Happy Thanksgiving to all our U.S. readers. This is probably the most unusual Thanksgiving I have ever had, but it is fun. We weren’t wild about our campground on Wednesday night so we drove slowly about 30 miles down the rest of the Avenue of the Giants this morning and then set up here at a commercial campground.

The major draw of this spot was (1) the campground was open, unlike our first choice, the Benbow Lake State Recreation Area; (2) it has free wifi. Our cell phones have not worked much since we left Eureka, and Internet access is only a dream along the Redwood Highway (Rt 101). So even though this is the most expensive campground we’ve paid for since we started this trip ($31), it was a good choice for today.

Also, Eleanor needed full hookups for Thanksgiving. She has a degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales, and she is a serious cook. You don’t mess with Eleanor’s cooking. This is her Big Thing, so plenty of propane, electricity, and water were mandatory.

I can’t complain — the trailer already smells nice from the cooking. Last night Eleanor and Emma made a pumpkin pie with a tulip design on it (by Emma), and now gravy and stuffing are being made.

The entire trailer except the bedroom has been pressed into service. The dinette is set, Emma is on the credenza stirring something, her bed is covered with food that has been prepped, the kitchen is of course completely occupied, and I have been banished to the bedroom (when I’m not being asked to take out the trash or some other stereotypical male task).

We have a lot to be thankful for. We have each other, the freedom and the ability to travel, family, and health. We have Eleanor’s spectacular cooking today, and the new friends we made just a few minutes ago who are parked nearby in their new Airstream Quiksilver Edition. We are thankful for our friends and fellow Airstreamers who support us with their emails, calls, and comments on this blog.

On this day I won’t worry about the money I don’t have, the things I don’t own, the opportunities I may have missed, the mistakes I have made. This is a day to reflect on the things that are good in our lives and appreciate the pieces we may have taken for granted. Whatever you have to be thankful for, I hope you can recount them and appreciate them today.