Courtney's Blog July 23rd, Day 18 of the Epic McFarland Journey!

We set out early to cross the Golden Gate and get more pictures. I am sure it looks soooo different from the other side, right? You can be the judge after you suffer through more pictures. We record our trip over the bridge (see videos) and Gideon's reaction (see videos). We then take an nice walk down to a pier and enjoy the water and the views. After approximately 4,543 stairs back up, we move on and say goodbye to the bridge.

Back on the PCH, and it has not stopped curving. I know you think I'm exaggerating, look at the videos...and below is just a small excerpt from Mapquest of what the road is like. Fun to drive, but you might need a Dramamine. We keep driving and see a sign for a "drive-thru" tree. Why not, we go to drive-thru food like everyday now, how hard could this be? We take the opportunity, veer from our planned path, and we are not disappointed. We get to the gate and I say to the woman "We should fit, right?" She looks at the van and says "yeah, you should be ok". Honey, I am going to need some more confidence in your voice - this is a rental. She advises "just push your mirrors in". Oh, ok, should we just rip the roof off too to be sure? We wait in line to drive through the tree for about 10 minutes. Then it's our turn. Abby recorded from the inside of the car, and Adam walked through the tree first so he could ensure I drove OK through the tree. I start to enter the tree and have a panic moment. I scream internally and say "nevermind!!!! I'll have Adam do this". I look over and I can't open my car door. I have already entered....the tree. There is no going back. I look at Adam, panicked, and he gently coaxes me to veer a little to the right. We made it through! Very exciting. We tried to review it on Video, but Abby recorded before we entered the tree, and after we exited the tree. She missed the entire ride in between. But you know what? We didn't. It was a lot of fun and another cool thing for the bucket list!! And what's a little tree sap and bark on the rental gunna do? It's already covered in:

1. Buffalo Musk

2. Zebra Snot

3. Millions of dead bugs from OK

4. An ant colony

5. A smooched back on front fender (Adam may have accidentally pulled some of it off when he hit a parking barrier). Hey!! At least it wasn't me in the tree!!

6. Yellow paint. We were stuck behind a guy painting lines on the road for about 20 brutal miles. When he turned off the road, we drove over the paint, which splashed all over the car....

So really, what is there to lose?

We stopped multiple more times on the PCH at turn-offs in order to enjoy the view. This is our last day on it, and I'm sad to leave. I've grown accustomed to the beauty of the ocean to my left, and the smell of salty air through the vents. At one point, I turn around and see the sweetest thing. Gideon is napping and he and Abby are holding hands. I told Abby how sweet that sight was and what a good sister she is. She told me that it's because she realized something important. "Gideon only really wants to be like me, and impress me. That's cute." I'll take the sibling love as we've had a couple days of backseat bickering. Hopefully, this lasts for awhile. Either way, we took a picture to remember the moment.

Our final destination, or "visit" today is the Avenue of the Giants. This is a scenic bypass which leads you through miles of beautiful sequoia and redwood trees. They are so tall it takes your breath away. You feel like you're at the Grand Canyon all over again - small, insignificant and replacable. The view is gorgeous and we hear a lot of "ooh"s and "ahhhh"s from the back. Abby tells us she cannot believe how big the trees are, and Gideon keeps shouting "look at that one, mommy!". I'm not sure which one he was pointing to, but I react appropriately.

As we head out of the Avenue and towards our destination, we keep seeing signs for "Leggett, CA". We seize the moment. How many other people have done this do you think? We can't pass it up, it's too legit to skip. Get it?

We made it this far without a homesick comment. But today, the streak was broken. That is, until we realized it was only because of Egg Videos. Gideon thinks Egg Videos can only be watched in Hopkinton. We let him think that. He mentions today "I want to go to Hopkinton". We ask "why". He says "so I can watch Egg Videos". I told you he is addicted. It's serious. We're calling Doctor Phil when we get home....

Summary:

Egg Videos still taunt us. Sibling love is alive and well. The van, Minnie, is a little torn up, and well loved. Adam is not a rapper.

Ended the Day at the Quality Inn, Eureka, California (or as Adam lovingly called it "Creepsville")

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