Spring Lake Regional Park, in Santa Rosa, CA.

Just as we were marveling at the pastoral beauty of the miles and miles of almond trees in bloom in Yolo, an aircraft shot from around a corner spraying a torrent of pesticides over them. This is right by a residential area and a school... I know th… — Just as we were marveling at the pastoral beauty of the miles and miles of almond trees in bloom in Yolo, an aircraft shot from around a corner spraying a torrent of pesticides over them. This is right by a residential area and a school... I know there has been concerns and debates about this situation and that it has been the focus of recent media scrutiny because of the large amount of water required to grow almonds (12 liters per almond kernel!!), but to see it happen right in front of your eyes makes you realize firsthand the impact of our increased consumption of almonds (the almond orchard acreage has doubled in the last two decades!). We have definitely cut back on our almond consumption and focus more on hemp seeds

Lenticular clouds around Mount Shasta. Mount Shasta straddles the territories of the Shasta, Wintu, Achumawi, Atsugewi and Modoc tribes. Not surprisingly, the imposing mountain shows up in a lot of tribal myths and stories. Mount Shasta has been ide… — **Lenticular clouds around Mount Shasta.**
Mount Shasta straddles the territories of the Shasta, Wintu, Achumawi, Atsugewi and Modoc tribes. Not surprisingly, the imposing mountain shows up in a lot of tribal myths and stories. Mount Shasta has been identified by many experts as a spiritual and cosmic energy point, a landing area for UFOs, and even an entry point that leads into the fifth dimension, and as access to underground civilizations.
It is also known for its many mysterious disappearances throughout history. One of the most recent cases occurred in 2011 when a 6-year-old boy disappeared for about 5 hours while playing in the woods. According to witnesses, the boy suddenly vanished from sight in a second and reappeared 5 hours as if nothing had happened.
Regardless of what one believes about the mountain, it's easy to see why it has so many legends to its name. Shasta is a "non-denominational mountain," a blank slate for wonder — and even transcendence. This is nothing new. The Greeks had Olympus; Moses had Sinai. And spiritual seekers in the modern age have Mount Shasta.

We crossed back into Canada on the Ferry (Port Angeles, WA, to Victoria, BC)

We made it back to Canada! We had to drive pretty fast through Oregon and Washington State to meet our reentry date in Canada. We stopped for a few days on the Coast around Bandon and for day in Eugene to meet with some friends from the road. We will be on Vancouver Island for a good month where the girls will do many bike races, namely their first Canada Cup! We’re pretty excited to explore this gorgeous island.