After a long, hard, year, I decided to take a trip. I needed some quality alone time. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, challenge myself, have a few meltdowns, see some new things, meet some new people, and I wanted to do it all affordably. So I planned an American road trip and I headed out on the road. I aimed to discover some new places in my own country and to discover myself.
Can you believe I camped my way around the Western half of America all by myself? I pitched my own tent and slept in a sleeping bag. On a borrowed camping stove, I cooked ramen noodles and boiled pots of water for french press coffees. I learned how to light a fire (kind of). I read Two Years Before the Mast, Richard Henry Dana, Jr., I practiced yoga, wrote, drank lots of water. I listened to true crime podcasts while I drove across Nevada and down through Utah, Crime Junkies and Generation Why, specifically. One morning, I hiked around Convict Lake. Another afternoon, in Yosemite, I took a quick dip in the Merced River. I met some mule deer at Oh Ridge Campground situated on the shores of June Lake. All over California, imagine hundreds of butterflies. Thousands of ladybugs. I cried four times on the trip. I never once felt scared. Under stars bright and clear, I slept soundly. At night, it’s quiet, quiet. I ate a slice of pie at a dive bar in Mammoth (mixed berry). I dropped my vape pen in the waterfall at Yosemite. When I saw a Sonic in St. George, Utah I pulled over and ordered some mozzarella sticks and a large root beer. One day, on a casual morning moutnain loop hike in the Lake Tahoe area, I bumped into a black bear. Later, in Reno, I replaced my vape pen at a weed store called Mynt. LOL. The leaves in Southeastern Idaho this time of year are crispy, golden delicious. In Ashton, Idaho I pitched my tent under a canopy of blonding leaves, nearby a babbling brook, a scene nearly astonishing in its idylic-ness. In Yellowstone National Park I saw all the things. Herds of bison, sweeping views of verdant valleys, bubbling sulfer springs, cascading falls, a geyser eruption. I highly recommend a visit to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I ate Caeser salad at a restaurant called Glorrieta Trattoria, (part of the Avnil Hotel complex) and I enjoyed it because the dressing was made with lots of anchovies. At Persephone Bakery I drank an ok mocha and ate an outstandingly delicious breakfast sandwich- over medium, gruyère, bacon, dijon aioli, on croissant. If I had more time I would have saddled up at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. Watch out! In Wyoming, you might see a moose! If you're driving through Utah you might consider a stop just south of Fillmore to soak in the steaming water of the Meadow Geothermal Springs and to flirt with a handsome, local cowboy named Wade. If you're looking for a good cappuccino, I had a good one at Black Sheep Coffee Roasters in Bishop. I don't recommend ordering one from Canyon Coffee, near the entrance of Zion National Park. When I'm in the Las Vegas area I like to stop at Ugo Rondinone's Seven Magic Moutnains roadside installation, despite the chaotic Instagram crowds.
In 12 days I drove across seven states. I hiked 49.4 miles. I drove 3,302 miles. I stopped at four national parks.
On my trip I learned:
•I am strong, capable, adventurous, fun, cool, young! I am reliable and sensitive and I am inspiring people!
•The world is small but also big.
•I am small but also big.
•People are kind.
•The world is for me.
•Hard work is hard work.
•Hard work is worth it!
•I enjoy my own company.
•The more good things you look for the more good things you see.
•There’s still a lot for me to learn and see and know and people to meet and places to go! I had fun! I’m proud of myself! I’m gunna keep going!