|
Well I'll tell ya, the LAST thing we thought we'd run into in California, was SNOW. But by golly, we DID!
So, we had every intention to move on further into California, but we learned something NEW this summer......
SOooooo, apparently, June is PEAK Rv season in Cali, and your odds are not good finding RV spots, let alone spots 75 feet long for a big rig with trailer. Sigh. We spent the better part of 2 days calling every single one we could find on the map. No go, so we just stayed in Red Bluff at the beautiful RV resort. We planned to swim, hike, grill out, and just make the best of it. We can trust the Lord's plan when things don't fall together as planned! We found out we were very close to the Klassen Volcanic National Park, where you could see 4 kinds of volcanos, explore bubbly sulfer pools and hike. Sounded like a nice educational experience, so we were set to go. It was almost 75*, but it could be cooler up in the mountains, so we grabbed sweatshirts and hit the road. 
It was such a great drive. I never tire of all the neat scenery we get to see!!!!
The higher we climbed, the more the temperature dropped. We were beginning to second guess our outfit choices!!!! The windows started getting cold, we all started putting on sweatshirts. (except Pax, who discovered he'd left his behind) The car thermometer showed 43*!!!!!
We curved and wound up through the mountain roads, and there it was..... SNOW! 
Naturally, we had to pull over and play in it.....
We were starting to get COLD! So it was time to head back to the warm car. But first, a stop at a little waterfall, formed from the melting snow.
We passed through the most beautiful valley area on the way home, we just had to get out and look around....
Our time in Cali is drawing to a close, so we ran into town to swimsuit shop and get the kids their FIRST In and Out Burgers! :) Fresh cut fries, never frozen meat patties and great prices. I got mine "Animal Style" which has sauteed onions and some great secret sauce on it.
It's been YEARS since I got myself some new swimsuits. It wasn't as painful as I feared. There are a lot of good choices here in California for covering, but still fun, 2 pieces!
I found 3 I liked, but settled on these two......
Bye bye California, time to move on. It sure was fun, even if we stayed in Red Bluff WAY longer than we planned! :)
Up next, Nevada! Hugs, T 
2 Comments
You know how your heart beats faster and your tummy flutters excitedly when you are preparing to leave for vacation?? That happens to us EVERYTIME we pack up the RV and start it up. Yup, 2 years later, we still get excited for the next adventure that awaits! There is no noise like a diesel RV starting up! :) We had a bit of a drive to California from Oregon, but not a bad travel day at all.  We pulled in just in time to watch the Cotton Candy sunset......  Durango RV park in Red Bluff, California is one of our favorite RV resorts. Super beautiful and awesome pool! We woke the next day to sunshine and birds singing. The weather was gorgeous! Sunny and hot, so we busted out the shorts for the first time in forever, headed into town for lunch.....  We read some reviews about an AMAZING local food truck with legit Mexican, so we ran through there for a quick lunch before we hit the grocery store, for some dollar tacos. WOW! We spent the better part of the next 3 days, playing at the pool! It was a nice one! And we found a cute watermelon floatie to hang out on...
 You know how STARVING everyone is after the pool? And you know how WIPED out you are as the Momma of the pool swimmers? Yup, so before we ever went down to the pool, we prepped the filling for lettuce wraps. I knew we would want a FAST SUPPER! We found some yummy inspiration for this easy meal on my 4 little Ferguson's blog and the ingredients from a local grocery store. Don't forget to head there for recipe ideas! There are TONS! https://4littlefergusons.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/oriental-lettuce-wraps/ We don't use Ramen anymore, for health reasons, but we did find an awesome natural asian noodle at the store! We boiled and drained, then tossed with lettuce wrap sauce, sesame oil and seeds, soy sauce and a bit of sriracha. Because I can cook with my doTERRA essential oils, I added ginger and lemongrass oil for a powerful fresh flavor! We tossed in chopped red peppers, green onions, carrot shreds and seasoned chicken. Serve in butter lettuce leaves, fill with noodle mixture and top with cucumbers and sweet & sour sauce.   We hung out on the picnic table playing Uno Dare RV park style and laughed our heads off, as we ran up and down the road squacking like a chicken, crying like a baby, or rolling in the grass James Bond style, making our own music, of course. We had some awesome local berries, so angel food cake and berries for dessert before going on our nightly family stroll (no bikes this trip because of trailer pick up) and then bedtime!
 We were bound and determined to find a waterfall, so we set out on a drive up into the mountains to find Dead Horse Falls.....we drove and drove. Our ears popped and we all got a bit car sick. Digestzen oil to the rescue!  We turned off on the old logging road and began to wind and BOUNCE our way back into the woods. On and on we went. I kept asking Dale if we were lost!? Haha, we weren't, but guess what? Since it was now an active logging road, the turn off to go see the falls, was LOCKED behind a GATE! What in the world?! Just let people still see the falls already! Nope, Turned all the way back, and headed home. Pulled off at a look out point on the way, but not the same. Sigh. Strike TWO on seeing falls. SOMEDAY we will see some waterfalls, right?! ;)   Next up, we are headed to Oroville, CA for an oil class and some hiking with some friends we met through the blog!
Hugs, T
I have met the COOLEST people because of the 4 little Ferguson's blog, and all those years of sharing my family with the world. I love how the Lord moves and blesses our obedience to Him!
Now that we are mobile, we are able to actually meet these blogging buddies: Meet Tiffany! 
I came to teach her how to use her oils, too! AND for my 4 kiddos, to meet her FIVE! :) They brought over burgers to grill at the RV park, and then we headed up to Hollow Falls for a hike. YAY! We have been wanting to see falls! 3rd time is the charm?
We started on some flat lands that reminded me of Kansas, but then things got AMAZING! Wait until you see.....
The views got better and better as we walked. It was so peaceful and amazing!
Then, it was time to start hiking down, DOWN the side of this cliff....check it out!
OH MY WORD! Be careful!!!!!
When we got to the falls, we found they were all but dried up! 3rd attempt at seeing waterfalls....DENIED! Hahaha, now its getting funny.
Despite no falls, the hiking down, and sound of the trickling water, the kids playing and frog catching with their friends, still made it one of the best hikes we have ever done. SO SUPER COOL! 
Hollow Falls from Tonya Ferguson on Vimeo.
Here is a slide show of the bottom of the falls area:
We wanted to hike back out before dark, so we rallied the troops and started heading back up. There is a 7 mile hike to BIG falls that I wanted to do so so bad, but it was super smart we didn't try so late in the day. That will have to be for next time!
Just when I thought it couldn't get any prettier...it did. Place like this just make you feel closer to the Lord!
Thanks for a GREAT time, Tiffany and family! See you next time....
Hugs, T 
In September of 2016, after doTERRA's convention, Dale and I booked it 12 hours down to Los Angeles, to prepare to be on a TV show. T.D. Jakes producers found us through our 4 little Ferguson's blog, and followed us over to this new one.
We have walked away from TV show offers before, but this one felt different. We approached it cautiously and held it with open hands. No doors closed, in fact closed doors, swung open as details fell into place. They booked us an incredible RV park and asked us to be ready for an RV shoot and studio shoot, within the few days we were there. We were SO exhausted from convention, but so super pumped to have this experience! Dana and Micheal, the producers of the show, were awesome to work with! 
Now, the trick, our kids were in Kansas, what to do what to do....
PAPA to the rescue! 
Can you believe that guy drove from Florida to Kansas in his RV to go pick up the grandkids and then proceeded to drive them CROSS COUNTRY ALONE?! That is brave!!!!
They picked up Grammy, after she flew to AZ when her time at work was finished! And they all headed to LA! Can you imagine? What GREAT memories our kids will have of their trip with Grammy and Papa! 
We had to get up BRIGHT AND EARLY to get to the studio in time. Rush hour morning traffic is NUTS! I saw all kinds of people eating and doing makeup on their drive in. Crazy.
We arrive at the studio and a guard escort us inside, where we had to wait in our dressing room for hair, makeup and wardrobe. I kept pinching myself!!! And smelling doTERRA's amazing Balance oil so I didn't pass out from nerves. ;)
Being on a TV set is totally different then I thought it would be. There are lots of cuts and redos, coaching of audience clapping etc. Pretty awesome! TD Jakes and his crew were AMAZING to work with, and so kind and fun. We had a ball!
NO cell phones are allowed on set, so I don't have any pics from that part. The kids stayed home and did school with Papa on studio day, because they would've had to school like 5 hours with a tutor, AND cost the station hundreds of dollars in liscensing to get them on set. They were part of the RV on site shoot, so I wasn't worried about it. 
They made a video montage of our family, but we haven't got to see it yet.
Did you know they beef up shows AFTER they are taped live? So the live audience saw a 2 minute intro of us, the TV show will have a longer one with more photos tucked into the story. I am so excited, but SO nervous to watch it. It's always hard to see yourself on tape, right?! 
I was just given the link to our episode last night, so am popping on here to add it before I post this! :)
When we prayed for the Lord to open doors and expand our territory, we had no idea this would be part of His plan. I love when we get to share our story and point to a Father who makes beauty from out of the ashes, and used the shattered pieces of our broken marriage, to create a BEAUTIFUL mosaic for HIS glory! We are so honored and so excited for all that is to come!
For those of you who haven't read our story of Beauty from Ashes, you can access the series here: https://4littlefergusons.wordpress.com/surviving-infidelity/ Hugs, T The Sequoia National Park was INCREDIBLE! There are no words for how massively giant these trees are, standing next to tiny counterparts in the forest, and as hard as I tried, I doubt I can show you just how majestic they really are. But I am going to try? Can you see the magic? It's so enchanting and fairytale like.  The Sequoia national park is a lot of driving, but you can park and walk the different sections too. They gave us a HUGE map to follow! Check out the squiggles, yup, we drove it. Everyone looked straight ahead, and some doTERRA Digestzen oil and Peppermint kept the nausea at bay!  Wait, this doesn't do it justice....HERE you go. Let's zoom in a bit. Right about where the Reconstruction red sign is......THAT is where things got crazy! You like double back on yourself as you drive the curves. INCREDIBLE!   Totally worth it. We first stopped at Hospital rock and had a picnic and did some climbing. The women here used to use these holes in the rock to grind the giant acorns all around this area for their meals. We drove and drove, just taking it all in.  Dale spotted a giant tree, and we used a pull off spot to hop out and go see it in person. It wasn't the largest tree in the Park, Sherman, but it was BIG. Really really BIG!  Even the drive to our next stop was breathtaking.....  We headed to Colonel William Young tree next. This tree was named for the first African American superintendent of a national park. Colonel Young was responsible for the crew that made it even possible for people to bring wagons in to view these beautiful giants. Read more about him here: https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/historyculture/young.htm We also were able to drive through tunnel log on our way to the hiking trail. Thanks to Drea for snagging a photo! :) The hiking trail was set to lead us up to a cool cabin a man made out of a fallen and fire ravished Sequoia. They call it Tharp's Log. Drea got a great photo of the inside with her flash. You can see it in the slideshow below along with a beautiful meadow they call Crescent Meadow. We saw some deer grazing even! Oh, and a BIG scary "bear" in a green shirt came barreling out of the trees and scared us nearly to pieces on the hiking trail.... ORNEREY!     After our hike, we decide to check out Morro Rock. This it the highest point of the park. See it? Yep, up THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  400 steps to the top didn't sound so bad. And if there are steps, it must be cut wide and safe, sturdy with high walls and guard rails, right?! WRONG. Don't misunderstand. It was amazing, but at some spots the wall was SO low, and people were pushing past each other going up and down because it was so so narrow.   I am telling you right now, my knees were JELLO and I shook like a leaf the whole time, and even well after. Drea agreed!!!! Dale thought it was funny to mess with us, of COURSE! The view from the top was spectacular and totally worth it all.    Time to head back down....there is more park to see!  Our last stop of the day, was to see the King of all Sequoia trees: Big Sherman!  A little perspective on size....I am still far far away and using my max zoom.  The General Sherman Tree is the world's largest tree, measured by volume. It stands 275 feet tall, and is over 36 feet in diameter at the base. Sequoia trunks remain wide high up. Sixty feet above the base, the Sherman Tree is 17.5 feet in diameter, at 180 feet up, it's 13.7. Its largest branch is 6.8 feet in diameter. The photo below gives you visual with the people drawn to scale beside it. 
 Dale and Drea were kind enough to run back up the hiking trail for the cars and meet me, dad and the kids down at the entrance since we were right there anyhow. We were EXHAUSTED at this point and our feet were aching! We were ready to call it a night and go grab some supper on the way home. Little did we know, that on our way out, the park would just be waking UP!
 Everyone had to stop and take photos! We saw 4 bear eating their supper at different turns on the way out. AAAAND, grossest of all gross..... We kept seeing these GIANT things darting out across the road.......  Oh what? You can't quite see what it is? Here, let me pull over and get a closer zoomed in shot for you...................  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! What the heck?! These spiders were HUGE. Like a man's hand! Running across the road! WHY do people tent camp here? WHYYYYYY? {Shudder} I can't have this post end with a photo of THAT.......let me see what else we have.  Ah, that's better. A beautiful ending to a beautiful day!
After this we packed up we slept hard, packed up, and headed for Texas. We have 12 classes scheduled here, and another 10 or so in Missouri, before we head to Kansas. Lots of work and classes to teach, so good thing we got to play in Cali, it might be a while until we have a break again. See you next time! Hugs, T The weather in California was perfect for exploring and enjoying. We headed to the historic Santa Barbara to see the old Mission and explore the amazing courthouse and downtown area. We were going to stop at a Botanical garden of some sort, but with the high fire hazards they were closing early. The kids were SUPER tired from our late night last night, so they dozed in the car.
The Mission and Courhouse was a photographers DREAM! Especially inside! Check out the ceiling in the courthouse.    Check out this slide show of the Mission. Do you all ever view these? I sure hope so. Its so much simpler for me to upload to a slideshow format, then waiting for each individual photo to load. :) The Courthouse was equally breathtaking and so full of history.....all the tiles were hand painted. And check out this courtroom ceiling!  
We drove by this darling shopping area, so we walked through it for a while, and enjoyed the statues and these awesome little coves between shops and restaurants.....
 Then it was time to get more serious about these darling shops, so we sent the guys on to the beach and headed down the sidewalk. We didn't get far before Drea spotted a legit French Pastry type shop. We decided to browse a bit and ended up drooling over THIS as the guy behind the counter shoved samples at us left and right.  He is very good at his job, because we ended up sitting down outside and ordering 3 desserts to share.  See that one on the right? The swirly one. OH MY HEAVENS. I still dream about it. It had raspberry in the bottom, then the most amazing meringue, not the wet kind more like powdered sugar, and then this mocha mousse on top. It was like a cloud! Second place goes to the eclaire, and 3rd the strawberry tarte. 
 This is about the time the guys started calling and asking when we were coming to the beach. Hahahah! As soon as we are done eating the best dessert you will never get to try! We headed to Ventura to see the pier and grab some seafood for dinner....  If you ever get this way, be SURE to eat at Eric Erikkson's! 5 star all the way! Check out this fish taco plate I got....   We stayed until sunset, because that is what you do in Cali, and once again, California didn't disappoint!     One more day of fun was planned with Papa and Drea before we had to move on to our next stop for about 12 classes, TEXAS! Work hard, play harder, right?!
See you next time! Hugs, T So after convention was over, we booked it 12 hours down to Los Angeles to prepare to be on a TV show. T.D. Jakes producers found us through our 4 little Ferguson's blog, and followed us to our new one. We have walked away from TV show offers before, but this one felt different. We approached it cautiously and held it with open hands. No doors closed, in fact closed doors, swung open as details fell into place, as to how the kids would get there from home etc. They booked us an incredible RV park and asked us to be ready for an RV shoot and studio shoot, within the few days we were there. We were SO exhausted from convention, but so super pumped to have this experience! Dana and Micheal, the producers of the show, were awesome to work with! I am not allowed to post about the show until later though, so let's hold that thought and say...more to come! :) I will FOR SURE tell you when it "goes live"....  We loved our time at the RV park with Papa and Drea! Dad had drive the kids cross country from Florida to Arizona, where they picked up Drea at the airport and headed to California. They were able to stay with us for 4 or 5 days of jam packed fun! We LOVE caravaning with them like we did last summer on the west coast!  We even snuck some downtime at the pool one afternoon. The kids wanted to play some games, so we did Pool Charades. Check out this hysterical video: https://www.facebook.com/daleandtonya/videos/10157493485050230/ Any guesses on who they are?! Bahahahah! :) So after the show, we met everyone down on Hollywood Blvd. To be honest, it wasn't very glamorous, or clean for that matter, but it was a piece of history. I can imagine back in the day, this place was HOPPING! We drove down Rodeo drive and drooled at all the cool shops too! :) Pretty awesome!  The next day we ventured to Santa Monica to visit the iconic Santa Monica Pier..... it was so fun and beautiful! Some of these beautiful images are from my step mom, Drea. :) It's nice having dual photographers on these trips.....   This place was amazing. And the sunset?! OH MY WORD. Incredible.  We decided we wanted to introduce dad and Drea to some Indian food. In theory, it seemed simple.... Drive. Eat. Go home to bed. We didn't take into consideration TRAFFIC. LOTS AND LOTS OF TRAFFIC. How do people do that every day? Drive in for 2 hours, drive home for 2 hours, repeat. We finally got to the restaurant about 8. The kids were SO exhausted but they did so good.  We called it a night, got some exhausted kids carried into their beds and planned the next days adventures to Santa Barbara and Ventura.
California sure has a lot to offer in one area! Diverse and beautiful. Hugs, T |
Tonya Ferguson
|
RSS Feed
