I must admit that I did not know much about Belize before we came here, therefore I had to rely on the outstanding geographic and historical knowledge of Sergio. The man never ceases to amaze me! This tiny country, on the shores of the Caribbean Sea, has beautiful beaches, blue waters, and white sand. But not only. Just a few meters from the sea the rainforest, with all its richness, rules. Belize is, above all, a mixture of people. Living here are mainly the Mestizos and Creoles. They are about 3/4 of the population. The rest are Mayans, Garinagu, Mennonites, Asians (owners of all supermarkets), Americans and Canadians. Mennonites, often mistaken for the Amish, represent 3.6% of all population. It was a little strange to drive our very sophisticated car in between their chariots.
Belize was British Honduras till 1981, colony of Britanie and the last colony in the Americas gaining independence.
Somewhere, I read that since so many different people have found a home here, it must be a paradise. We invite you to visit this paradise.
We enter Belize from the north and head towards the ruins of Lamanai. And here are the views.

Lamanai was inhabited since the 16th century BC and continuing through the Spanish and British Colonial periods, into the 20th century. Built on the shores of a lake (you cannot take a bath because of the crocodiles :)). From the High Temple, surrounded by the jungle, you have an amazing view. In the distance you can see how the jungle gives way to Mennonite pastures. Although no human inhabits Lamanai it is not without life and sound. From up in the trees howler monkeys make their thing. Most impressive!

We also visited the ZOO in Belize. Belize Zoo is a kind of asylum for native animals that either cannot return to their natural environment or are undergoing treatment. A very well organized place that puts animals first. We could see there 30 native species like the tiny Angouti, toucans, crocodiles, tapirs, monkeys, pumas, jaguars, etc. A nice surprise was The Great harpy eagle – a large bird of prey, whose claws reach a length up to 12 cm. The bird is already completely healthy and could leave the centre. Despite the huge efforts of the employees, literally expelling it from the centre into the wild, it stubbornly kept returning, becoming a permanent resident.

After spending a few days in the jungle, it was time for a change. We headed to the coast. Belize has the second largest coral reef. We would not dive but we wanted to snorkel.

We snorkelled three times – twice on the reef, and the third time in a place where there were sharks, turtles, rays. A wonderful experience. This was our second time, first was in Mozambique. And for the second time, Marzena, made the same mistake. She under-estimated the power of the sun. Painful for her, funny for me. Still laughing when thinking about it. Hihihihi.

The coast, and especially the south of Belize is inhabited by Garifuna people, i.e. Black Caribs. Historically, they are descendants of the Caribbean and African slaves imported into plantations. Their cuisine is full of references to coco and coconut milk. They are also known for playing drums, especially in Dangriga. We unfortunately did not hear the drums, but did taste two delicious local meals, fish Hudut and Pig Tail Sere. Although very tasty, the pig tail sere, can be very dangerous if you don’t possess the proper technique to eat it. Sergio masters the technique. If you don’t know it please do not try it. The end result can be seen in the second movie.

It was time to say goodbye to Belize because Guatemala is just on the horizon. Until next post.

We were now in Maya realm, well only at its gates because it stretches to the whole of the Yucatán peninsula, the Mexican states of Chiapas, Belize, Guatemala and even Honduras. But time will come for everything. For the first contact with this civilization, we choose the archaeological site in Palenque. Before we got there we met, in a road blockade made by teachers in protest, a nice couple from Yucatan with his family. Within a short time, we were given cocoa fruit, which we never tasted before, local orchids and even an owl made of jade, a green mineral that is of great importance to Maya people. We were very pleased.

The city, discovered in 1746, flourished in the period from the mid-seventh to the end of the eighth century during the reign of King Pakal the Great (you can see the large carved stone sarcophagus lid from his tomb in a few photos above) and his son. You can read more about the history of this place, for example here. We started sightseeing after visiting the museum just after its opening (we were the first), then we walked among the pyramids, climbed on it and tried to learn as much as we could by keeping close to groups with tour guides:). It turned out that one of them even knew a few phrases in Polish; also his ID card was hanging on a leash with the word Polska. On the stairs of one of the buildings we met – Asia and Michał, polish backpackers (I used to think that it was the Portuguese who were everywhere but seems that I was wrong!) who started their adventure from South America. In the evening we also visited the less historic part of Palenque together.

Then we went to Campeche. Sergio had enough of the jungle and longed for the sea.

Campeche is a charming town, whose old buildings are surrounded by a wall. The facades of pastel coloured houses give a picturesque look to the streets during the day (uff how hot). During the day, we tried to be in the shade by, for example, visiting a restored hacienda at the market, and in the evening we went to a multimedia show.

At night, the streets are full of tourists, and the locals, oblivious to the flashes of all their cameras, show what the term Latino stands for.

For our surprise we met again with … Asia and Michał. We decided to spend some lazy days together in Celestun. Just enjoying the beach and the shade of the coconut trees.

The lazy days under the coconut trees were abruptly terminated due to heavy winds and rain. The rain was not that bad, but wind, violently wagging the tent in all directions, was becoming a serious threat. After a sleepless night (how do babies fall asleep in a swinging trolley is for me a complete mystery!) we thoroughly checked the tent for any damage. No damage whatsoever. The only casualty was one of ours foam mattresses – Sergio’s :), that flew away never to be seen again! It was time to change the Gulf of Mexico to a much friendlier Caribbean Sea. On the way to Valladolid, where this time we had an appointment with Asia and Michał, we stopped to visit Chichén Itzá.

It’s considered one of the largest Maya cities. The step-pyramid El Castillo, also known as Temple of Kukulcan, dominates the centre of the city. But Marzena was fascinated by another place – a Ballcourt for ritual ball games – Ullamaliztli. The outcome of the game sometimes determined the life or death of players.

The Maya still live in Yucatan. They mainly live from agriculture, cattle breeding and crafts.
In Valladolid we stayed at Xkopek campground. Here we saw how honey is produced in a traditional Mayan way. The name of the place refers directly to the dry cenote where the camp is located. Cenote is a natural pit resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. They are an important part of the Maya culture. Not only as a source of water but also as a sacred place, the entering to another world.
Together with Asia and Michał, we visited several cenotes within Valladolid’s surroundings.

And this is where we ended our forty-day journey through Mexico. Next post will be from Belize.

We continue our journey east, towards the Gulf of Mexico. The first goal was Tuxpan, where we would meet Ze Paulo, our friend from work in Poland. Arrived to Tuxpan and driving along the promenade towards the campground, we were stopped by municipal police. We were about to be accused of driving a heavy truck where only light vehicles were allowed! We did explain that our vehicle was not a heavy truck but with no effect on the police officer, fully committed to redraw cash from, what he thought to be, a foreigner ATM on wheels! 5000 pesos, about 200 euro, was the amount that we had to pay. Of course we said that we did not carried that amount of money. The officer immediately proposed to be of assistance in that mater. Sergio just had to speak with his superior officer, waiting in the police car, and he would surly let us go with a payment of 2500 pesos. Not possible said Sergio, we just have 100 pesos. I can’t go and offer 100 pesos to your superior officer! It’s insulting. The man will probably shoot me. Take us to police station and we will see how the payment can be done. Jonathan, the name the police officer baptized himself when Sergio asked his name, warned us that there the fine would be of 12,000 pesos and probably they would keep our driving licence. Then he proposed us a bank transfer for his superior officer bank account. We kept this conversation with “Jonathan” for about one hour, sweating but kipping a cool head, till he finally gave up and let us go.

Dia dos Muertos we decided to spend in Vera Cruz. It is a very important holiday with 3000 years of tradition. It may seem ghostly, because it is full of skulls, skeletons and general references to death, but it’s nothing like that. It is a feast that commemorates family ties and the memory of your ancestors. The graves are cleaned, decorated with flowers (mainly velvets), and on top, like tables set for a meal, food and drink are laid.

In Vera Cruz, we spent a few days learning a little about the city and Mexico’s history. We visited the city museum and the incredibly modern Maritime Museum.

It turns out that in Vera Cruz you can hear polish, thanks to two charming sailors – Kacper and Oscar, on which we accidentally met in the main square. In the absence of a common photo, Marzena asked them to send their own. Ahoj guys!

And now straight on to the Yucatan peninsula, the Maya world.

For several months, Sergio, threatened that his time to rest was approaching and he would finally rest! The true expedition would start in Mexico and end in Argentina. In contrast to Canada and United States, which were largely planned by Marzena, a Polish woman, this meant that we had to see EVERYTHING that we could within the visa time we had! No time to rest. No time to sleep. Setting camp at 21 hundred, lifting camp at 7 hundred and have breakfast on the way. Mexico, all of it, is organized by Sergio. The new pace was set to lento mode (slowly), the proper mode.
And what is the best scenario to lick the wounds from the hardships of our intense visit to Canada and the United States? Water falls, beaches with coconut trees and hammocks. So Sergio set course for the Tolantongo Caves, not knowing exactly what it was. We planned to arrive on a Sunday evening to begin, slowly, exploring on Monday morning. The last 5 km of the road was a descent to the bottom of the canyon. On the way, we passed the parking lot, all packed with big buses. They can’t go all the way down. People are then transported by smaller buses. Just by looking at them we could imagine the crowds down below. Going down we crossed with many of this smaller buses taking people back up. So we had no problem with crowds. With the weather was another story. Cloudy, drizzling, cold but we risked entering getting in and payed the 300 pesos for it. The road down looked like this.

Down the road a sign appeared informing that the paved road was about to finish, but it was not true – the all road disappeared, giving place to a brown gunge, a perfect mud mask for the car but not with the same benefits as those for people! The drizzling did not stop, heavy clouds hung from the sky, covering the banks of the canyon, but it wasn’t cold. It was even warm. We parked in one of the parking lots, and as there was no living soul around, opened the tent and slept for free.

In the morning, after drying the tent, we stood at the gates of paradise. See for yourselves.

We spent a full day splashing around. We visited the whole available area. Marzena knew what to look for because of a friend who tosses pictures of places that are a must to visit, and this was one of them. Thanks Iwonka !!!!! Around noon the clouds disappeared and the sun appeared. We had only 50 km to go to the next place. Navigation strangely showed 2.5 hours. After leaving the canyon and turning into the road through the mountains, we understood why.

We passed a herd of goats along the way, not for the first time anyway. But this time it was not without an incident. Letting the goats and Mr. shepherd pass, Sergio moved forward – and in the back we heard a great meeeeeeh! Neither we nor Mr. shepherd (his name is Perez) noticed that the goat was under UMM. We had run over one goat!  And didn’t even felt it!  We took the goat to its home, the goat on Marzena’s lap (Marzena says it was of no effort for the goat was light as a feather), and waited for Perez arrival. Upon his arrival the negotiation began. Perez told Marzena, not knowing that making such a claim to her, he was putting his own life at risk, announced that now the goat was ours and we had to buy it for 3,000 pesos. Marzena, fluent in the Spanish language, shouted no way Jose, not even think about it! Somehow Perez understood her. Amazing! Fearing for Perez life, I had to step in to the negotiation. We ended up agreeing on 700 pesos for goat medicines. We do not know if the goat recovered or not. The injuries did not look that bad and appeared to have nothing broken. In fact, I’m convinced that the goat is a very well trained animal and an excellent actress. A concealed gesture from its shepherd and down she goes, bleating like there was no tomorrow. Deceitful goat!

We decided to go to the nearest town for the night, 20 km away on a road that didn’t look like a road. The initial plan was to set camp about one km from the accident, but we didn’t want to risk meeting with Perez in the next day claiming that the goat had died. It got dark, very dark, and the road condition did not improve. We arrived to Metztitlán around 9:00 pm, we found accommodation in a guesthouse on the plaza mayor, under the arcades.
In the morning the town turned out to be very friendly and safe. We found a SPA for UMM and local street food for us. We decided to stay for another night and enjoyed the good vibes of this place.

We’re going to Tuxpan Vera Cruz, on the east coast. On the way, we drove through Barranca del Cobre, Copper Canyon. It is bigger and deeper than the Grand Canyon.

We stopped in Durango for the night. The rain did not leave us, but at least it wasn’t cold. In the evening we visited the city and tried Mezcal. We spent the evening in a very nice pub and met Janek Józek (Juan José), the name of our polyglot waiter in Polish.

Travelling through Mexico we tend to use less our own accommodations. Lack of places (and a sense of security) for camping in the wild, drive us to choose cheap motels, hotels and guest houses. Prices vary, but you can find accommodation for as little as $ 12. They are much more expensive in the cities, but still below the European average. Sometimes they are very modest rooms, almost empty, but they are always very clean, with fresh linen and towels. Sometimes we can get hot water and, if we are really lucky, showers with the right pressure.
Do you associate Mexico with mountains? We did not, but reality shows that it is. We are still driving uphill since we entered the country! The roads are not as bad as we thought they would be. Some are in a pretty good condition, others in need of a new asphalt layer and some can’t be really called roads! But in all of them, and we mean ALL of them, there are speed bumps, in Poland the so-called sleepy policemen. But here in Mexico, each bump appears to have, at least, five policeman sleeping in top of each other! 5 km /h is already too much speed to cross over them. What if you don’t see one? – well, you will know how Małysz, the flying moustache, felt when jumping in the Winter Olympic Games! The car, however, just feels pain and expresses that by emitting very loud screeches. Of course, with UMM, you feel absolutely nothing. That’s how good the suspension is :))
Driving through such a large country (six times larger than Poland) we passed some Pueblos Mágicos – Magic Places (cities, towns, villages). It turns out that it is a government program to promote places worth visiting due to culture, tradition and gastronomy. So far we visited Zacatecas and San Miguel de Allende.

And when it comes to food, Sergio, almost quit cooking after crossing the border into Mexico! Our fridge is now full of fruits and juices! We mainly eat street food, sitting on stalls, tables set in front of houses, where the housewife cooks and sells her cooking to all who wants it. Prices are very affordable, traditional Mexican food, from tacos to Gorditas and other dishes that you cannot find in a restaurant. And no tourists. It’s us and the locals. Sergio, a fluent speaker of many, many languages (polish not being one of them), ends up having long nice conversations with the locals. Portugal is no stranger for the Mexicans, as for their close relation to Spain and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo. Poland, in the other hand, is something very exotic. Polaca? Ah. Sounds like Marzena is from another planet!

And since Mexico is somehow luxurious for us, it’s high time for a SPA in beautiful natural scenario. Details soon, in the next post.

Greetings from Mexico.

The border crossing between the States and Mexico went smoothly. Marzena didn’t even need to leave the car to get her visa done. The car had its inspection done in just a few minutes. The food in the fridge was of no interest to the nice police lady. She was more interested with Sergio, wanting to know what an intelligent and good looking man from Portugal, was doing so far from home! If Sergio had not asked about visas and passport entering stamp, and he wouldn’t if Marzena didn’t remind him, we could have entered Mexico without it!!! Welcome to the country of  “mañana”.

We had the idea that roads were far from good but we were pleasantly surprised. They are fairly good. Of course there are road works but apart from it we could drive at a pretty good speed. We drove south from Nogales to kilometer 21, in order to get the temporary importation permit for the UMM. After that we turned west. We planned to get to the shore line and go south along it, avoiding larger city’s such as Hermosillo.

All was going according to plan, the more west we drove the less traffic we found, fewer buildings and more secondary roads and shortcuts, like this chosen by Sergio.

According to our navigation, we had to cover 90 km in 3 hours. We made it in two and a half. What a scenery! All the way surrounded by cactuses of all shapes and sizes, seeing small lizards running across the track, vultures flying alongside us and deer running to safety! Marzena did manage to get one in camera!

We arrived to the place where we planned to overnight, the small village of Puerto Lobos. It’s a very small and poor fishing village. Sergio didn’t feel safe enough to stay there and so we continued south, this time on a fast road, stretching as far as eyes can see and on which we were completely alone.

The next spot, also a village but a little bit larger, we didn’t find a place to stay. The wind rose and it started to rain. Sergio, Hurricane Sergio, had finally caught up with us. We continued to drive south, though it was getting late. Everyone had warned us not to drive after dark, and there we were on our second day in Mexico, braking up the first and most sacred  rule of all! Well, it was due to a force majeure. The rain did not stop and even grew stronger. We arrived at Bahia do Kino after 18:00. We found rooms to rent in a private house (very nice place), for dinner we had tacos at a local bar (the tripitas are a must, well for Sergio they are but for Marzena its to avoid by all means possible), all in pouring rain. The morning brought nothing new. Still raining. The unpaved streets turned into a swamp, the paved ones into a lake! Electric power lines thought it was the fourth of July and started to display a magnificent firework show! The wind was also growing in strength. Nothing we could do but run west, to the state capital of Sonora, Hermosillo, where we did not want to go. And there we found that things were no better.

We will be staying here for the night, in a motel, and tomorrow we will move on. Sleeping in a tent is not an option for now.

Welcome and greetings from Mexico.

Going west, after parting with Andrea and Thomas, such shapes loomed on the horizon, letting us know what awaited us. Monument Valley. The place is known for the western movies, which were shot there; about 100 of them (westerns and not only). The entire area belongs to the Navajo Indian Tribal Park. However, before we venture further, for the night we stop in the shadow of a Mexican Hat.

The valley can be visited on horseback and by a car but always with a local guide. The prices are out of this world, however.  We decided to visit ourselves (couldn’t visit whole valley but almost), especially since our car is the best for such paths! Strong sun, making all visitor sweat like sinners in church and because of all the dust, red dust everything and everyone was red, hence explaining the origin of the term Redskins!

For those who want to deepen the knowledge about this monument, I always refer to the beautiful blog America for the Traveler here.
However, before we leave the United States for good, we must visit the area which is one of the most recognisable natural landmarks of this massive country – the Grand Canyon.

Driving along the plateau nothing prepares you for the fantastic views of the Canyon. We pass a beautiful autumn forest and a lazy family of bison. Let this idyllic sight fool you not! Buffalos have temperament, and we are better off keeping our distance. This is how the Grand Canyon presented itself from the north.

Colorado River was difficult to spot. The water level was low, due to a dam in nearby Page and a very hot summer. However, in the famous Horseshoe Bend, we saw it perfectly well.

We changed the  direction and headed straight south to Nogales, Arizona. On the way, a little hurricane Rosa scared us, well not us all. Sergio, was very calm with the situation, as expected from a team leader. We were at the edge of spending two days in pouring rain, unable to leave the tent. With survival skills known only, well almost only, to Native Americans, Sergio guided us to safety. The fear of drowning made such beauties look for safer places. You could see them crossing roads all over!

The more south, the more the landscape changes. For the first time we saw a saguaro cactus – yes, they do exist and not only in movies. We stopped at a bar in a small settlement where only locals and met Brad and his companion Rex. Marzena was VERY interested in Rex, I wonder why. Storm clouds kept following us. They look nice in the pictures, but they promise a rough night. The past couple nights we found some nice spots to overnight, roughly 50 km from the border. Unfortunately, on the last one, a secluded valley between the mountains, we had to flee due to heavy rain. We left the mountains and headed for a open area. The views were marvellous. Contrary to expectations, the night was relatively calm. Thunders and lighting for a long time, but not too much rain and weak wind. Next morning all was calm.

Tomorrow, on October 10, we will cross the border with Mexico in Nogales. We do have to hurry up. A great wall is said to be erected on the Mexico and USA broader at any moment, to keep America safe!!! No dangerous animal shall pass.

We run away from the heat of Nevada and headed up to the next state, Utah. The name of the state probably comes from the names of indigenous Americans – Ute Indians. There are two theories for the origin of the word: the first says that it comes from the dialect Ute, meaning “people of the mountains”, the second says that it has its origin in word yuttahih from the Apache language, meaning “the one / those who are higher”. This tiny state has as many as 5 national parks and a lot of Mountains, and Mountains Marzena just adores. There will be a lot of hiking! We warn you that this will be mainly a photographic post.
In Utah, we also arranged for Andrea and Thomas to go sightseeing together. Thomas just couldn’t wait for our arrival and start hiking as many trails as possible! They were already camped in Bryce Canyon waiting for us. We drove to the meeting point. Through the way we passed the beautiful valley of Zion Park. Just wonderful.

We found them, which was not easy at night and in the woods. They lighted a fire (for the last month there was a ban on fires) and conversations ran into the night. Andrea, as our paparazzi, immortalized beautifully our night with some photos. And the next day we went to visit Bryce Canyon.

Marzena, if she could, would post even more pictures. So far, this is her favourite spot for photography. It is magical.
After two days of camping, our caravan moved close to the next attraction, Capitol Reef. It turns out that the entire state of Utah is one big area for shooting pictures. There is so much to see and do in this remarkable area. Here you get a real feel for what the earth might have been like millions of years before.

In Capitol Reef we went to Hickman Natural Bridge. We had lots of fun hiking this trail.

Another destination of our expedition was the Arches National Park. We found another nice, free place for a camp. Thomas lighted a fire and we had a wonderful dinner. Full moon so Andrea, of course, took thousands pictures – the woman is volcano of energy. On the following day, we visited almost the entire park. The temperatures were high but the moods were good. With so much hiking around, the appetites grew bigger and bigger. In our minds we started preparing the next night feast.

Almost without moving from the area we visited other interesting place. Magical views from canyons made by the Colorado river.

From the beginning, we knew that our paths would had to part way someday. It was supposed to be our last night together. But we managed to get a few more days. Together, we went to one last place. We even crossed the state border, because Mesa Verde National Park is already in Colorado. We were very lucky because we found ourselves visiting Cliff Palace (Mesa Verde’s Largest Cliff Dwelling), on the last day of the last guided tour. The next day, calmly, we visited the area again.

And it was the last day together, at least for now. We drove west and Andrea and Thomas east. We hope that we will meet again somewhere on the road, in this continent or in a different one.
Andrea and Thomas, it was an amazing week full of excitement. Thank you for camping, joking, talking around the campfire, for advice from more experienced travellers. See you on the next trail!!!
And here is a post from Andrei and Thomas (in German and English).

Death Valley. We arrived to our chosen overnight camp, on the side of a mountain leading to the valley, just after dark. It was one of the worst nights that Marzena had ever experienced. It wasn’t cold, the sky was beautiful with stars all around and we got the last spot available! How lucky can you be? But then it came. At first almost not noticed but after a while all the valley felt its mighty power. WIND!!!! A strong, very strong wind, which ripped out people tents and rocked the robust UMM! While Marzena refused to sleep, Sergio laid down in the tent within his sleeping bag and saw another episode of Game of Thrones, fully aware of tent capabilities to resist winds that strong. After Marzena’s the longest night and shortest dream, by 6 am, the wind stopped. Only a tiny little breeze left.  Time to get up, because when sun comes up it will be frying us all! We visited the Mosaic Canyon with rays of the morning sun. The canyon edges illuminated by the sun gilded beautifully.

In the valley, at 10 am, temperature was already 34°C and, within 20 minutes, increased by another 2°C. We had to hurry! We went to the devil’s golf course and salt pans.

On the way back we drove to the base of the valley, admiring the colorful rocks. Then, drove up the hill and admired the valley .

As usual, Sergio turned to little road that he liked.

And from here it’s just a small jump to Las Vegas – the desert capital of entertainment! Unfortunately, we were unable to find a place to overnight. We waited until it was dark and we passed our UMM on the main street of the city.

Marzena was pleasantly surprised by Las Vegas. The city has class, everything is nicely planned and coordinated. A really nice surprise. Sergio was a little disappointed that he was not allowed to win a roulette fortune.
We spent the night outside the city, in complete silence.

After the luxuries of San Francisco we returned to our normal routine. Our next was to make a loop east, up to Colorado. The dates were tight because back in Oregon we agreed with Andrea and Thomas to visit Utah’s parks together.
Driving east of San Francisco, we had to cross the Sierra Nevada, part of the American Cordillera. And there, on the summits and in the valleys, there are pearls that we just had to see.
The first of these is the Yosemite Valley. Our route to the valley led us through the Tioga Pass.

It is the only road that leads through the mountain range from east to west and vice versa. The highest section of the road is located at an altitude of about 3000 m above sea level, and then, after a fast ride down the edge of the cliff, towards the east, we ended up in Mono Lake.

A lake in the desert with salty water, however full of life – starting on microscopic plankton and ending with many migratory birds. Unfortunately, due to excessive water pumping from the mountains to the population of California, the lake as drastically reduced its volume. That is the only reason we can now observe tuffs that were normally under water. In the background you can see the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where we have to return because we signed up for star gazing with ranger guide. But before we did it, we had some fun off road along lake’s shore.

At the place agreed to meet the ranger we met two motorcyclists from France. A short conversation and we left. After a few days, for our surprise, we met them again on the road.

We met them on the way to Kings Canyon (suggestion of our friend Sebastian from Quebec, many thanks for the hint) and a park full of giants.

As we came to one of the largest redwood clusters, dusk fell. It was 19:30 and nothing could be seen. So we decided to come back in the morning, although it would ruined our plans considerably. Not to waste fuel we decided that the best option was to stay in the campsite inside the park. We turned back, passed the redwoods one more time, just to learn that it was full! Here we go again, turning back towards the park exit, passing, for the third time, redwoods but this time we got to see two little bear cubs playing on the road. We waited until they reluctantly returned to the forest. Down the road we saw a light placard with the information that the road was closed from 20 to 8 am the next day. The clock showed 20:15!!! So, back again. We would pass the redwoods for the fourth time. Nice, so nice. And where to sleep? Yes, you have guessed it. At the parking lot in the car, with all the comforts that it offers. Next morning, before 7 o’clock and frozen, we could finally admire these giants in all their glory.
Marzena loves redwoods and sequoias. There is something magical about them, you cannot take your eyes off them. They are long-lasting, live more than 3 thousand years, longer than the existence of Poland! It is worth stopping for a moment in their shade and rest.

We left the Sierra Nevada Mountains, towards south, to one of the most inhospitable places in the US. Try to guess where we went. The answer you can find in the next post.