Heading south slowly

This summer has held a visual and emotional feast for us, a bittersweet feast as we are heading south and don't know when we will see any of our lovely friends and relatives again.  While sailing the world has been a dream, making it a reality forced us to understand that dreams have costs, and that is leaving our friends behind.  Some will join us, and others have problems with seasickness and will visit us when we are land based, we hope.  That's why there are drugs for mal de mer....so listen up, folks...life is beautiful down south, but also as these photos show for the past travels, also beautiful with you......Carmel Mission below.

Linda's house in Prunetucky over Labor Day had us wandering Carmel beach and valley, looking for adventure.  We found it at a new middle Eastern restaurant back in the valley, that had openned the day before.  Yum.

The long drive up the crazy road to Edison/Vermilion Valley had us wondering what we would find after two month:  snow or no snow.  Snow, we found, but only with the afternoon thunderstorms, and only discovered high on the mountains.  Our campsite was empty, in fact the whole area was pretty empty and peaceful, although Jim said the Royal navy had sent a crew over for "team building."  We knew the area was rugged, and we puff in the altitude, so those young guys must be planning on  a mountain invasion.  Jim, the owner of the lodge said they were all "very polite"......as opposed to?

Below our favorite campsite - lighting crackling down on the trees in the afternoon did this above, and below the black  storm cloud made for fantastic light into the lake.  Thunder rolled for hours, and we huddled in the tent, asking ourselves where the safest spot would be.  All I could think of was what would we do in the Caribbean, with our tall mast.  Ai yi yi.

Getting ready to leave - we love this site, and were, with this site, committing several Forest Service sins:  visible from other sites, having a red chair, not disappearing into trees, and perhaps cutting the view off for other campers.  As there was only us there, with the exception of another hidden camper, ask us if we cared.