The Marco Polo Group / Olive Tree Publishing

The time had come to leave Kelowna once again. This time instead of heading east across Canada, we are heading south through Washington State and Oregon into the sunny hotspot of Redding, California.

We decided to cross at the Osoyoos border crossing on a warm summer evening with the full moon rising over the hills, the clear moonlite penetrating the still blue sky.

Twisting our way along the mighty Columbia River we are treated with some landscape we haven't seen since Arizona and New Mexico.

I never would have thought that such rough terrain would be featured in Washington State. Following the twists and turns of this surprisingly mighty river was a real treat. We'd be driving, riverside through lush orchards and next be driving through dusty fields elevated above the river as it carved it's way through the rock, etching out valleys below.

Dirt devils twisting up in the dry fields to our right as we followed highway 97 south through small towns that captured the heart of the real America. I would highly recommend this drive if you have the time to avoid the speedy decent on Interstate #5.

As we left Washington State we wound our way around lakes towards the coast again to hook up in Portland Oregon to make our way south to Redding.

Oregon is a absolutely beautiful state and is a real attraction to both Tracey and I. After a night in Portland we continue our drive, leaving Oregon, driving through mountain passes we find ourselves crossing the border into California and are immediately hit with the heat. It was very surprising how quickly the temperatures rose. The distant horizon was opaque with the smoke of many fires, obscuring our view of the mountains around about us.  We never actually saw the fires but we given the treat of the smoky drive.  The heat was intense as we began to experience 95+ degree temperatures, less as much as we climbed to heights in the passes and more so was we descended into the valleys. A couple of times we were concerned for our air-cooled bus, as I would stick my arm our the window and feel the hot arm moving over it. But faith-fully our beloved Olive made the drive without difficulty and we arrived once more in our RV park in Redding. The rushing creek that was the home to hundreds of frogs when we were here in the spring, was now a dried up bed of grass and rocks waiting for the spring thaws to once again be a torrent of water bringing life to so many.

Thanks for reading. We'll keep this more up to date moving forward.