It is Saturday morning. Our five nights on the Oregon Coast….in Paradise….have come to an end. It is time to pack the car and bid a sad farewell to the Pacific Ocean, as we slowly wind our way down highway US 101….the Oregon Coast Highway….toward our next destination. On this part of the journey, we didn’t stop much…..but kept a steady pace toward the California border…..and subsequently to Eureka, where we would camp for the night.

US 101 pretty much follows the coastline the entire way to Brookings, the last town in Oregon. We took one last look at the Pacific Ocean as we drove along…..sad that we had to bid Farewell to Paradise…..but happy for the fun and the relaxation we had while we were there…..and thankful for the pleasant memories we were taking with us.

Let me be honest: I have seen what I came to see. The rest of the trip is sort of down hill from now until the time we pull into our driveway again. Don’t get me wrong. I am still looking forward to the places we will see; the things we will do. And, also remember, this is the first time Fayez has seen any of this….so we still have a lot of trip to enjoy yet. And, I am always curious and happy to see his reaction to all the new places…..and all of the new experiences. And, there are plenty more to come.

Stopping at the California border, we performed our usual ritual of taking pictures of the border sign. Continuing on to the south, our attention was drawn to the gradual appearance of the giant Redwood trees that lined the highway. These giant trees would stay with us for the next twenty-four hours….and become a source of fascination.

Our destination was Eureka, California, where we had reserved a camping spot for the night, again in a KOA Campground. Again, we put our trust and hope in the little GPS wizard. And…..it almost failed us! This time, I admit, as much as I don’t want to, that it was not the fault of the GPS. For some unknown reason the campground had posted the wrong address on their web site. The poor little GPS was confused. It didn’t know any differently; it was just doing its job. As comforting as that sounds…..it didn’t do us any good. I suppose it is more or less like a teacher telling a student that 2 + 2 = 5…..and then counting it wrong when he puts it on a test! We finally stopped and looked up the correct address. We did eventually find the campground. The bright side of this story is that we got to see a great deal of Eureka, California….probably more than we wanted to see. On the negative side…..I am surprised that KOA has any customers, if they all use the same web site as we did.  The next time you invite somebody to your house…..but really don’t want them to come…..just give them the wrong address.

The Redwoods are truly awe-inspiring. These trees are the largest and tallest trees in the world….and they exist only in parts of Northern California….and to a lesser extent, along the southern Oregon Coast. The tallest of the Redwood trees can reach a height of 350 feet….or more. Put in other words, that is as tall as a 35 story building…..and considerable higher than a football field is long! Just one redwood tree can supply enough lumber to build several houses. And, maybe this is good news because redwood is very insect resistant…thus you would not have to worry about your house being destroyed by termites.

At the base of the tree, the redwood can measure up to 20 feet in diameter. Believe me….try as hard as you can, and you can’t put your arms around one! Standing beside a redwood tree, both Fayez and I looked very small and insignificant. And, also consider the fact that many of these trees are as much as 2000 years old….the average being around 500 – 700 years old. That is even older than I am! Although there are certain people from Saudi Arabia who do not believe this!

There are about 1.75 million acres of redwood trees in California….and about 450,000 acres are in parks or other protected public lands. Fayez and I drove the route called Avenue of the Giants…..probably the most popular of the redwood viewing areas. The drive through the redwood forest is a cool, shady drive….the road protected from the sunlight by the towering branches. The drive is soothing and leisurely as the road winds through the majestic trees. The giant trees grow only inches from the highway…..so it is not a fast trip. If a car would ever smash into a redwood tree…..I can, with 100% certainty, tell you who the winner in that contest will be…..and it is not going to be you.

A person cannot fully appreciate these magnificent forests by merely driving through them. You must stop and see them up close and personally…..just like Fayez and I did.   We stopped in several places along the highway to take a first hand look. Don’t worry, there are plenty of pull-in places where you can park well off the road with no danger of being struck by another vehicle.

As you walk through the forest, it good to remember that for all practical purposes, you are walking among trees that were there when this continent was first discovered…..and the leaves, twigs, and branches lying on the ground have also been lying there for perhaps hundreds of years. It is difficult for many of us to imagine back beyond our own brief years here on this earth. But, our lifespan is relatively insignificant compared to the history of these trees.

There is a saying that you cannot see forest because of the trees. In the case of the redwoods, it would be more accurate to say you cannot see the trees because of the forest. It is very difficult to get a good perspective on individual trees. There are so many of them…..and they are all so big! The only things you have to compare them with…..are themselves. If there were some elm trees or some oak trees or some apple trees…..any kind of tree…..you would have a reference point. But….all you can see are redwood trees.

We came across several trees that were lying on the ground…..for one unknown reason or another. I stood at one end of the fallen tree, and Fayez stood at the opposite end. It was like I was standing on the home team goal line….and Fayez was the opponent’s goal line…..one hundred yards away. When I took a picture……there was a lot of tree trunk between him and me. Definitely a lot more tree trunk than Fayez!

It is difficult to get a good picture of the trees no matter where you are in the forest. Yes…you can take pictures of the bottoms of the trees…..and that is impressive because the bases of the trees are huge. But…..how do you get a good pictures of the entire tree…its towering height? That is the puzzle. In past years, I used to lie down on the ground and point the camera straight up. Even this does not make a very good picture….it just does not capture the dramatic length and breadth of the stately trees. Well, this is one problem that Fayez does not have back home on the desert!

I have a word of caution for anybody who plans to hike very far into the forest. Make sure you know how to get back to your car. This is not as obvious as it sounds….. Once you get deep into the forest…everything looks the same. Literally. It is difficult to distinguish one tree from another. This tree looks like that tree…looks like that tree…..etc. No…..they are not painted different colors….nor do they have names on them…nor do they come in different architectural designs. They are all just trees. If the sun is not shining…..you will not even have the sun to guide you….if you even know how. I can imagine that it is analogous to being in the middle of an ocean….water, water everywhere. Or….in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert. All the sand is brown! So, make sure you know how to get back to your vehicle safely…..or you may live the rest of your life hunting for nuts and berries……and sleeping under a blanket of leaves.

You can learn a lot by stopping and taking a look at the exhibits which you will find along the Avenue of the Giants…..assuming that you actually want to learn some more about the redwoods. Even if you don’t want to learn any additional information, you can browse through some of the gift shops and look at some of the “authentic” trinkets and souvenirs….that were no doubt manufactured in India or China. And…of course, take this opportunity to use the rest rooms.

Our final stop on our trip through the redwoods was the picturesque village of Myers Flat. This little town is at about the half-way point on the Avenue of Giants, and by this time we had an excellent opportunity to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of the redwoods. If our schedule had permitted it, we would have gladly continued on to the end of the highway where it meets up with US 101 again.

Myers Flat is the location of the Shrine Drive-Through Tree. It will cost a small amount of money….but it was worth paying the cash in order to take pictures of Fayez driving our car through the tree. There are always cars waiting to drive through….and it is often a rather slow process. Some people are not content with a simple picture or two. They feel they have to have pictures of every member of the family “driving” the car…. Could most of these people be Japanese? And many of them want pictures of all the occupants of the vehicle standing in front of the car. Not just a couple pictures…..but pictures from every angle. Sounds like the Japanese again. Fayez and I were not so demanding, though. I got out…..walked around to the front of the tree while Fayez made the ceremonial stop about four-fifth the way through the tree. A couple or three pictures…..and we were satisfied. Time for the next car! There are also some interesting exhibits here that are worth a quick glance. And, of course…..a gift shop.

OK…..that was an interesting, relaxing and inspiring experience. One of those mysteries of nature.

We have seen the “big trees”. Now let’s continue on to “big money”…..Reno, Nevada. But, first, we had to make a short trip to Shingle town, California, where we would spend the night.

Now we were faced with a choice: Should we rely on my expert knowledge of reading and following a map? ……a skill that I have developed and perfected over many long years of experience. Or….Should we follow the directions of the fickle little GPS device….and see where it leads us?

I…..always….or usually…..or sometimes….being the nice guy….and wanting to avoid conflict….resigned myself to the option of following the route the GPS had mandated.

As with many things that are unknown…..the trip from the redwoods to Shingletown started out normally and routinely. A good blacktop highway…..or so we thought. We were in a good mood. We had just finished a stimulating visit to the giant redwoods, a miracle of nature and a marvel of creation…..and now we were headed toward Reno…..and in one more day we would find ourselves in a completely frivolous, artificial, hedonistic creation of man! It would be a radical change of pace for us. But, we were anticipating it…..and eager to arrive and start enjoying the glitz and glamor that we might discover there. But…..first there was the matter of the short trip to the KOA in Shingletown.

As we drove along, we ascended higher and higher into the mountains with breath taking scenery surrounding us on all sides. We were happy as we gazed with appreciation and delight at the mountains, the forests and the valleys. And, of course, we talked…laughed….joked…. as we always do while we are driving along.

After a while, we….or at least I, began to notice something rather strange. The “highway” was becoming more and more narrow. On-coming traffic was sparse….actually non-existent. How far are we from the next town? There were no highway signs….no billboards…. Oh well……maybe the state of California doesn’t do a very good job in caring for its mountain highways.

We continued to press onward. Soon, the blacktop became sporadic….and gradually morphed from a paved “highway” into a gravel road…..a narrow gravel road, at that.
We kept winding our way higher and higher into the mountains. Still no traffic, no signs, no billboards. The GPS. What does the GPS say? Where are we? How far to the next town? If the GPS knew…..it wasn’t telling us.

I began to become somewhat concerned. “Shingletown, Oh Shingletown, Where art thou, fair Shingletown?” Fayez kept plowing on, somewhat oblivious to any danger we might be in. The gas gauge registered about one fourth tank. Not very comforting. Where are we? Where are we going? Even the GPS doesn’t know where the next town is located. This can’t be good. “We should have followed the route on the map,” I was thinking…..or I probably said it aloud. At least, if we got lost….we would know where we were lost. What if we ran out of gas? What would we do? Would anybody ever find us? Would we be forced to become mountain men and never see our families again? Why didn’t we use our cell phones? Are you joking? There was no cell phone signal where we were.

What choice did we have? It was too late to turn back. So we kept moving forward. You can bet that the happy conversation came to an end…..and an air of uneasiness prevailed….and maybe a degree of anxiety, too. Finally, we came upon the first farm house we had seen in many miles. Ahh….a ray of hope. Maybe a civilization existed, after all. Tension relaxed…..a little bit, at least. As we continued our eastward drive, we encountered more and more houses. We could always stop and ask for directions now.

Fortunately, the GPS woke up from its slumber and pointed the way to a highway. By happy chance, luck or fortune was with us. It was the right highway…..the highway we would have been on…..if we had followed the route on the map. And…..as usually happens…..once the crisis has past, we laughed about it….joked about it….and tried to pretend that it never happened. And, in cases like this, I always quote Shakespeare: “All is well that ends well.”

Both of the nights we spent in California were part of the Memorial Day weekend….and both of the campgrounds were the busiest that we stayed in. And both of them, by far, had the most young people and children… Normal, since all the schools were closed for the long holiday weekend. As with most campgrounds, the people here were family people…..law abiding and quiet. And, again, we were the only people sitting in front of a campfire after the sun went down. True campers…..

The distance from the campground into Reno was only a couple hours’ drive. We quickly found Harrah’s Hotel and Casino….located in the heart of downtown Reno….and bordering on Virginia Avenue, the main drag or “strip” of Reno. This would be our home for the night. Harrah’s is undoubtedly the largest hotel that I have stayed in. And, of course, it is not only a hotel but a gambling resort, also. Although it bordered on Virginia Avenue, our entrance was a block away off a street whose name I don’t recall.

The check-in procedures are very streamlined, and in a short time we had found our room…..on the 11th floor….and were settling in for the afternoon and night. Like most other hotels in Reno and Las Vegas, the windows are covered with “blackout” drapes, intended to keep the room dark during the daylight hours so casino patrons can sleep during the day……and stay up gambling at night.

It was still early in the afternoon, and among the first things we did was to look for the hotel’s fitness center so Fayez could spend some time working out. While he was working out, I took advantage of the blackout drapes and took a nap. Upon his return to the room, Fayez also took a nap, so we would be rested for our night on the town.

During the daytime, Reno looks pretty much like any other mid-size city. There really isn’t anything special about it….visually, at least. During the daylight, it actually appears to be a rather shabby town…..at least the downtown “strip” does. Where there are not casinos and hotels…..there are souvenir shops, liquor stores, tattoo parlors, bars…..and pawn shops. Yes…..lots of pawn shops. In all reality, it is sort of a pathetic town. Sad to think that the pawn shop industry appears to be among thriving businesses. Sad to think that people are so desperate for money that they resort to hocking their possessions to get their hands on a little bit of money to flush down the drain at the poker tables, the black jack tables and the slot machines. One of the more noticeable phenomenons of downtown Reno is the number of boarded up casinos and other businesses that have obviously fallen victim to the recent recession of 2008 and before. They are ugly eye sores, and do nothing to enhance the appearance of the downtown district.

Fayez and I spent a good deal of the afternoon walking around the downtown area, just looking at the buildings, into the windows of the souvenir shops, and into the open-front gambling casinos. But, perhaps we spent most of our time people-watching. There was never a lack of human “drama” being played out on the streets and sidewalks of Reno. There were a remarkable number of strange people milling around the streets….even in the afternoon. This probably has no special meaning…..and I am not attaching any hidden meaning to it….but the vast majority of these people were not white, Caucasian people.

Most of the disputes or controversies or misunderstandings seem to be related to either a domestic problem…..a lover’s triangle…..or money. I say this only from general appearances and from hearing passages of comments as we passed by…..usually on the other side of the sidewalk!

If Fayez would have….and could have….had his way, we would have stopped and watched each individual fight! And probably would have taken pictures. And asked for autographs! Yeah….I suppose I was also just a little bit curious and intrigued about what the disagreements were about. But over the years, I have learned it is not a good idea to get involved in other people’s personal problems, especially domestic problems. And, I have learned that just because they are using a busy public sidewalk at the theater to act out their melodrama, they usually do not want an audience! It is better….and safer….and wiser…..more judicious…..to merely ignore situations like these…..and continue on our merry way. Or at least, to casually and discreetly watch from a safe distance. Actually, I had no desire to spend the remainder of our vacation in the hospital.

After walking up and down Virginia Avenue on both sides, we decided to return to our hotel room and wait until it was time to eat supper. A little relaxation never hurt anybody. It must have been 6:00 or so when we headed out in search of a place to eat. Actually, we had already made this decision…..even before we started out on our trip. We headed to Circus-Circus, where they have one of the most fantastic all-you-can-eat buffets that I have had the pleasure to experience. Wow…..there are more choices than one could sample in a week. So….when filling your plate, it is best be discriminating in what you choose. You simply cannot eat everything…..no matter how inviting all the food looks. And, sooner or later even the most determined glutton is going to reach his limit…..and there is still going to be food beckoning to be eaten. But….it is an affordable feast that should be experienced at least on rare occasions.

By the time we emerged from Circus-Circus…..full and satisfied….the sun was starting to set….and the lights along Virginia Avenue were starting to twinkle in the emerging darkness. Reno takes on a totally different aura at night. This is when the glitz and sparkle come to life….outshining and overshadowing the drabness of the daylight hours. The most traditional of the Reno landmarks is the sign arching across Virginia Avenue proclaiming “Reno….the Biggest Little City in the World.”

Despite all of its bright lights, there is little for the non-gambler to do except to look. And, in the downtown area, at least, gambling is the only game in town. Many of the cassino offer various forms of entertainment. But most of the “stars” are unheard of entertainers…..at least, not in the mainstream of today’s popularity. And….they are expensive.

After wandering the downtown streets I was puzzled by the scarcity of the traditional Reno “sex shops”. In times past……the far past…..15 or more years ago….these “sin” shops were among the most thriving businesses in the downtown area. As we walked up and down the blocks, it was immediately apparent that this was no longer the case. I had already told Fayez to expect to encounter a lot of such stores. Coming from Saudi Arabia, this was a totally foreign and alien concept to him. In fact, I think he simply did not believe me when I told him they existed. And, he was becoming more and more convinced of this when we didn’t pass any of them as we walked around.

I was baffled. I was almost certain that they still must exist. But…where? No, no, no….don’t get the idea that we intended to buy anything from these stores! Not a chance. But, I considered this to be a “cultural” learning opportunity for Fayez. Definitely something he would never find in his home country. In order to prove my point….and to prove that I was actually telling the truth….we resorted to the all-knowing Internet. We found ONE shop on Virginia Avenue (there were others, but not in the downtown area), and even this one was located a few blocks from the main casino sector.

Like I said….this was certainly not a shopping opportunity……but rather it was an educational….a cultural….a scholarly…..experience. As we entered the store, I could Fayez’s eyes get wider and wider! “Now just walk in and act normal…..just like you belong here,” I had told him. “Try not to act nervous!”

The friendly clerk greeted us cheerily and asked if he could help us find something. “No, we are just going to take look around.”

Fayez was eying he merchandise with both curiosity and amazement. “Just take it easy…… Act natural.”

Fayez started giggling. “No….no….don’t do that! I don’t want to get kicked out.”

I think Fayez understood fairly well the purpose and function of most of the various toys and “implements”. But…..please….don’t giggle! This is a “serious” place. Other customers were examining the merchandise with a critical eye…..no doubt considering and debating the pros and cons of each product. I was hoping that Fayez would NOT pick anything up! Let alone examine it critically.

Everybody in the store seems very comfortable and at ease…..except for Fayez and me. The friendly clerk asked us a couple more times if he could help us. Maybe we should have faked some interest in something…..but we didn’t. Or maybe I should have said, “I don’t need any help…..but way don’t you ask the Saudi Arabian guy! I think he wants to buy something.” But….I didn’t. We spent what I considered to be a “respectable” amount of time…..and then we said Goodbye to the clerk and left. No…..I didn’t buy anything; I left empty-handed. Sorry. But…..let me tell you about Fayez! No….he left empty-handed, too.

Outside, Fayez burst into laughter. But…..now he knew that I was telling him the truth…..that such stores actually do exist! But Alas! The Internet has almost destroyed another booming Reno business.

Upon conclusion of this exciting evening, we ended our brief sojourn in Reno….. And now we were ready to move from the land of “big money” to the land of “big families”……Salt Lake City…..Mormon country.