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.

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