Day 66-82

August 21- September 6

 Spent 3 days at Redwood National Forest! We loved it! We were so amazed by how HUGE the trees were. We did a bunch of small hikes through the old growth forests, and we saw the tree that you can drive through. We drove the 3 scenic drives through the park, which were all amazing! We stayed right on the beach one night as well. We did a hike through the tall tree grove and saw some gigantic trees right before we left. 

Next, we headed to Lassen Volcanic National Park and explored for a day. Lassen was filled with snow, we were very surprised because it was so hot! The views from Lassen were amazing because we were at such a high elevation. Lassen peak is huge, and you can hike it, but it was closed, we think because of snow. Then it was off to Lake Tahoe!!

Lake Tahoe has been amazing!! We are staying in a house, which is very different than what we have been used to. We finally have a kitchen to cook in, a real bed to sleep in, real toilets, and hot, free showers whenever we please! It's been glorious. We stocked up on fresh food, and we didn't leave the house for a few days, it was very relaxing. We went to the beach a few days. Lake Tahoe is beautiful. The mountains surround the whole lake, and the lake is huge. The water was very warm, about 70 degrees. 

Over labor day weekend my mom and dad came to visit! We were both really excited for them to come! It's been almost three months since I've seen them. We rented a boat the first day they were here! We all had a lot of fun, we cruised around the lake for 4 hours. We went swimming and soaked up a lot of sun! Then we went out to eat at a restaurant right behind the house. We didn't even have to drive, we walked right up the hill behind the house. 

The next day we went up a gondola with amazing views of Lake Tahoe! We stopped at the observation deck, half way up, which overlooked the whole lake and the surrounding area. It was so pretty! Then we headed up to the top of the mountain, which was 9,000 feet. We did a small hike up the mountain, and then we had lunch at the lodge. 

The next day we headed to the beach, and relaxed. We spent a few hours at the beach. Then we went to the Harrahs Casino. Mom was our lucky charm and won some money! We all had fun! Then we came back, cooked a nice dinner, and watched fireworks from the deck. 

The next morning we brought my mom and dad to the airport. We had a great few days with them, but their trip was too short!

Now we are off to explore California some more. 

Pictures: 
http://s1107.photobucket.com/albums/h388/kemkem914/road%20trip/