? Near Glacier National Park. Was it absolutely, stunningly beautiful? Yes! 🙂 We finally got some rain free days as we drove over the border from Canada into the US and into Glacier NP. Very cold days, but wonderfully rain free. Our first morning we decided to drive the ‘Going To The Sun’ Road, since it was completely open, but not forecast to remain so for long. The views along the road were worthy of dropping your jaw; the fall colors, the snow-capped peaks, the vertical drop offs, and the insanely narrow winding road. We loved it! The only damper came as we neared the pass over the rocky mountains and it began to snow. Fortunately, it wasn’t coming down very heavy and we were fine. By the next morning the pass and the road were closed and never reopened during our week at the park! We had a great time hiking all over the park and would highly recommend a visit if you have never been here.
While at Glacier NP we met a fellow camper named Dennis who generously offered to host us at his house in nearby Kalispell. Since the forecast for the next two days was rain we gratefully accepted the opportunity to stay dry and spent two great nights with Dennis and his wife Kathy at their lovely home. It was so wonderful to get to know them both and share the story of all of our continuing journeys with Jesus. They fed us like royalty! Almost everything was made from scratch with vegetables from their own garden! It was such a treat after eating oatmeal for breakfast and peanut butter and crackers for lunch – every day – for the last four months!
Our next big stop was in Boise, Idaho to visit our friends Matt and Terra and their kids. It was a great week and so much fun getting to catch up with this family! It also turned out to be a great place for some motorcycle repairs – new fork seals (finally!) and repairs to damaged side boxes by Happy Trail (for free!). It rained, of course, but since we had a roof over our heads, we were as happy as can be! We also enjoyed Matt and Terra’s amazing culinary skills – they went out of their way to revive our wilted taste buds with delectable dishes! Sharon had her worst migraine on the trip while we were there – and even though it was awful – we were SO grateful we were not camping in our freezing tent.
From there we headed to the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and more camping. The weather was cold (ice on the tent in the morning), but NO rain and that makes a huge difference for us while we are driving and camping. The Painted Hills and Sheep Rock Unit are such beautiful and strange rock formations; unlike anything we have seen before.
A week later we arrived in Bend, Oregon home to much of Sharon’s family. Because we were still ahead of schedule we spent two weeks here! We enjoyed spending time with Sharon’s mom, two of her sisters (and their families), her dad (who flew from Florida), and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. One of the highlights was celebrating Sharon’s birthday. We threw her a massive surprise party attended by all of her family that lives in Bend! At 38 years old, she felt pretty special to have such a gathering on her birthday. Thank you again to all those who helped make this happen. Also, Sharon’s childhood best friend’s father made a point to time his visit to Oregon to see Sharon. We had such a great time and are so thankful for the hospitality we received. Special thanks to Cindy for putting up with us (Chris) for so long. 🙂
The next leg of our journey took two weeks as we traveled to the Pacific Coast Highway from Bend and then along the coast until we arrived in Santa Cruz. The sites along this route are breathtaking! From miles of silent coastal dunes, to jagged cliffs, to towering Redwood trees, and moist fern-filled canyons – it really is incredible! Another incredible thing was the weather, no rain, at all, the whole trip! We did run into smoke as we neared northern California due to the devastating Camp Fire, but visibility was still fairly good. One piece of unwanted excitement was the first ‘real’ crash of the trip. During a moment of inattention (I was watching out for Sharon in my side mirror) I found myself faced with a very sharp left curve going too fast, I was forced to brake very hard. After I had slowed down to about 10 mph I ran out of road and went down on my right side and landed on a bed of pine needles and grass beside the road. I am fine. The bike is fine. Very little damage to either of us. I am so grateful and thankful for all those who have been praying and thinking of us (and our safety). We know it makes a difference!
Chris & Sharon
Love and miss you! The trip looks amazing! Prayers and hugs, Marjie