My Unexpected Adventures during Covid -19 Pandemic

The journey begins … 

In early March 2020, my daughter Archie and I made a sudden decision to do a three week road trip in the Northwest US, covering the states of Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. We both had some time off, so it was the best opportunity to fulfill that dream. We started from Seattle, Washington. 

There we hired an RV (Recreation Vehicle) for convenience and flexibility. It was a large spacious RV with a fully equipped kitchen, two bedrooms and a good-sized bathroom. We bought groceries, fruits, veggies, soft drinks, beer, wine, etc., for the trip. We loaded our bags, got the keys for the vehicle and were on our way around 5 pm on the 10th of March. But not before a photograph with the RV! 

Within a few hours we exited from Washington and entered the state of Oregon. It was a full moon night and soon we left the city and headed out into the countryside. 

Our first night halt at Albany Corvallis … 

By around 9:00 pm we reached our first night camp at Albany Corvallis. We had already driven 256 miles! We connected up the RV to the services (water, electric power and the drainage hoses) and settled in for the night. It was a cold night, but we had cabin heating. Archie made dinner while I unpacked our stuff and put them into the RV’s storage cupboards. We enjoyed a lovely quiet dinner of home cooked noodles and a glass of wine and then retired for the night. Archie climbed up to her sky bed above the driver cabin and I made my way to the back of the vehicle and settled into a cozy queen size bed. We locked up all the doors and drew down all the window blinds. We felt safe enough for the night. 

Waking up next morning, seeing the sunrise in the distance through the trees, the birds chirping and a gentle breeze across the trees was a great feeling! The place we were parked was in a wooded area with plenty of trees. We went for a refreshing walk outside although there was a slight chill in the air. 

En-route to California … 

Our first visit was going to be the famous Redwood Forest which stretches across Oregon and California. After breakfast, we secured all the loose items in the vehicle and started driving south towards California. We stopped several times for photo opportunities as the scenery was stunning!

You are in Bear Country … 

After we parked at our next campsite, I noticed a large signboard that read “YOU ARE IN BEAR COUNTRY”. Hmmm ….. we shall see!! We locked up doors and windows properly, pulled all the curtains and shutters so the bears could not see us if they came looking, and slept tight. 

When we woke up the next morning, we heard a little stream flowing nearby and lots of birds chirping around. After a leisurely breakfast, we went to the National Park Service headquarters, where a very sweet old lady gave us some information about the Redwood trees. That day, we had lunch at a Chinese restaurant in town and ate our favorite Kungpao Chicken with fried rice. We hired a car locally to be more mobile when we went into the Redwood Forest the next day. 

The Redwood forest … 

The long-awaited Redwood Forest adventure had just begun ! We drove through a parkway called the Newton B. Drury Parkway (exit 765) which took us right through the middle of the forest. The giant trees were standing majestically straight up from the ground to heights of 200 to 300 feet tall. The trees were 200-500 years old and the oldest is more than 3000 years old. It is said that these trees have a network of intertwined roots underground, which makes them so strong that they could stand up to the strong winds during tornados and cyclones for hundreds of years ! These trees existed during the Jurassic era, which makes me think, yeah the Dinosaurs needed somewhere to hide, didn’t they! 

We spent a lot a time in these redwood forests taking in the awe, splendor and beauty of the enchanting trees. We went for a walk on a trail called the ‘Ladybird Johnson Grove’, where we saw some ‘family’ trees, which grow adjacent to each other and stay together like a small family. Even the trees that were uprooted and lying fallen on the ground had a personality of their own. We could feel the freshness of the forest air ! Felt so humbled when we stood in the forest next to these giant trees …. could feel the power of nature ! Archie had a great time, playing in the forest, climbing trees, finding mushrooms, and just taking in the amazing sights before us. 

Avenue of the Giants … 

On the 14th March, we did a drive through the Avenue of the Giants, which were incredibly large Sequoia trees around 15 – 20 ft in diameter, standing like giants. Some of these mammoth trees were very close to the road. 

The Pacific Coast Highway, Route 101 … 

Early next day, we started driving on the scenic Pacific Coast Highway (Route 101), and headed to Yosemite National Park. When we reached Cedar Grove in the mountains, it started snowing heavily. We decided to abandon Yosemite and headed to Nevada instead. By 6 pm we reached the edge of Death Valley on the border of California and Nevada. We camped overnight in an empty car park surrounded by mountains. 

Death Valley … 

Death Valley is a vast expanse of land between two rows of mountains. It looked like a wide river that was flowing once upon a time. The view was breathtaking as we descended from the mountain into the valley. Many men have lost their lives in this part of the desert, according to the storybooks and movies. It was a harsh unforgiving environment with temperatures in summer soaring to around 65OC or more. No man or animal could survive for long in those harsh conditions. When we came down the mountains, we could actually drive across the Death Valley. It was a great feeling to experience the place where in the good old days (18th/19th centuries?) so many men have attempted to cross and only a few made it to tell the tale. Seeing it in photos and videos is something, but actually being there is something else ! On the way out of Death Valley, we made brief stops at Badwater Basin and Golden Canyon, which was a deep crater on the mountainside and we couldn’t even see the bottom. 

Las Vegas … 

Next day we drove through the Las Vegas Strip at around 7 pm when it was just getting dark and the neon signboards were on. Even though everything in Vegas was closed due to Covid-19, the neon lights made it feel like everything was open ! ! At the end of the strip was the Trump Towers, where we took a right turn and headed to Kingman Camp for the night. 

Route 66 … 

Route 66 is the first highway that was built in the US ! Close to the highway there was a railroad and it was fun to see a very long (120 carriages) freight train pulled, carrying shipping containers, pulled by 6 locomotives. As we drove along further, we found snow on the sides of the roads and on the trees in the woods hugging the highway. It was like pictures on a Christmas card, driving through the winter wonderland. We were wondering if Santa Claus would show up amongst those snow-clad trees!

Flagstaff … 

At Flagstaff we once again parked our caravan and hired a car locally for convenience. We went to see the Grand Canyon, but access to the Canyon was closed. We had to see it from a distance, but still amazing. Archie climbed on the roof of the car for a better view of the Canyon. 

The night drive through the blizzard … 

When we started driving back to our caravan park, we encountered heavy snowfall, like a blizzard. The roads were wet and we felt a little worried as it soon became dark and there was no one in sight! We saw a road sign showing a big cat.. .. a leopard or cheetah or something. Happy to say we made it back to camp safely without any encounters with the big Cats !

Petrified Forest … 

On the 20th of March, we went to the Petrified Forest. When we reached there, we found it wasn’t a forest at all! And no one was petrified! Ha ha! It was a vast wide open desert with a few fallen tree trunks here and there. But on looking closer, we found that these trees are a unique species. The inside of the tree turns into a glazed gemstone after many years!

Enter Arizona … 

Next day, we returned the hired car and drove to a place called Page in Arizona. Some sections of this road was narrow and winding through some of the most beautiful mountains and lakes. On the way, there were cactus fields on ether side of the road for miles and miles. 

The Glen Canyon Dam … 

Just on the outskirts of Page, we stopped to see the Glen Canyon Dam, which was breathtaking view of the dam. That evening, we parked our caravan near a place called lone rock and settled in.  We took the camp chairs out and sat outside today as the weather was awesome. 

Seeing the Canyon from the water … 

The next morning, 22 March, we went to the Marina and hired a self-drive boat to go boating through the lake. We saw the Glen Canyon, Antelope Canyon and Navajo Canyon, which were all interconnected by water. We could get so close to the rocks that we could almost touch it. 

That evening, after we crossed the border into the state of Utah, we found a lovely little village by the highway and decided to stop there for the night. It was just before sunset and the weather was great, so we went for stroll in the village, which consisted of about 30 to 40 houses. 

Crisis phase … ! 

When we finished our dinner and settled in, Archie got a message from her friend that Emirates flights are being cancelled! We couldn’t reach the airline on the phone, so we decided to drive to Los Angeles airport to find out what is going on! 

Driving through the night, we reached LA airport in the morning of the 23rd March. The airline offices at the airport were unattended and no one could answer our queries. 

The dilemma in LA … 

We had to exit soon from the US as lockdown was imminent. We off-hired the caravan and checked into a hotel. 

Archie managed to get a Cathay flight back to Hong Kong that same night, but I had to stay back, searching for a flight back to Oman. Meanwhile, Oman borders closed for non-citizens and I was compelled to come to Australia. 

I boarded a Qantas flight to Sydney. The flight was full ! 

The quarantine in Sydney … 

In Sydney I had to do 14 days quarantine in Hyatt Regency Hotel. The stay in the Hotel was nice, with good meals, TV and internet. 

I had brought a tiny Redwood tree sapling, to take it home and plant it in our backyard, but when I declared it to the border quarantine, they smiled and said .. No Way Jose! 

The home coming … 

I flew home to Perth on 13th April. The authorities promptly put me on home isolation for 14 days. Well at least I was home!