We have bumped along the Oregon coast and seen some very nice views of headlands and coastal forests. Unfortunately like most forests in the world these days they are all regrowth. One can only imagine what sort of diversity of flora and fauna they would have supported in the past before they were all bowled over. Well thats not quite true, as a "massive" four percent of redwoods still survive, thanks to the efforts of some far sighted individuals. Whether it's because there are very few old trees for nesting sites, or there are so few species of trees, there appear to be very few birds . Compared to Australian forests morning chorus of bird calls the forests here are deathly quite. One morning was very different in that we found ourselves being observed, by what we think was a very rare Spotted Owl, from a tree branch next to the truck. A rare treat that we will never forget.


As you would no doubt be aware, there are many forest fires burning up the West coast of the USA at the moment. The air quality is like Huonville on a bad day. A day when Forestry Tasmania burns all the waste it says it turns into wood chips.
Over here, at this time of year, it rains very little, and now with climate change it doesn't look like it will ever rain again. These fires have been burning for over a month now and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Luckily we haven't had a windy day, in well, what appears to have been weeks. If they had wind here like we do in South East Australia, there wouldn't be a tree or building still standing.


Along the north coastal strip in California there are dwellings scattered all through the forest. It's no wonder they loose so many buildings when it goes pear shaped. And like in Australia it appears your average American never thinks it will be there house that burns down!


We were lucky to visit the very famous, and rightly so, Redwood Forests up near Crescent City by the Oregon border. I thought Gael was going to wet herself, she was so excited! But they are simply stunning in their presence. To think that they once grew all the way from the Oregon border down to San Francisco, hundreds of miles of them. Now as I said previously only four percent remain, and the greedy a*******s in the timber industry still haven't given up trying to get there hands on some of these. The timber industry here have put up signs along the highways, which inform that if you go in to the forest you will break a federal law and risk being locked up for a very long time. These are same type of laws that the current government in Australia would love to introduce to stop protests and enable the wholesale rape of Australia's old growth forests and of our most productive farmland through fracking.


We have seen a good spread of the West coast and it's holiday crowds so we are turning our attention to the east again. Here, once you cross the High Sierras, the land becomes more arid and sparsely populated as you head towards Nevada and Utah. On the way to the Nevada we visited Yosemite and could see straight away why this is Americas most visited National Park.
The camping in the park here is appalling. Crowded and with little space between camp sites, it's no wonder we avoid camping in places like this where we can. Arriving early, catching the sights, and b*****ing off is the best bet if you can manage it. Many other visitors stay in the lines of permanent tents. They are so drab and close together it reminded us of a refugee camp. One can only imagine what it cost them for the refugee experience!
With the mountains shaped by Glaciers the place is a magnet for rock climbers. I once fancied myself, as a rock climber that is, but being born spineless, and having a propensity to shake uncontrollably when over a metre of the ground, put paid to that dream. We did however watch some of those without my fear of heights half way up the shear rock face of El Capitan. And to think that this vertical granite rock face has now been climbed solo, without ropes not so long ago is mind blowing.


Further east saw us near the Nevada border where we had a visit to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. What the f—k is a Bristlecone Pine I hear you ask! Yes, thats exactly what I asked Gael when the visit was scheduled. Well they are in fact the oldest trees on earth. Yes thats right, the oldest on the planet at over four thousand years. In fact four thousand eight hundred and forty four years, to be as exact as is possible with the science currently available. And the old *******s are still alive. It really puts things into perspective when in their presence. But like everything else, their long term future could well be in doubt because of climate stress.


Then of course after the Bristlecone Pines you have Zion NP, and Escalante Staircase National Monument, and Moab and Valley of the Gods, and Monument Valley, and lets not forget the Grand Canyon, and so on it goes. This is the area, around the Utah and Arizona border, where we will spend the majority of the rest of the time that we have here in the States. We visited the area last time we had the truck over here and our love of the place hasn't diminished. If you enjoy the outdoors, 'primitive camping' as they call it here, and spectacular scenery, this is 'the place to be' in the States. The area is not without its dangers however, with over twenty people drowned in flash floods while we were in the area.


On our way south we passed close by the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We visited the North side or Rim as they call it last time so we thought we had better balance the books so to speak. Well, the big crack looks about the same from the south side! The main difference on the south as distinct from the north side being the conveyor belt like stream of tourists being disgorged from the tour buses, and the lack of 'feel' for the place that you get at the north side. The north side has a wonderful old Lodge that has a view of the Canyon from the lounge area glass windows that you would never forget. The north rim may be harder to get to, it would mean hiring a car and investing some time, but in our opinion is well worth the extra effort.


I got a chance to become intimate with the trucks mechanicals again as we were about to leave Flagstaff Arizona after topping up the larder and the bar fridge. What I had been hoping was another variation in the tone of the constant ringing in my ears from my Tinnitus, was in fact coming from under the truck.With little more than a week left on our visas, this noise was about as welcome as a recurrence of a does of the clap.
I got Gael to jog along side the truck, worth seeing in itself, to try to identify where this new noise was coming from. In my mind I had already settled on the rooted transfer case scenario, closely followed by the slightly less disastrous about to fail rear differential.
Either of the above major failures would mean we would have to dump/store the truck somewhere and leave the country so as not to breach our visa conditions, fly somewhere far away and return much poorer to arrange for parts to be flown in.


After I had stopped ringing my hands and quietly sobbing, I had a moment of clarity. I knew that the front universals were dodgy so I got to work in the church carpark, God had conveniently provided, and put in the shiny new front tail shaft I had with me. With an inch of rain due, and night falling this was done with some urgency.
Whilst I was actively engaged in this task a fellow traveller and local named Tyler pulled up to see if he could be of assistance. In typical US fashion Tyler offered us the use of the facilities at his place, however not wanting to put him out we opted for the local fair grounds parking lot.
Well it wasn't the front tail shaft after all so of we limped to the show grounds for the night to wait out the expected rain. Well it rained very little but I did wake with a wet pillow from constant sobbing and a plan of action for the new day.
Start with the simple things first I was once told!
Check the wheel bearings. OK.
Check rear differential oil level. OK.
Pull out rear tail shaft. Bingo!!! Stuffed universal.
Replace tail shaft with spare and keep old one for when I can get new universals fitted as I don't have a suitable vice myself. So, problem solved and the journey continues until the next crisis.


The scenery from Flagstaff to Sedona on the 89A is very pretty and well worth the drive. However we found the towns themselves to be very touristy so we continued on and found another great campsite at two thousand metres elevation in the surrounding National Forest. The weather here around Flagstaff, at this elevation, has been in the low twenties.
From Flagstaff it's all down hill. Northern Arizona, around Flagstaff, or a good part of it, is around two thousand metres above sea level. From Sedona, if heading south, you start to loose altitude, and with it the mild days and pleasantly cool nights. All of a sudden it gets 'really' hot. If visiting Joshua Tree NP you get some temporary respite, due to the thirteen hundred meter altitude, But, in late September, we found the temperatures of 104+ degrees in the valleys around the area of Palm Springs, to be too hot for us. A quick shop for the larder, a visit to Starbucks for the internet, and then straight up into the surrounding mountains for the peace and quiet and a cooler nights sleep.


The desert areas around the Arizona/California border are a magnet for older US citizens and Canadians living in the north of the country from October onward. It snows a real lot on far more of America than I ever imagined, and as a consequence all the old ***** that can afford to drag their 5th wheelers south do so. The number of RV Parks in the desert towns have to be seen to be believed. Massive gravelled areas with hundreds of RV's parked shoulder to shoulder. It's like the mass migration of Wildebeest on Africa's plains. How they tolerate living in these places is beyond the comprehension of a simple soul from Glen Huon in Tasmania who loves his personal space!


Time is running out for us on our US visa. Our three months here has gone faster than a rat up a drain pipe, so we find ourselves heading over the Mexican border. If we want to come back to the US anytime in the future, on this trip, we have to go as far as Guatemala before we can return and get another three months entry visa.


If you have travelled overseas recently, you would know that the Aussie dollar isn't doing international travellers any favours at the moment. Fortunately we can travel quite cheaply, particularly so here in America. For example, as of writing, we have been travelling here for seventy five days , and for all but fourteen of those days we have had no accommodation costs. Here you can legally free camp in places with natural beauty that would blow your mind. For example, as I write this, we are camped by ourselves in Canyonland NP, within metres of the rim of the canyon, high above the Colorado River.