Lake Tahoe, Gold Beach, The Redwoods and Crater Lake

It was tough leaving Yosemite's panoramic views and the rapids of the Merced River feeding into spectacular waterfalls - truly a plein air painter's paradise!  Only something completely different and equally inspiring could measure up as our next destination. Enter Lake Tahoe!

Of course, we knew it would be beautiful since this lake is surrounded by the Sierra Nevada mountains. At 6,225 ft., it is the largest alpine lake in North America. What we didn't expect was the abundance of snow cover on the mountains, which accented the beauty even more. 

Doug was mesmerized by these snow-capped mountains and led our expedition to find them. Consequently, we came upon Mt. Rose.  At 8,260 ft., Mt Rose is the tallest mountain surrounding Lake Tahoe and hosts a popular ski resort. Nature still rules here, however, since there were two major avalanches on Mt Rose in January and February of 2017. The first one buried two skiers who were ultimately rescued; and the second one buried the main highway to Reno under 20 ft of snow. We could still see remnants as we reached the higher altitudes. 

The lines created by the avalanche and hardiness of the trees to survive such an onslaught of snow were captured by Doug in these paintings:

"Evening Shadows - Mt. Rose"

"Avalanche! - Mt. Rose"

"Bristle Cone Pines - Mt. Rose"

Lake Tahoe has been a popular resort for many years. It is equally positioned on the California and Nevada border and the cultural difference is quite obvious. On the California side, there are quaint little cabins and a rustic atmosphere. Drive down around the lake to the Nevada side and suddenly there is the glitz and glamour of casinos. Even though they are designed to blend into the landscape, they are still a bit out of character for the area. Our campground was on the Nevada side, but it was sprinkled among the surrounding pine forest, directly across from the lake and far away from the casinos. 

Our next destination took us back to the Pacific Coast to Gold Beach, Oregon, where we met up with Doug's sisters Deb and Shelley, their husbands Mike and Dave, along with his cousins John and Helen. Everyone else stayed in cute cottages in the same RV park and we enjoyed each other's company as we toured the surrounding coastline.

After saying good-byes to family, it was a short one hour jaunt to our next destination - the Redwoods. We returned to the same campground where we stayed two years ago and it is one of our favorites. Situated in new growth Redwoods, it still contains trunks from the old trees. It's not that the campground cut down the trees, but instead, they preserved the trunks of trees that were cut down over 40 years ago at the height of the logging industry. Fortunately, preservation efforts created several state and national forests that make up Redwood National Park. Sadly, only 4% of original, old growth trees remain. These trees are as much as 2,000 years old and are only found within these parks. 

Being in the old growth forest is like being in a cathedral. There is a sacred silence that descends as one is enveloped by these gentle giants. Beneath this canopy, moss and ferns grow abundantly, giving a feeling of stepping back in time to some prehistoric fairyland. 

As a painter, it is a challenge to capture the full spectrum of beauty and majesty contained in one place. The Redwoods are so tall that one has to choose between looking up to paint the canopy or down at the curiously gnarled trunks, often sprouting new growth. Both are excellent subjects. 

Many trees also show the effects of forest fires. The bark of the full-grown Redwood can be 12 inches thick or more, providing excellent protection from fire. Fires actually help open the seed cones to create new growth. Many of the oldest trees have survived multiple fires and, although they have scars, still continue to thrive. Doug loves to paint these ancient warriors.  

"Alone in the Redwoods" 

"Redwood Footprint"

"Survivor's Row" 

"Along the Smith River"

After experiencing the peaceful, settled feeling of the Redwoods a second time, we dubbed it our "home away from home" and made a pact to return as often as possible.  As we left, it dawned on us that our trip was two-thirds complete and suddenly, we felt a rush of homesickness and missing family. Fortunately, remembering our final destinations of Crater Lake, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons quickly rekindled the excitement and anticipation of travel. While there truly is no place like home, where we are headed next ain't too shabby either! 



  

Doug and Sue's

Living the Dream 2017 RV Tour Blog #2

Carmel/Monterey and Yosemite

One of the benefits of the RV life style is spontaneity. Although we plan our itinerary and reserve RV sites ahead of time, we can cancel without charge at most places, as long as we give sufficient notice. For example, we planned to go from San Diego to Kings Canyon/Sequoia in central California for a few days on the way to Yosemite. Well, when the time came, we weren't ready to leave the California coastline, so we bumped Kings Canyon and Sequoia to next year's bucket list and headed for the Monterey/Carmel area instead.  

Once there, we found a quaint, private RV park tucked in the hills of Carmel. This area of coastal California is one of those magical places protected from dramatic weather changes. The temperature is a relatively constant 60-70 degrees during the day all year. Morning fog rolls in, usually in the morning, and then clears to reveal a beautiful blue sky with fresh air that has not seen land since crossing over from Asia. 

We love this area, not only for the pleasant temperatures, but because the Pacific ocean is a beautiful deep blue and huge waves crash dramatically against the cliffs. While painting, Doug can feel the ground shake beneath him from the impact of the surf. 

Doug's painting buddy Bonnie Tucker was staying in nearby Pacific Grove and they had a blast painting together at two of Doug's favorite places: Point Lobos and Garrapata State Park. 

 "Garrapata View"

"Surf Over the Top"

After what turned out to be a worthwhile side trip, it was on to Yosemite National Park. We were truly excited to return to this destination. Two years ago when we last visited, it was July during the height of the 4 year drought. The daytime temperatures pushed to 100 degrees and vegetation everywhere was brown and extremely dry and brittle. It was alarming to see the landscape in this condition. Sadly, the famous waterfalls in the park were mere trickles.

What a difference a year can make since Yosemite received over 100 inches of snow in the highest altitudes this past winter. By the time we arrived in early May, the spring melt was well underway - so much so, that there were flood pools throughout the lower valley. 

Meanwhile, at the upper elevations, many hiking trails were snow bound and the highest road was still closed and may not reopen this year.

While the snow remained at high altitude, the spring melt was charging the river to create spectacular falls. We felt relieved to see nature rebound with such glory.

Upper Falls - July 2015 vs May 2017

A trip to Glacier Point left us spellbound by "Lord of the Rings" style views. We felt particularly blessed to witness a full-on rainbow color spectacle created by the sun being refracted by clouds and mist. 

Bonnie, Doug's artist friend with whom he painted with in Monterey joined us again at Yosemite and brought a friend.  We had lots of laughs together.

The artists were mesmerized and elated as they went off to paint. Doug produced some of his most inspired work of the trip so far: 

"Afternoon Sentinel"

"Bridal Veil Falls at Sunset"

"Ribbon Falls"

"Balancing Rock"

Frederick Church, Thomas Moran and countless other famous artists have painted in Yosemite. Doug felt deeply connected to them and the past as he painted this popular scene of Yosemite Valley:   

As we left Yosemite, we knew that this was not going to be our last visit. There is so much more to see and explore (like snow bound trails for Sue) We never tire of the breath-taking beauty that lies around every corner. 

Coming up next on our journey is Lake Tahoe, followed by Gold Beach and a reunion with Doug's sisters and cousins.  A short jaunt from there will take us to Redwood National Forest.

2017 RV Tour Blog #1

Three Years Already?

Wow, it's hard to believe that this is our third year of RV adventures! As you may recall from our previous blog, we happened upon a fantastic deal for a Minnie Winnebago that we just couldn't pass up. This new vehicle is not a travel trailer, but a motor home offering a big improvement in comfort and convenience. Everything is self-contained and connected to the motor cab, with two big slide-outs for more living space and a full size, enclosed shower. Another plus is being able to tow a car without adding mileage to it.  

Over the winter, Doug bonded with "Minnie Winnie" and enhanced her by installing a new hardwood floor, TV and sound system and then used it as a "man cave". On the other hand, Sue had grown attached to "Conestoga Lite" (the travel trailer) and felt a little guilty about shifting loyalty - that is until the first full day on the road. Can you guess why?

Yes, it is a VERY comfortable way to travel. The large gas tank allows us to run 6 or 7 hours straight on one tank of gas. This significantly improves our travel time because last year we had to stop every two hours when the Honda Ridgeline was pulling the trailer.

We left Pennsylvania on March 26 and headed for Sedona, Arizona. Last year as we headed West, we were taken by surprise around Memphis when we checked into a hotel and found out there were tornado warnings all around us. After that experience, we learned to keep a close eye on the weather. This year was worse than last because waves of severe weather rose up from the South everyday and cascaded across the country. Sue became not only navigator, but amateur meteorologist and we literally planned our day's travel around Weather Channel. Some days were shorter drives to avoid danger zones and other days longer to get past them. For three days in a row, we stayed just ahead of baseball-sized hail and potential tornadoes. Amazingly, we managed to travel in the clear zones most of the way with very little rain except the last day of our journey. After traveling for about two hours in heavy rain followed by strong winds, Sedona come up on the horizon, literally an oasis in the desert and we happily settled in for two weeks at Rancho Sedona, one of our favorite RV parks. Doug's sister Deb and her husband Mike joined us, as they did last year.  

Last year, Doug attended a workshop in Sedona with his mentor, Albert Handell, where he met Michael Chesley Johnson. He is a very accomplished artist who works in oil and pastel and also teaches workshops in the American Southwest, coastal Maine and the Canadian Maritimes. Doug and Michael hit it off and decided to combine their talents to co-teach a week long workshop this year in Sedona from April 2-8. Ten students attended the workshop, which included demonstrations at Gandolfo's Art Studio in the morning followed by a plein air painting demonstration and solo painting in the afternoon. 

Going into the week, Doug and Michael wondered whether having two teachers with different styles might be too overwhelming; however, student feedback was unanimously positive. The consensus was that their different styles complimented each other, proving very informative and worthwhile. Doug and Michael plan to discuss options for teaching together again next year so stay tuned! 

As usual, Sedona and the surrounding area offered unlimited painting opportunities for Doug:

After the workshop ended, we visited Palatki Heritage Site, just outside of Sedona which contains ruins of the Sinagua cliff dwellers who lived there for 600 years starting in 650 AD. No one really knows why they left the area. We were able to walk right up to the ruins and also got a close up view of the dwellings and some amazing cave art.

Another day, we went to Jerome, a historic copper mining town that sits 5,200 feet above sea level. Although the mines were closed by 1953 and most of the population had moved on, starting in the 1960's, it was promoted as a "ghost town" and tourist attraction. Today, the main town thrives with quaint stores and restaurants. We went to Bobby D's BBQ and had the best pulled pork and ribs we have ever tasted. Seriously. We also happened upon a country/rock band that was fantastic. The lead singer and guitar player was in his upper 60's and once played with the best on the road. Now, he played at this local bar for the pure joy of it. Our joy was in the dancing.  

Further up the hill lies the Gold King Mine, which is the "ghost town" part of the original mining town. It has also become a historic collection point for for all kinds of antique junk vehicles and equipment. It is truly a unique place that should be on everyone's bucket list. 

Doug's artistic eye catured reflections of the past being presented by these vehicles:

After Sedona, we went to the south rim of the Grand Canyon, which of course is spectacular to view and paint. It's vastness instantly reminds us of our place in the universe. With the canyon as backdrop, Sue witnessed a rare and special moment between a condor and a raven. For about 20 minutes, the persistent raven taunted the condor by landing repeatedly on the rock and sneaking up to disturb condor's perch. Each time this happened, the undaunted the condor would raise and flap his giant wings, forcing the raven to fly off, only to circle back around to try again. 

  

Meanwhile, Doug was joyously painting the South Rim: 

From the Grand Canyon, we headed to Palm Springs for three days, where the temperature went from between 65/70 degrees to 100 degrees. Doug loves painting in the nearby Native American lands, so he sailed off early the first morning to do a painting. It was already getting warm, so Sue turned on the air conditioning and suddenly all the electric went out. Unconcerned, she figured a circuit breaker on the RV park's panel board must have tripped and went outside to reset it. As she approached, flames started shooting out of the power box. In a split second, Sue noticed the tall hedge right behind box, imagined it bursting into flames and hastily yanked the electric cord out of the box. Just as she was trying to remember exactly where the fire extinguisher was, the fire went out.  
Sue's first thought was: "Oh no, Doug is out of cell phone range!" As sweat began to literally appear on her brow, the second thought was: "It's going up to 100 degrees again today!" Miraculously, Doug's cell phone received Sue's panic call even though reception in that area is uncommon. Even more miraculous was that he answered right away! 

As the trailer heated up by the minute, Doug and Sue found a cute bungalow-style rental to stay in until the electric cord could be fixed. It came complete with a kitchen (to store our refrigerated food) and a private pool. The RV park refunded our money, Doug fixed the electric chord and we thankfully determined that Minnie Winnie suffered no damage. 

Even with all the disruption, Doug managed to complete a painting: 

Our next stop was San Diego, CA, where Doug attended the Annual Plein Air Convention along with 1,000 plein air artists from around the world. Doug enjoys networking with peers and attending the various demonstrations. Next year's convention will be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Albert Handell will be the keynote speaker. Of course Doug will be there and encourages all other artists to join us!

Our next destination is the Carmel / Monterey area which is Doug's favorite place, followed by two weeks at Yosemite National Park.