RILEY J ROAMS

California is home to dry deserts, magnificent mountains, humbling forests, the powerful ocean, crowded cities, and I wanted to see it all. I spent my childhood growing up in Ventura, but there is still so much of California that I have not seen. Three of my good friends—Carley, Sydney, and Nick—and I planned two weeks in August to road trip across the state. Our loose itinerary included driving up the coast to meet with a shaman, Magick, in Mount Shasta and heading back down through four of the state’s national parks. We had no confirmed bookings except for our shaman retreat on the 15^th and our rental car, but we were lucky to have friends and family who welcomed us to stay in their homes for a few nights. As four college students, our biggest goal for this trip was to experience as many places as possible while saving as much money as possible.

My luggage included a Local Lion backpack and a Travelpro carry-on size suitcase. I packed my North Face tent and a of clothes such as shorts, jeans, leggings, tank tops, short-sleeved and long-sleeved shirts, a jacket, a raincoat, and a dress. My shoes included North Face hiking boots, low top Converse and a pair of sandals. For creating photos I brought my Canon 7D Mark II with the 18-55mm lens and a tripod.

We booked an SUV online with E-Z Rent-A-Car. Since none of us are 25 yet, I searched for a car rental place with a low underage fee, and this company only charges an extra $20 per day. We each paid $375 in total for two weeks using a car with unlimited mileage.  

Tuesday, August 9, 2016: Chicago – San Diego – Laguna Beach

We woke up in Chicago at 5:30 a.m. to take the CTA blue line to O’Hare International Airport for $2.25. We were the only ones who walked the normally busy streets this early. When we arrived our flight was delayed three hours, but that’s bound to happen when booking a budget airline like Spirit. Spirit is notorious for having inexpensive flights, but you get what you pay for: uncomfortable seats, no free luggage or drinks, and last minute schedule changes. I think the downsides are worth it for how cheap the flight was—$275 round trip with a checked bag.

After the four-hour flight we finally landed in San Diego around 6 p.m. We grabbed our luggage at baggage claim, rode a shuttle to the rental car place, and picked up our car, a Toyota RAV4.

Our first stop was the REI store where we bought essential camping gear. I purchased a Marmot sleeping bag, North Face foot print, and a headlamp. After spending a substantial amount of money, we drove an hour to Laguna Beach where we stayed with my Aunt Peggy and her family.

Peggy cooked us vegetarian pasta and salad, and it tasted so fresh, especially after a long day of traveling. We spent the night chatting with my family around the dinner table; it’s always nice to catch up again after many years apart.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016: Laguna Beach

Still feeling jetlagged, we all woke up around 8 a.m. I helped my uncle and cousin make a huge breakfast for the eight of us. I scrambled 16 eggs while my uncle made hash browns and meatless sausage. 

After breakfast we took the free trolley to the Sawdust Festival, the local art fair with a $7 admission. We spent a couple of hours gazing at the various paintings, pottery, drawings, and photography while conversing with the artists. This outdoor festival had a welcoming and creative atmosphere filled with curious individuals. 

Once we got our fill of art, we hopped on the coastal trolley. We ended up getting lost on this trolley for a long time (spoiler: this happens a lot), but we enjoyed riding along the California coast. After an hour on the trolley, we finally got to the Wood’s Cove Beach where we met my cousins.

The quiet beach was decorated with black rocks breaking the waves close to the shore. Swimming in the Pacific Ocean for the first time in years was heavenly. There’s nothing more calming than the salty waves carrying me while basking in the summer sun.

After enjoying the ocean, we went to Banzai Bowls, which my aunt heavily recommended. But don’t do what I did and get a smoothie. I got Da Wedge, which had hemp milk, banana, dark chocolate, and peanut butter in it. Don’t get me wrong, the smoothie was good, but after seeing my friends’ banzai bowls, I knew I had made the wrong decision.

We strolled around downtown and visited the National Geographic Fine Art Gallery, which showcased breathtaking photos of landscapes, animals, and people. Right next door was the Vladimir Kush Gallery. Kush’s art features hallucinogenic paintings and sculptures. Some of his paintings feel like an I Spy book while recognizing all the meticulous details he includes. On the way back to Aunt Peggy’s house, we got lost on the trolley again, but made it back in time for a short, sunset stroll through her hilly neighborhood. 

Thursday, August 11, 2016: Laguna Beach – Venice Beach/Santa Monica – Santa Clarita

We woke up around 7:30 a.m. in hope of avoiding the Los Angeles traffic. We took in the mountainous view off my family’s porch as we said our goodbyes. They were the most gracious hosts. 

Surprisingly we didn’t hit much traffic while driving through Los Angeles, so we arrived at Venice Beach around noon. Palm trees and mountains surrounded the beach as surfers rode waves on the deep blue ocean. Picking up seashells and dancing in the water, we absorbed the peace this beach brings in the hectic city. We were enjoying the salty breeze and sounds of waves crashing against the shore so much we walked two miles along the beach to the Santa Monica Pier. The Santa Monica Pier’s energy felt chaotic while stumbling through large crowds with screams and laughter echoing from the carnival rides. 

As we were making our way back to Venice down the boardwalk, we stopped to talk to a man wrapping sage with his little, black dog named Chinco. We told him about our road trip, and he told us he picks his sage in the mountains around California and offered us some. On the boardwalk there were many artists, musicians, and homeless people. Most of them were nice, but one couple called Carley and me stupid because, “our eyes weren’t truly open.”

While lingering along the boardwalk, a large man came up to Carley and placed a huge boa constrictor around her shoulders. Then he grabbed the snake from Carley’s shoulders, and put it on mine while calling me a gerber baby. 

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“It means you have a baby’s face on a woman’s body,” he said.

He kept saying I was made of sweet things like ice cream and candy, and then he asked if he could squeeze my cheeks. I already had his snake around my shoulders, so why not? 

After having our fill of interactions with the people of Venice, we got in our car and drove to Ashley’s, Sydney’s cousin, place in Santa Clarita. We spent the night relaxing while watching Lip Sync Battle. The past couple of days had been wonderful; I hadn’t felt this happy in a long time. I truly felt at home in Southern California.

Friday, August 12, 2016: Santa Clarita – Vasquez Rocks – Ventura

Ashley suggested we check out Vasquez Rocks before heading to Ventura. She gave us some snacks to take with us, we thanked her and her husband for being amazing hosts, and then we drove 30 minutes to Vasquez Rocks. 

This place felt prehistoric, and it was absurd how close this desert-scape was to populated towns. The orange and pink rocks jutted out of the ground and soared into the air. Once we climbed to the top I felt like a T-Rex looking down at the earth. Once it started to get a little too hot, we hopped in the car and drove an hour to Ventura.

Being back in my hometown was weird, and I surprisingly remembered how to navigate parts of the town after moving away 11 years ago. We drove by my old house, which was on sale. Butterflies filled my stomach as we creeped down my old street. The house looked so different. The paint was a darker shade and there’s a huge archway in the front surrounded by plants. After cruising around the neighborhood, we headed downtown to go thrifting.

We shopped at Goodwill and Buffalo Exchange, which are both affordable, chain stores with a colossal selection. It was a little cooler out than I expected, so I bought a cardigan at Buffalo Exchange. We then stopped at Sea Things, a souvenir store selling seashells, mermaids, and other beach-y decorations. I always loved looking at all the different items on display here. Before heading to the beach we grabbed a slice of pizza at Tony’s Pizzaria, one of my favorite pizza joints in town. I felt nostalgic for times spent with my family as we walked on the lanky pier. This beach town with a vintage feel will always have a special spot in my heart.

My family friend, Karen, welcomed us into her home tonight, and when we got to her place she prepared salmon, salad, bread, asparagus, and watermelon. We ate in her backyard while enjoying the evening air. We talked about suffering and questioned if everyone must endure pain in their life and why that is as Karen’s two dogs, Charlie and Josie, ran around us.

Once the sun set, we drove to Grant Park ,a hilltop park with a view of Ventura and the ocean. Unfortunately we arrived four minutes after its closing time at 9 p.m. but were still able to see a cool view from the outside of the park. Even though we were exhausted, we went to Target to purchase camping food. My essentials included: bagels, bread, peanut butter, canned corn, Spaghetti-O’s, wheat thins, bananas, apples, and clementines.

Saturday, August 13, 2016: Ventura – Montaña De Oro State Park – Big Sur

We left Karen’s around 8 a.m. to begin our five-hour drive up the Pacific Coast Highway (or highway one) to Big Sur. Karen told us to stop at Bagel Rock for breakfast before heading out of town. When we walked in a man behind the counter with a pointed beard looked at us and said, “Karen?” 

When we realized what he was asking we said, “yes.” 

“We have four cheese bagels that just came out of the oven, how do those sound?” He sounded so excited about them that I had to try it, and he had a reason to be. This was one of the best bagels I had ever had. 

As we ate our food, we talked about how amazing all of our hosts were. They were so generous with providing us food and shelter while on our road trip. If it weren’t for being connected with these wonderful humans it would have been more difficult to afford this trip and feel so at home. We thanked the man with the pointed beard as we left, and then stopped at the dollar store to get the last of our camping needs: a can opener, silverware, a lantern, paper towel, toilet paper, and water jugs. 

We stopped at Montaña De Oro State Park while driving along highway one. Gangly trees welcomed us as we drove through the park. We stopped on the side of the road and followed a trail into the woods where we were greeted by trees with twisted, multi-colored branches. We relaxed in a tree as it held us in the ocean breeze, but eventually hopped down and walked out to the overlook of the beach. The fog-covered sky, golden sand dunes, and light blue water calmed my soul. 

We were very concerned whether we were going to be able to find a camping spot while driving through Big Sur. This was our first night camping, but many campsites were closed due to the forest fire. Whenever we made stops to take in the ocean views, we would ask people nearby about camping opportunities. One man warned us to be careful about camping on the beach because the Mexican Cartel is known to make drug trades on the shore. We were told to check out Plaskett Creek Campground, but it was full. Another man told us about a fire road around the corner from Plaskett where people camp.

We drove down the road and there was just enough room for us next to a Mexican couple and their dog. We set up our tents and hammocks underneath a huge tree. Fog was floating in the distance, and I could hear the rolling waves from hundreds of feet below. Finding our first campsite was successful and free.

After the sunset we invited the couple, Francisco and Elma, and their ex-police German shepherd, Roxy, to hang out with us. We all started drinking and telling jokes. Francisco and Elma said they only met two weeks ago at a party. We all exchanged stories as we laughed the night away with new friends. Towards the end of the night, Elma and Nick started talking about duendes, or creepy gnomes. Apparently these troublesome creatures become more attracted to you the more you talk about them. Elma was so freaked out that she wanted to drunkenly drive home to San Diego, but Nick and Francisco were able to calm her down and convinced her to stay. I don’t blame her for being scared; if I had known about duendes I would have been freaked too. It wasn’t hard to fall asleep even though it was pretty cold outside, because we were all warm in our new sleeping bags.

Sunday, August 14, 2016: Big Sur – Mount Shasta

I woke up feeling groggy from last night’s festivities. I pulled myself out of my tent and was immediately surrounded by a thick fog. I stretched in the morning air while waiting for the others to wake up. As we packed up our campsite, we exchanged numbers with Francisco, and he said we should stop by Los Angeles later in our trip to use his shower and eat good Mexican food.

We arranged all of our stuff in the car, and then continued on to Mount Shasta. Unfortunately we had to fill up on gas while driving on highway one, and it was $4.60 per gallon, which was about a dollar more than what gas cost in other parts of the state.

This was our longest drive of the trip. It was originally supposed to be a little over six hours, but it took much longer because there were so many breathtaking outlooks with small hikes along the highway. Pink, brown, and green plants grew off the rocks while the powerful water splashed against them. Once we headed inland, the drive became a lot less interesting. So much of California is just rolling, yellow hills.

We stopped at Target to get batteries for the lantern and filled up our water jugs in the drinking fountain. Target always has a water fountain close to the entrance. We were feeling irritated after sitting in a car all day and still being an hour away at 9:45 p.m. plus we had no idea where we were going to sleep.

When we arrived in Mount Shasta, we could see the snow-covered mountain through the darkness. We looked up camping spots, and the closest one was McBride Springs Campground for $10 a night. We got lucky. When we pulled into McBride, there was one camping spot available—the very first one. We sluggishly set up our tents and finally got in our sleeping bags around midnight.

Monday, August 15, 2016: Mount Shasta

The sounds of wasps buzzing around my tent woke me up around 8 a.m. I crawled out of the tent while avoiding the wasps, made my way to the car, and ate a bagel topped with peanut butter.

We were meeting Magik for our retreat at Berryvale Grocery Store at 9:30 a.m. Carley met him when she was in Pisa a few years ago. He’s a shaman who hosts retreats in Mount Shasta and Hawaii because of their high spiritual frequencies. We each paid around $200 for a daylong retreat with him where we focused on something we wanted to fix. I didn’t know what to expect from this retreat and wasn’t sure if I believed in shamanism, but Carley raved about him, so I thought I would give it a try.

The food in Berryvale was expensive and super healthy. The people were different here; they were very friendly. People came up to me and began a conversation as if we’ve known each other for years. Many of the people were dressed in rags, but they could somehow afford the food at this grocery store. 

A little after 9:30, we were standing by the car when a small man with a ponytail appeared next to us. When Carley saw him she hugged him. He then hugged the rest of us. His hugs were much longer than what I was used to, and when he finished hugging each of us he made a deep “hmmm” sound. 

Magick suggested we go inside and talk a bit before heading out. He made a lot of long eye contact, and he gazed into each of our eyes before asking what we want to get out of today. I asked for help with differentiating my emotions and learning how to love. He then asked us to explain our quest in more detail and talk about our childhood. While I was telling him about my parents’ divorce I had to hold back tears. I don’t know why I got so teary-eyed. I’ve talked about the divorce many times before, and I was fine. Part of what I was asking for help with had to do with the trauma I gained from the divorce. My childhood was spent surrounded by a lot of hate while my parents were constantly fighting and bad-mouthing each other. Growing up in the middle of a broken relationship felt like it skewed my perception of love and what it felt like. 

All five of us piled into our car, and Magick directed us up a mountain while asking if we could feel the energy changing. I didn’t feel it, but Carley and Sydney said they did. He then started talking about psychic abilities such as predicting what someone will do or say. I never thought of myself to have psychic abilities, but when he explained what that meant exactly I felt familiarity to some of my past experiences. 

We parked the car in the woods, grabbed our backpacks, and headed into the forest. We walked past a huge rock, Acsension Rock, which is an energy vortex, according to Magick. Towering rocks and tall trees covered in lichen surrounded us. Magick stopped by a cluster of rocks and said, “I think this is our spot.” I climbed onto a rock to sit on it, but while climbing I scraped my knee and it started bleeding. By the time I noticed, Magick had already started talking, so I chose to ignore the blood. 

He covered a lot of subjects when he spoke and made a lot of eye contact—sometimes for a couple of minutes. He gave us advice through stories of past experiences, which were geared towards the things we wanted to fix. He spoke of different kinds of love, how the universe works in mysterious ways, loving unconditionally, how people who want to help others may have issues helping themselves, using his guidance to find answers to difficult situations, how a woman laid on a rock in the forest and the whole earth shook, etc. Then he asked us to think of something that stressed us out before we meditated. I thought of school. 

“Feel what is happening inside your body,” Magick said while guiding us through the meditation.

My heartbeat began to quicken, and a warmness spread throughout my chest. As I went deeper into the meditation my body began to shake and my teeth were chattering. Visions of bad experiences at college began to play in my head. The visions were playing quicker and quicker until I opened my eyes to stop the restless scenes. I felt way more stressed than before, which I didn’t think was supposed to happen with meditation, but Magick said it was normal. He then sent us off to explore the forest after telling us stories of how the forest comes alive and talks to you. 

“Walk slowly so you can feel its power,” he said.

As we separated I walked towards some trees that were covered in lichen. I slid my fingers along the lichen, and it was surprisingly rough. As I walked over to a fallen tree, the feeling of having to use the bathroom overcame me. I sat on a log and tried to fight the feeling, because I didn’t want to leave toilet paper in the forest. I sat down and drew in my journal to distract myself.

I moved from the log to a tall rock and opened up a can of Spaghetti-O’s. Sydney joined me and said she had to use the bathroom as well. After we all gathered, Magick lead us to Ascension Rock where we meditated again. While sitting on the rock I felt light and joyous and meditating felt much better this time. My deep breathing seemed to line up with the forest breeze. As we were walking to the car I asked Magick why he took us here, and he said the spirits told him to.

We made a quick stop at Berryvale to use the bathroom before heading to our second location, Castle Lake. Magick explained that Castle Lake is where masculine and feminine energies meet. The evergreen trees on one side of the lake represent the feminine energy and the large rocks on the other side represent the masculine energy. To create balance between the two genders within yourself you should go on a walk on the side of the lake corresponding with the gender that is lacking. We came together on some rocks right next to the water, and Magick told us more stories. He told us how a woman who hasn’t had an orgasm in years touched the rock that surrounded the lake and had an hour-long orgasm that involved intense moaning in this quiet space.

The water felt cleansing immediately upon entering the lake. We waded in the cool water while taking in everything we had learned today. When I got out of the water, I noticed the scratch on my knee disappeared; the water was healing.

After we felt that the retreat was over, we got in the car and went back towards ascension rock to camp. We found a huge area with many trees, and we hung our hammocks up to sleep in them. As the sun went down this campsite became creepier, probably because it felt so desolate. I kept waking up throughout the night from the coldness and reoccurring nightmares. The swinging motion of the hammock made me nauseous too, but I made it through the night nonetheless.

Tuesday, August 16, 2016: Mount Shasta – Lassen Volcanic National Park – Yuba City

We packed up our hammocks and drove an hour and a half to Lassen Volcanic National Park. Upon arrival we cruised around mountains, trees, and lakes. I couldn’t believe how much diversity this smaller park had. We drove to the Bumpass Hell trailhead, but when we got there it started raining—our first and only rain throughout the trip. We waited in the car until it stopped, and then we hung out by the trailhead for a bit while enjoying the view. As we walked, green mountains surrounded us. The 1.5-mile hike to Bumpass Hell was pretty easy and enjoyable.

Bumpass Hell was like nothing I had ever seen before. Yellow and white bumps covered the ground and in between them were crystal blue ponds. Certain parts of the ground were bubbling due to the hypothermal activity happening beneath the earth’s surface, and the whole area reeked of sulfur. 

After the hike we drove three hours to Yuba City to stay with our friend, Katie. When we arrived a little after 9 p.m. Katie had veggie lasagna and veggie ravioli from her job at Marcello’s waiting for us. The food was so filling, and it felt so good to eat a real meal after eating snacks and canned food for three days. Sydney, Katie, and I all went to middle school together, so it was nice to catch up. We stayed up late while going through my pictures, sharing stories, and reminiscing.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016: Yuba City – San Francisco – Yuba City

We woke up early to get a head start on our two-hour drive to San Francisco. Our first stop was Chinatown in search of good Chinese food. After eating we walked through the various stores. Every store was full of knick-knacks and decorations. It was hard not to buy every cute, little thing I saw. 

After spending too much money in Chinatown, we went back to the car to drive to Haight-Ashbury. Parking ended up being around $20 ($3.50 per half hour). Unfortunately the longest part of our day in the city was spent sitting in traffic in the financial district.

We parked a few blocks away from Haight-Ashbury in a parking garage, which ended up being another $20 all together. We walked down the hills that were surrounded by classic San Francisco townhouses—each one was a different color. Haight-Ashbury felt like a hippie’s paradise. The smell of cannabis filled the air as we passed by art, book, smoke, jewelry, and clothing stores. We stopped in a store called Loved to Death, which sold distorted paintings, taxidermy animals in cases, deformed skeletons, and other creepy stuff. They even had a sister store right next door, which sold rings made out of animal eyes and human teeth and other jewelry made out of things like hair and bones.

We checked out Amoeba Records, the world’s largest independent record store. It was overwhelming how many records there were. We also stopped in a rad bookstore called Bound Together Books. It was dangerous. Every book I picked up was awesome, and there was even a photography section. One book had photographs of abandoned places in Detroit, but it was a little too pricey for me.

It started getting pretty cold by the time we were trudging up the hills to our car. Fog was covering the city, so we didn’t even see the Golden Gate Bridge. I hope to return to San Francisco one day because there’s so much more to see. 

The sun was setting as we drove home, and it was completely dark by the time we got back to Katie’s house where her parents served us pizza. We are so fortunate to have been able to stay with them and spend time with Katie during our trip.

Thursday, August 18, 2016: Yuba City – Yosemite National Park

Once again we woke up early so we could begin our four and half hour drive to Yosemite National Park. Everyone talks about how beautiful Yosemite is, so I was excited to finally be able to experience it. To be honest we weren’t that impressed. It may be because we were stuck in a loop the entire time (I told you we would get lost again). Or maybe because it was overcrowded with people.

Although Yosemite didn’t end up being our favorite place, there were some pretty cool views while driving through it. We decided to hang out in a creek that was in the loop in hope of escaping the scorching heat. We were able to find a sandy spot to relax as El Capitan rose to the sky in front of us. As I laid upon a beach many people waded in the water while they spoke foreign languages.

A ranger told us there was free camping outside of the park close to the south entrance, but we had no luck finding it. We continued to drive around for an hour or two looking for somewhere to set up camp since many of the campsites were already full. We found a few spots where we could potentially set up our tents on the side of the road, but they seemed sketchy. At this point, the sun had gone down so it was difficult to see what was available. Every spot we questioned felt creepy, and the fact that everyone was stressing about the bears made us nervous too. When we realized we were all frightened by the bears, we decided not to camp. We looked up motels, but we couldn’t afford the last-minute expense. We contemplated driving to a bed and breakfast, but then decided it wasn’t worth it. So we slept in the car, and it was terrible. We were all squished inside the car we had been sitting in all day with all of our stuff in it. I spent the whole night tossing and turning as I tried to force myself to sleep.

Friday, August 19, 2016: Yosemite National Park – Sequoia National Park

We all arose around 7:30 a.m. after a night of barely sleeping. After eating some breakfast, we started the engine, and went back into the park. We drove through a dead forest on our way to a hike with a view of half dome. We were a little confused, because it seemed like the only way to see a panoramic view of half dome was to complete a steep, 14-mile hike. We probably should have asked a ranger how to easily access the view we wanted, but instead we began to hike the half dome day trail, which was very populated. After hiking for a bit, we decided that we wouldn’t be able to complete the hike due to lack of water, sleep, and preparation. We walked for about .8 miles until we hit a waterfall flowing off the rocks. Hopefully I’ll go back to Yosemite one day and be able to find better views.

After the short hike, we got in our car and began another four-hour drive to Sequoia National Park. This was the first time our drive didn’t take hours longer than it was supposed to—probably because we weren’t constantly pulling over on the side of the road to take in the views. We got to Sequoia around 6:30 p.m. and found free camping in Big Meadow Campground. After setting up our tents, a ranger pulled into our campsite and reminded us to not have any campfires. We all ate some of our canned food and enjoyed the wooded campsite. Carley and I taught Nick and Sydney how to play Euchre, and we soon became tired after finishing our game. 

Saturday, August 20, 2016: Sequoia National Park

I woke up in a horrible mood. I think I was becoming annoyed from lack of alone time, but I was excited to go back to school for the first time this summer. Camping this much made me nostalgic for other places and people, which was weird. It’s hard for me to understand why I felt this sad when I was in such a beautiful place with some of my best friends. We only had five more days left of this trip. California is one of my favorite places in the world, so I’ll be sad to leave, but I am excited to lie in my own bed, see my dog, and be alone.

I texted my friend, and he made me feel better. Sometimes I just need a new person to talk to when I’m feeling down. After I had my moment alone on some rocks, I sat with Carley and Sydney in between our tents. We all did some yoga, but it didn’t last long because none of us knew many poses. Once we were done relaxing at our campsite, we packed up our tents and drove around the park.

The trees humbled us as we drove through the towering forest. We eventually made it to the General Sherman Tree, the biggest tree in the world by volume. The wide, paved trail was heavily populated with people of all ages. If there wasn’t a sign pointing to the General Sherman Tree, I would have never guessed it was the biggest tree in the world. It had a big, red trunk, but the top of the tree was mangled and looked like it was on the verge of dying.

We spent the day hiking and exploring the woods until we headed back to the same campsite around sunset. We liked this spot so much, and we were lucky no one had snagged it by the time we got back. The darker it became, the more stars appeared. I set up my tripod to take photos of the night sky until the moon began to rise in the distance completely illuminating the forest. It’s amazing how much the phases of the moon affect the night sky and how much light there is at night.

Sunday, August 21, 2016: Sequoia National Park – Santa Clarita – San Bernardino National Forest

We felt very dirty after camping for three days, and we still had a few days left of camping. We spent the morning relaxing at our campsite and wondering where we should shower. Our next destination was Joshua Tree National Park, and we knew we would be getting even dirtier in the desert heat. We texted Francisco asking to use his shower and invited him to camp with us at Joshua Tree, but unfortunately he was in San Diego. So instead we texted Ashley, and she said we could come shower at her place again in Santa Clarita. 

We made a pit stop at a store called 99 Cent Only. The store sold name brand snacks like Pringles and Lays, but they were all only 99 cents. We were blown away by how cheap everything was, but then we realized the portion sizes are a bit smaller than what is normally sold in a grocery store. 

It was so nice of Ashley to let our dirty selves come and use their shower again. We talked to them about the adventures we had since we saw them last, and then we found a campsite about an hour away from their place in the San Bernardino National Forest.

Monday, August 22, 2016: San Bernardino National Forest – Joshua Tree National Park

During the drive from San Bernardino to Joshua Tree, the landscape transitioned from thick forests to barren desert. There were abandoned buildings sprinkled throughout the desert and huge, golden rocks stacked on top of each other—some covered in graffiti. I’ve never been in a place like this; it was as if some giant carefully placed these huge rocks on top of each other. Climbing these gneiss rocks was simple because of their rough surface that is easy to grip onto.

After turning off Twentynine Palms Highway, the main highway that runs through the desert towns, we drove down a winding path lined with colorful houses to get to the park’s west entrance. I felt like I was in an alternate universe. Once we crossed over into the park, cell service disappeared, and I found myself in a middle of a garden of Joshua Trees. There were so many of them in every direction twisting their pointed branches in every way. We pulled over to take a closer look at them, and we were greeted with dry, 100-degree heat upon exiting the car. Although it was very hot, this heat didn’t feel as bad as the humid heat I had been experiencing all summer in the Midwest. Soaking up the sun in this weird emptiness felt strangely like home.

Our first destination was Keys View. After walking up a short, steep incline, there was a gorgeous view of the desert mountains below us. We tried to take some photos while the strong wind blew us all around.

After driving for a while through the park we pulled over at the Jumbo Rocks Campground. This campground looks exactly how it sounds; it’s surrounded by huge rocks that tower above the Joshua Trees and us. We found a nice spot to sit while we played Euchre and ate Spaghetti-O’s, which we left out in the desert sun to heat up.

After relaxing in the heat, we drove towards the south end of the park where we found the Cholla Cactus Garden. These cacti were so peculiar looking as they stuck out of the ground with their thick spears and brown and yellow bodies. They almost look fuzzy too, which is where they get their nickname, the “teddy bear cholla.” But these cacti are nowhere near fuzzy. They are very painful, and I know this because Carley accidentally touched one. Her screams echoed over the silent desert as Nick pulled the pricks out of her foot. All the people who were enjoying the garden disappeared as we held Carley’s hands while she cried out in pain. This all happened before we even reached the trailhead, which had a sign warning how painful the cacti are. This quarter-mile hike was on a wooden bridge, which led us through the garden. We walked among the cacti as the sun disappeared behind the brown mountains creating a pink and purple sky. 

We got in our car to find camping before it became too dark. We asked a ranger if there was free camping on our way out, and he said there was BLM dispersed land north of the park near the Morongo Basin Humane Society. We took the dirt road until we reached the designated BLM land and set up camp. As the sun continued to set, a lightning storm appeared on the other side of the sky over the mountains. The air felt like magic as many stars began to show themselves. We opened all the doors to our car and blasted music as we stargazed and danced the night away. It felt so free to be completely alone here.

The later into the night it got, the windier and colder it became, so we eventually decided to go to sleep. I could hear dogs barking and music playing that sounded like it was just outside my tent, but it had to be miles away because we weren’t near anything or anybody. 

Tuesday, August 23, 2016: Salvation Mountain – San Diego

It was hard to sleep because of the wind, but I got in a few hours before the sun woke me up. We decided to get a move on before it got too hot. After driving through the park one more time, we began the two-hour drive to Salvation Mountain—a colorful, Christian structure plopped in the middle of the infertile desert. Small trailers and houses lined the streets as we slowly drove through the town of Niland. The pastel colors of Salvation Mountain were a shock to my eyes in this arid landscape. Phrases such as “GOD IS LOVE” and “THE HOLY BIBLE” were written on the mountain, but there’s almost an eerie feeling as we explored this religious shrine. We took some photos, and then piled back into the air-conditioned car to head to San Diego—our final destination.

As we pulled into the beach city of San Diego, we all gleamed about how successful our road trip was. We couldn’t believe anything didn’t go horribly wrong, aside for the night we slept in our car in Yosemite. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without the help of our friends, family, rangers, and locals we met along the way.

We stopped at LaJolla Cove where dozens of seals sunbathed on the rocks rising above the ocean. We found a small beach, and we laid out for a few hours. I always forget how insane seagulls are until I find myself at a beach again. A seagull landed right in front of us and proceeded to throw around a bag of Hot Cheetos all over the beach. 

After we felt sun-kissed and refreshed from the salty breeze, we went for a drink at Ballast Point, a local brewery. As we enjoyed delicious beers, we discussed where we would sleep for the next two nights. We decided to stay at a cheap motel to save some money. It wasn’t the nicest place, but after camping for about a week, the room felt almost luxurious. It felt so good to shower and sleep in beds again, and we each paid $37 for two nights in a room.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016: San Diego

And on our last full day in California, we rested. After two weeks of endless driving and days filled with adventure, we wanted to do absolutely nothing, so that’s what we did. We ordered a few pizzas, laid in bed, and watched The Spongebob Movie. 

In the evening we packed up all of our things and ate the rest of our food. Since we bought stuff at the REI store and purchased souvenirs along the way, we had gained a lot more items since our first plane ride. I was able to shove everything in my luggage except for my sleeping bag, which I carried onto the plane with me.

Tuesday, August 25, 2016: San Diego National Airport

The last day of our trip happened to fall on the National Parks Service 100^th year anniversary.

We got to the San Diego Airport around 11:30 a.m., dropped the rental car off, and headed to the gate (after rearranging things in our luggage to meet weight requirements) to catch our 2:06 p.m. flight back to O’Hare. We had each spent around $60 on gas throughout the whole trip.

As we landed, a cotton candy sunset appeared above the clouds—what a special way to be welcomed back to the Midwest. 

Conclusion 

Living in an SUV with three of my friends brought laughs, frustrations, intimacy, and teamwork. We all had to depend on each other to cooperate and compromise, and in my opinion, there’s nothing more important than the people you chose to travel with. Make sure to travel with people that are interested in seeing and doing the same things and have a similar budget.

Although we saw a lot in these two weeks, part of me wishes we visited less places and spent more time in each place. The destinations I hope to return to include: Joshua Tree, Yosemite, Big Sur, Mount Shasta, Lassen, and San Francisco. Places such as Montana De Oro, Ventura, Venice Beach, and Laguna Beach are perfect for one to two day visits.

The primary reason we went on this road trip was to visit Magick. Although I gained insight and learned from the retreat, I did not receive instant results. I could not magically differentiate my emotions and understand love immediately after the session, but this experience and the stories Magick shared with us were often being played over in my head. After years of applying what I had learned from the retreat, I now feel more confident in the ability to identify what emotions I am feeling and have been able to feel, give, and receive love to all living things around me. I have felt a much deeper, spiritual connection to the earth since the retreat. This experience helped shift my perspective on the world through receiving the tools and context I need to achieve happiness and love in my own state of mind.

Many mistakes were made and much time was spent getting lost, but each experience made us stronger individually and as a team. For a road trip we planned day-by-day, we found comfort in the unknown journey and in each other’s company.