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This is one of my toughest posts yet. I am not sure if I can adequately describe my feelings. But as always I will give you my best. We started out down the coast Saturday morning. We were headed to Crescent City California. (On the way we listened to “Let It Be” It was very calming and we felt like we had a moment before we started this last part of our journey) My family stayed at Crescent City their last night. That of course was on my mind. But I kept also thinking they had no idea it was their last day. And I also thought about how very young they were.

All the while we were in California and some in Oregon we had terrible cell service. We bought new phones for this trip. I asked Jay if we could stop at a Coffee shop when we got to town so we could get on WiFi. The first corner had a Starbucks. We took my Mom’s letter and my Grandma’s diary in with us. My Grandma wrote that they stayed at the Del Norte Motel. There was a building that said Del Norte just down the street. It was a County Fair building But that got us to Google the motel and it was less than a half mile, so we drove there. We drove right by it first. It was a residential neighborhood and the office resembled a house. We drove around back. 65 years and the end to motels like this have taken their toll. But I could just picture it in it’s hey day. They paid $9 for it. The highest price room of their trip. And my Grandma was very happy with it even though there was no kitchenette. But for the size of that town it was way more than a coincidence that we were right in the area. Jay was the one who said we should pursue this. So happy he did!!

Next we headed down the coast to the Mystery Trees. I again thought about the fact that these were the places of their last day of their lives. I got a little teary all morning, now and then. It cost them .50 each to get in to the Mystery Trees. Jay and I paid $50 for the two of us. Haha (My Dad stayed in the car. He had been sick the night before.) We really enjoyed it. The trees are legendary and huge!!! We rode the gondola to the top and back down. That was new in the last 65 years. We shopped in the gift shop. My Grandma bought my cousin a truck there for $1. I bought my Grandkids mood rings for $2.99 each.
I tried a mood ring on for fun. It turned green right away. NERVOUS and ANXIOUS. No surprise there. I was calm on the outside, but felt like I had plenty of feelings churning!!

We had lunch at the cafe across the road. We talked about our plan to go to Arcada. We knew the papers said 35 miles North of Eureka. Arcada was first and where it was said to have happened. We knew there was a gas station there because my Dad was trying to pull in to it is what they thought. We also knew it was South of the Little Red Hen Inn which I had researched and it was now the Historic Little Red Hen Inn. But in California I could not get Bars on my phone. I was able to put Eureka in maps. Nothing looked like I expected and we never saw any gas stations. We stopped 35 miles out and I took a picture. I know things changed and maybe even the highways. But this is what we had to go on. And for me it was enough.

We continued on to Arcada looking for a gas station or anything familiar from what we knew. We took the first exit and then the second exit. Arcada was not a place I would choose to spend any time at all. Even under other circumstances we would have not stuck around there. To be honest I felt like my “meant to be there feeling” left 35 miles out and there was a cloud over me. My main idea was to see the beauty my family saw. Seeing where they died was all part of the trip but once I saw the area I just told my husband it was time to go home. ( In the words of Forrest Gump…I’m pretty tired….I think I’ll go home now). We couldn’t head out of Arcada fast enough for me. I just wanted to go home and hug my family. We had planned to travel a little more but for me it was just time.

I want to post more about how my amazing family handled this tragedy. And I plan to do that in the future.
For now I want to say that this trip was absolutely amazing!! It was way more than I ever hoped it would be. My Mom and Grandma were my travel agents and we saw so much beauty the entire time. I feel very healthy regarding my parents, sister and grandparents. And I am so happy to come home to my life. I can’t say enough about what a great family I had raising me and this journey has given me a whole new respect for all they did for me. That is the real story!!

If you get nothing else from this, please realize..,…Life is uncertain!! My parents were so young and enjoying life. But it ended on a highway in California. Love your family with all you have. Let go of grudges, anger, and hurt feelings In the end…Loving one another is all that matters. ❤️