July 17, Crescent City, California.

Redwood forests, or their remnants, have stood since the time of the dinosaurs. The oldest trees on the north west coast of the USA were already large saplings when Christ was born. Even the fallen trees that litter the forest floor have lain where they are today for many centuries. One we saw some years back in Yosemite National Park was used as a stable by troops during the Civil War, and it looked like it had many years yet before it rotted away. A great thrill for us was to drive through a Redwood. It was yet another of the 'World Famous' attractions that dot the US.

Even the foggy and cool weather couldn't diminish the grandeur of these ancient forests. The windy roads through this area of northern California were pleasantly quiet today as we wound our way through this spectacular part of the US. With the exception of some large elk with enormous antlers, the wildlife was extremely scarce.

We had planned on driving the whole of the coast road, Highway CA 1 and Highway CA 101, but it is extremely slow going and we are, sadly, getting near the end of our trip, and we have Oregon and Washington yet to conquer.

July 19, The Dalles, Oregon.

Sitting in a lovely rest area today, with lush green grass and enormous Douglas fir trees all around, the roar of the heavy trucks on the road, just a few hundred metres away, should have been an annoyance, but it was more like a reminder that the pulse of industry is never far away in the more densely populated parts of the US. Most of this trip we have been wandering the byways of the Alaskan wilderness, the Canadian Yukon and the rich prairie farmland states and provinces of both the US and Canada. Here in the Pacific North West we are back in the US's industrial heartland, or one of them.

You don't have to be an Einstein to know that North America is a big place, but you really need to experience all facets of this incredible part of the world to truly understand its grandeur. In the 1940s Woody Guthrie, that great American lyricist, captured some of what we mean when he penned the words for what many today believe should be the USA's national anthem, 'This Land Is Your Land'. In a few verses he captured the soul of the US. Here's just a sample.

This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island
From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me

As I was walking a ribbon of highway
I saw above me an endless skyway
I saw below me a golden valley
This land was made for you and me

I've roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me

In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office - I see my people
And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me.

Woody's last verse in particular seems to capture the essence of America today.

Here in Oregon, almost 20% of people are surviving on food stamps, a government welfare food program. Along the highways we have travelled, thousands of businesses have closed down, factories rust and some small towns and cities are becoming ghost towns. On the other hand, as the throb of the trucks on the Interstate reminds us, there is still a lot of spark left in the US, and as we pack up our lunch makings and head back out on the road, we recall a scene from that World War II classic movie, The Battle of the Bulge. A senior German officer walks into a staff meeting and puts a package on the table. Vas ist das? (excuse pidgin German), says a junior officer. “That is why we will never defeat the Americans,” is the response. It was a Christmas cake, and the officer's point was that if the delivery of cakes to the troops on the front line was a priority to the Americans, and they could manage to do it, then Germany stood no chance against such a determined and capable enemy. That spirit is still out there, so don't give up on the 'old girl' just yet, Woody.


July 20, 2012, Tacoma, Washington.

This morning at around 15 minutes after midnight, a 24 year old man threw a tear gas cylinder into a movie theatre in suburban Denver. Seconds later, wearing a gas mask and body armour, he began shooting into the crowd. He was armed with a civilian version of the semi-automatic M16 rifle, fitted with a 100 shot magazine, a shotgun and two Glock pistols.

At the latest count, there were seventy-one victims. Twelve were killed, including a six year old child. Several of the wounded are in a critical condition.

The weapons were all purchased legally in the past 6 months.

God save America and her precious second amendment - the right to bear arms.