I ran out of space on this blog…you can continue following along on our journey over at our new address
https://herzogherd16.family.blog
https://herzogherd16.family.blog/2022/09/08/welcome/
Hopefully that will work! Love y’all and thank you for following along!
Today we got a late start. We got packed and loaded and headed north. Now, the general direction of our trip is south, but Stephen found a fun detour to take. We went north about 15 miles and saw where a river runs into the Pacific Ocean! I’ve never seen that before!
As we drove south and took multiple poty breaks, we would find berry patches and enjoy a nice snack. Then we made it to the “avenue of the giants”. It’s absolutely amazing and so hard to capture the feeling of being there in pictures. I’ve got about 200 photos, but I’ll spare you and just post some favorites.
This crazy crew built a pyramid! They seem to find ways to innocently keep me on my toes. They are sure adventurous, and I LOVE THAT about each and every one of them!
We continued our journey south. Stephen and Martin took turns airing up our ailing tire and we passed lots of vineyards and orchards. It’s amazing how nothing grows without irrigation. This area is SO dry and hot and everything is dead except for what is irrigated.
We made it to Doran beach where we will stay for the night. We kept it simple…just setting up the tent frame and putting a tarp on the top. Ittl make for an easier departure in the morning.
We had a nice evening on the beach enjoying the sunset and moon rise. Special moments. We even had an unwelcome visitor…Mr. Skunk. Fortunately he didn’t bless us with anything, but made for sleeping in the wide open kinda nerve racking for me.
This has turned out to be such a wonderful place to stay! Monday it really cleared out and it’s been so much more open. We have found we’ve been able to get settled and have more of a routine when we stay for at least 3 days somewhere. it feels nice and like a good pace.
Stephen made us a cup of pour over coffee this morning. There’s just something about a warm cup of coffee, a fire, and your baby to snuggle with on a cool morning that not only warms your tummy, but your heart as well.
Millie and James have been my meal helpers these past few days. I’ve been rotating through 2 helpers every 3 days or so as we move along and it seems to be a really great system. They go shopping with me and then execute the meals. It’s so rewarding to have such capable and willing and happy helpers.
We took advantage of this river to get a good washing in for the kids. They made such a fun time of it. Then we had lunch back at camp.
A few of us went to town to do some more grocery shopping for the next set of days and I took my new set of helpers. We did laundry as well. Stephen had to get one of our tires checked because it keeps loosing air. Couldn’t find a problem so we will just have to monitor it closely.
We finished the evening with supper, volleyball with some new neighbors from Jerusalem, and tidying things up in preparation for leaving in the morning.
There was a beautiful fog in the redwood trees this morning. It’s in the mid 50’s and a light jacket is very welcome. We walked down to the river from our camp site and as the sun can out and warmed us up, we let the little boys take their shirts off and play in the water. They all looked so cute.
Then we had a restful afternoon of naps, playing with neighbor kids, “grocery shopping” at the nearby campsites that had cleared out, and doing some school.
We had a fire with some wood we gathered from another vacated campsite. This is one place you are allowed to actually have a fire and it was so nice!
Sweet Liza was loving papa with her precious coos and eyes looking up at him. Melts my heart 💕
We all slept in to about 6 this morning and took it easy in the 37 degree morning temps as we all packed up camp. We didn’t have as far to drive today. Only about 230 miles as we headed to the redwoods of CA.
Well, me made it! I can’t believe we are here! This forest feels just enormous! I told Stephen I feel like a ferry in it. You can’t describe the vastness of the trees with words or pictures. But I feel so small in the midst of it. I know I keep saying it, but I just can’t believe we are actually getting to see all these amazing parts of our United States! So humbling and fun and exciting and full of surprises!
We all tried holding hands and going around the trunk of a tree. We managed to all do it! James got a small video of that. So cool!
We had such a good time driving around, but we couldn’t find any dispersed camping that would work for us. The terrain up here in Northern California is beautiful, but not many dispersed camping places. We stopped off at a ranger station and got some pointers, but those didn’t work either. We ended up at a small county park along a river. It’s just beside the national forest and full of redwoods. It’s only $20.00 per night, so we will just enjoy a break here for a few nights.
One thing I’m oblivious to when we are traveling is the calendar…I don’t keep up with week days vs weekends, or holidays etc. Well, guess what. Tomorrow is Memorial Day and that’s why all the places we have been driving by have been packed full of people! Don’t get me wrong, it does my heart good to see so many families out enjoying Gods creation, but we were looking for something a little more secluded. Since we didn’t find it, we just embraced it and set up camp in the midst of tents and people all around us.
I enjoy watching people though. I enjoy all the people we have met along the way too. In preparation and then on our trips, I pray for those we come in contact with, obviously not knowing ahead of time who they will be. But then as we go along our way, getting to put faces to those I’ve prayed for is so neat.
As it was getting late and the light would soon be gone, it just made sense to cook supper up at the trailer vs hauling everything down in between all the people. So we did just that. Millie made hamburger patties and gravy with rice and green beans. It turned out so yummy! That was quite an elaborate “parking lot picnic” for us!
One thing you don’t see in pictures is sound or smell. When we went La Jolla cove, we could smell the seals before we saw them. When we walked down the streets of New York earlier this year, we could smell marijuana for the majority of the walk. Well, here we have the road noise of being right beside a road as we are camping. It’s just a different dynamic you may not always know about by just looking at pictures. But all is well and we are grateful for this place to call Home for tonight.
The mornings have been super cool in the 40’s and then warm up to the 80-90’s in the afternoon. Such a temperature swing! Most of the kids have been warm. It’s just mostly Silas and Onna that manage to squirm out of their sleeping bag throughout the night and wake up cold.
We brought our dirty laundry down to the creek and had a good old fashioned wash day. The nearby creek had a good flow to it, so we were able to get everyone showered and all the laundry done. It took a good 4-5 hours though. It’s quite the process. We had pre-rinsing crew, washing crew, final rinse crew, and everyone filtering through the shower throughout the whole time. So far the joolca seems to be working pretty good. There have been a few hiccups and power problems, pump problems etc, but between Stephen and Martin, they managed to make things work. I’m so grateful for them. Stephen has spent so much time teaching the kids all that he does and to see them work together throughout life is such a blessing.
Before we left on our trip, we were given a bag of hand me down clothes. In it, we found baseball pants for the little boys. I told them we would save them for this trip, and they have been looking forward to wearing them the whole time. I finally pulled them out for them to wear and they were loving it!!
Then we enjoyed a fun lunch of peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
The rest of the day included air soft with the middles and littles, writing letters to friends and family back home, rotating laundry on the line to allow for maximum drying, and packing a few things up in preparation for our departure tomorrow morning.
We woke up to a cool crisp 47 degree morning! After moving around and warming up a little, we worked on some school.
After lunch we headed out to Crater Lake. It was just beautiful!! Every time we turned a corner there was even more beauty. We enjoyed the afternoon stopping at different turnouts as we drove around the lake.
Even though the temperature was only 79 degrees, it felt like it was 97. It kinda made me chuckle because Stephen is always checking the weather. And I’m my mind 79 should feel like 79, but like my dad frequently says, “ ideals and realities are very far apart”.
We headed back to camp to rest and enjoy some potato soup for supper. Living life is so much fun with this beautiful family. I’m so blessed ❤️
Another bright and early morning! We left the Seltzer’s just after 5 and headed north. Our goal is to get to the crater lake area. We never know how long it’s goin to take or what we will find ahead, but that’s the beauty of this kind of camping. Just go until you find what you are looking for and set up camp…well, kinda.
Along the way this time, we stopped at a hidden beauty. It’s called Mossbrae Falls. It’s quite a hike to get there but worth every bit of the effort! Only some of us got to go…you had to cross a FREEZING creek in knee deep water, and not everyone could do that. It was just too cold and the rocks were so slippery for the little ones. As it turned out, Silas and Onna got piggey-backed over, so they got to go. I actually made it too! Lost a shoe in the process of crossing the creek and had to finish the hike barefoot but that was ok.
The way to access the falls was by first going to Hedge creek falls, then going over the river and through the woods…literally, and then down a railroad track. We found a cave too! It was such a wonderful stop and such a great experience!
We stopped off and did some grocery shopping for the next few days. I was shocked at the prices! But we got what we needed and headed out. We passed Mt. Shasta along the way. We have seen smoke in the air, but this view it was nice and clear. Such a beauty!
We made it to the Crater Lake area up in Oregon! We found a nice place to set up our tent for a few nights. Near enough to Crater Lake, yet away from everyone else so it was nice and quiet. We have been on our trip for almost 2 weeks and this is the first time we set up camp. We have been so blessed to stay with so many loving and generous family and friends. I never expected our trip to start like this, but I wouldn’t trade any bit of it! We are so loved and feel that so deeply from all the folks we have been with. We thank the Lord for each family and pray He blesses them richly as He has blessed us through them.
We had a family fun day with both our families today. We headed out on a 2 hour drive to Lake Tahoe. The weather has been absolutely perfect and today was no exception. Bright blue clear skies and water. So breathtaking!
With our family of 16 and their family of 10, we had lots of activity going on! We had lots of hands to help cary all our things, lots of things to play with, lots of mouths to feed and lots of love and good times shared by all.
On our way back home, we took the scenic route around the south side of the lake and saw Emerald Cove. Again, another breathtakingly beautiful place. Seeing the beauty of Gods creativity is humbling. We are so excited to be on this trip and experiencing life and Gods creation with people we love.
Sometimes I still can’t believe we are on this second big journey and getting to see all these amazing things! We have been so blessed getting to spend time with the Seltzer family. They are just precious and to see them have such a heart to do the right thing and stay in the Lords will is so encouraging.
Even after just meeting for the first time when we got here, I felt so at home and like I had known them for years. I’m looking forward to years of friendship ahead!
The Seltzer family had an engagement after breakfast they needed to attend to this morning. So we took this opportunity to do laundry, clean out vehicles, give the boys haircuts, and do Bible study. The kids enjoyed using the leaf blower after I was done giving haircuts. Such a fun “toy”. It was so sweet of the Seltzer’s to open their home for us to use like our own. So generous! They only just recently moved here, so to be entertaining already is so nice of them!
The afternoon was nice as we got to enjoy life together. The girls made chicken pot pies for supper, the little ones used the left over dough to make some treat, and Stephen and I got to take a nice walk together. Just beautiful out here! Hotter and drier than I expected, but just beautiful!
We finished the day with games, pool fun, eating the delicious chicken pot pies and more fun and fellowship with each other. We are so blessed to get to spend time with this family. Our hearts are full.
We got up bright and early and headed out. As we have driven across south central California, I’ve been amazed how dry it is here too! We have passed beautiful orchards and vineyards that flourish from the water that is diverted in for irrigation. But other than anything that has water, it’s all dead and dry. We have seen almonds, grapes, olives, apricots, tomato trucks, row crops. Such diversity!
We made a few stops along the way and made pretty good time. We had just under 500 miles to drive today. We lined up for potty breaks, had hard boiled eggs at the gas station, saw an old mine, picked dewberries and found gigantic acorns from a black oak tree.
We made it to our friends home! This is a pretty special family because we’ve actually only ever met Dan and his oldest son. So for them wanting and being willing to have us over means a lot! They have a beautiful home and have welcomed us with open arms. I am in awe of the love we have felt from each of the families we have stayed with on this trip so far. Each family is unique and special and it’s been a privilege to stay with so many wonderful folks.
The kids hit it off great together and it has been so fun getting to visit with Dan and Stephanie. They are a sweet couple and I can tell this is going to be a healthy time of fellowship with them.
Today has been such a good day. It’s so humbling when the Lord gently shows you something and you have a heart to hear. So many times in my life I know the Lord is speaking to me, but I don’t listen for whatever reason…too busy, I already know what I’m shooting for so I don’t pay attention, too tired etc.
Today we had the opportunity to go to church with Nate and Rhea. I truly had a good time! As I walk through life and experience things, I have a tendency to compare things to what I already know, or what I feel comfortable with, to what I’m actually getting to experience. Today at church I could feel myself looking through that lens. I felt the Lord gently convict me and show me that I could choose something different. That I could choose to enjoy things. So I enjoyed worshiping, listening, learning, and seeing people through His eyes and with His love. It grieves my heart that I can be so dense sometimes. And so humbling that the Lord is so faithful to love me no matter what.
It was wonderful getting to meet some new folks. It’s a big church, but Rhea said it feels small once you get plugged in and get involved with a life group. The service was fun and we felt very welcome.
We were invited to join one of the families from their small group and hang out at their pool for the afternoon. It was so much fun!! What an amazing pool (more like a mini water park) they have! They were so welcoming to our big family whom they had never met and made us feel very at home. I so enjoyed sitting at the table with the couples and hearing some of their stories and how the Lord has worked in their life. It was just wonderful being connected to other christian families and have such edifying conversation!
You never know who you will meet and how you will impact them or how they will impact you. It’s special to see who we have met and the relationships we now have with Christians in Los Angeles. I pray that the Lord will use us to be an encouragement to those we meet and that they will see Jesus’ love.
Then we enjoyed our last evening together. Rhea took 2 bike trips with 2 sets of kids, we enjoyed a delicious supper of more BBQ, and to top it all off, Nate and Rhea presented us with a brand new atlas! We don’t have one and have thought how helpful it would be to see and plan our route on a paper map! Absolutely so thoughtful of them.
We are so blessed to have spent these past few days with them and re-connect and just enjoy each other’s fellowship. They are such a special couple with 2 sweet kids. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with them. They were so generous in every way and I count it a privilege to know them. Thank y’all for your hospitality and for loving on us. 💕
We have had such a fun full day! We headed to the beach for a few hours and the kids had a blast trying to ride some waves! Special memories made for sure!
Then we headed back to the house to re-group. A good old game of spades, snacking on some left overs from last night, playing outside with the remote controlled and battery operated cars…then everyone was ready to go for round two.
We enjoyed some time at a local park playing on a playground, some volleyball, and watching someone else’s birthday party 🤣. The mom was so sweet and gave all the kids some party bags full of candy to share.
Then we headed to a softball practice and enjoyed the evening at the ballpark.
Nate had meat going on the smoker all day so we had delicious BBQ when we got home! What a feast! Then we finished up by watching a movie and heading to bed. The 2 hour time difference is sometimes hard to adjust for. Especially at night when it’s 10:00 here which means midnight our time.
I have felt so at home here. Nate and Rhea are such gracious hosts and have made us feel so welcome.
We enjoyed a morning of packing, cleaning, and loading from Kevin and Grace’s apartment. We hit the road and headed north. We stopped off at La Joya Cove and saw the seals along the shore. So fun!! Onna has a book with a seal in it and she really had a good time seeing them in person.
Then we drove a little more and made it to a park to stretch our legs for a little bit. Everything here is beautiful. So fun to see God’s creation enjoyed by everyone. I pray we can be a good witness to the folks we meet along the journey. Sometimes it can be through actual conversation, and other times through our actions that people see. Either way, we want to share the love of Jesus with everyone we see!
We made it to Nate and Rhea’s! I never would have guessed we would get to come visit them! This stop is completely spur of the moment and Nate and Rhea have welcomed us with open arms! Nate loves to cook and made the comment that he couldn’t wait to feed us. So generous! And with only 48 hour notice! When we got here they had 3 bedrooms all ready for us.
It has been years since we have seen them or even talked to them. So much fun to get to be here and stay with them for a few days! We have just picked up where we left off. Kids are having a blast and we are all enjoying the fellowship!
After supper we got to take a walk and go pomegranate picking! The trail around their neighborhood is lined on both sides with pomegranate trees! So amazing! In about 10 minutes they managed to pick a whole 5 gallon bucket full! What a treat!!
After a full day yesterday, we decided to just chill at the apartment today. We all needed a little more rest. After 2 full days of travel and a day at the beach, we are grateful for the option of just being able to rest for a little while.
We enjoyed some time at the pool at the apartments. It’s nice and quiet and wasn’t busy at all. We had it all to ourselves. Stephen said he feels like we are at a resort.
After lunch and drying off, we all watched a movie and had ice cream and popcorn! What a treat! All 16 of us managed to find a spot to sit. Nice and cozy!
Then we took a quick trip to the beach to enjoy the sunset and have a picnic supper. The temperatures were so much cooler with the sun going down. So our trip wasn’t quite as long. As we were driving to the park, I was looking around at the neighborhoods and scenery and I just can’t believe we are here! Martin, Bella and Mrs. Herzog had the opportunity to to be with Kevin last year on Coronado and I never thought I’d actually get to be here enjoying the same things they did! So special to say the least.
I can’t believe we are actually here! We enjoyed a few minutes with Kevin and Grace before Stephen, and some of the kids took them to the airport. Then we all got ready to spend some time at the beach!! Just a beautiful time!
This is what we call “open carry”. Uncle Josh saw the video and said, “Sun’s out, gun’s out” Haha!
After just a few hours of getting some vitamin D, we cleaned up a tad and made it back to the apartment, made some supper and called it a day!
We woke up with a heavy dew, packed up quickly and we’re on the road just before 6am. We had a long hot drive ahead of us. We made just a few quick stops again and kept on trucking. It was 109 degrees as we crossed the dessert and one area during a climb in elevation, the Denali crew needed to shut off the AC to keep it from overheating. Prayers were answered and we made it across without difficulty. Thank you Lord! After we crossed over the mountains, the terrain started to change and the temperature dropped to the low 80’s. Such a difference!
We made it to Kevin and Graces! within minutes of being at their apartment Kevin successfully dished up 2 buckets of ice cream for the kids which they thoroughly enjoyed! Kevin and grace have been so generous and offered us to stay in their apartment while they are gone. (They had prior commitments and they won’t be home this week.) So sweet of them. We may take a few days and explore the San Diego area and do just that!
The girls spent the night with Aunt Grace at the apartment and the boys spent the night at a nearby campground with Uncle Kevin.
We left Keith and Karen’s at 5:00am and headed west on our 746 mile treck for the day. They were so sweet and got up and made us breakfast and coffee for our early morning start. It was so good to spend some time with them on this trip!
We made really good time and with only 3 short stops. We saw so many kinds of topography, weather and scenery. Each area has a beauty of its own. We enjoyed PBJ’s for lunch at a park. We crossed the rio grande. Saw president Trump’s wall along the border. Spotted the biggest roadrunner I’ve ever seen. Drove through rain, dry, heat, and cool. It was a long day, but went so smoothly. We thank the Lord for His protection.
Finally around 6:00pm we made it to our destination…Indian Bread Rocks near Wilcox, AZ. Within the first 5 minutes the kids spotted a rattlesnake and the gnats were clearly enjoying humans instead of dry sand. I was skeptical of this being our spot for the night, but we made it work! We took some time and marveled at the beauty all around, and the blessed life we live. The kids were happily playing in the new environment and we started establishing our things for the night.
We made some supper, shot a few rounds, put powder in the stinky shoes, set up camp, enjoyed a spectacular sunset, and celebrated Lydia’s 12th birthday.
She is the sweetest itty bitty ever! She has such a determination about her that is contagious. She loves to take on any challenge especially if it involves anything outdoors. You will rarely see her without her baseball hat on. She is a beauty inside and out.
Just before we left for this trip, Lydia and Stephen got dressed up and went on a date. They got a drink at the corner store and just took a drive. It is so important to us to take the time to enjoy the little moments with each child. They are all so unique and precious. Stephen and I have learned that building a relationship is something you have to be intentional about. You can’t pass opportunities to deepen that in hopes of scheduling something for the future. You need to be available to take the moments as they come. Life is so short and eternity is forever. What you do today will not only impact future generations, but your life in eternity as well.
We had some very unique sleeping arrangements. (I forgot to get a picture) Since we wanted to get an early start the next morning, we didn’t set up our wall tent. We just popped up a small 3 man tent, put 4 kids on top of the vehicles, and set up our mattress frame and mattress and slept under the beautiful stary night! What a memory. So beautiful to see so many stars!
We enjoyed a relaxing day together. It’s so nice getting to be still, visit, play, and get to share life with each other. Sometimes we all get so busy that it’s hard to build relationships with each other. Today was a stay at home and be family together kind of day.
Thank you Keith and Karen for opening your home and your hearts to us. We feel loved and are so grateful to be together! Love y’all so much!
Well, I can’t believe it’s happening again, but we are embarking on another amazing camping adventure! This time we are heading west…where and how long exactly, we don’t really know. What a neat time in our life. Stephen retired, baby #14 just born, all our kids still at home, farm established for easy maintenance and upkeep, 2 vehicles and a trailer loaded and the great outdoors to explore!
We headed out just after lunch after saying goodbye to the farm cousins. The masters were so sweet and had all of us over for supper last night to get one last bit of family fellowship in before our departure. They are so special to our family and we are blessed to do life with them!
We drove to Keith and Karen’s to stay 2 nights. They have such a beautiful place out in the hill country. They are always so hospitable and it is so fun getting to be with them at their home.
The game of the evening was a fun version of 20 questions and most were involved throughout the evening in some form or fashion. We also celebrated Marilla’s 9th birthday! Can’t believe how time flies by so quickly! Marilla is such a blessing to our family and life with her makes us very full with gratitude in our hearts. She has such a gift with babies that is special to see as she is an older sister to 6 younger siblings. We love our “haus-es-lauder” (something like that-some German phrase meaning house is louder).
The Herzog Herd Adventure (1)