The Desert

Northern Cali is amazing. I really really liked San Francisco, I explored all the little holes and liked them all, but July and August are the coldest months of the year there (fog) so I was in a sweatshirt the whole time. California in general just proved to be one of the most beautiful places I've been. In one state you can have any climate and atmosphere you want from a city like L.A. to the outdoors in Yosemite. I could definitely see myself living someplace like that, where I could be whoever I wanted and do whatever I want. Definitely something to think about, but from all this exploring I have realized that I'm not sure if I could settle anywhere for too long, there is too much to see. Destiny and I have talked about the East coast, re-exploring the West coast, and of course Europe! We'll see where life takes me :)

Moving on..

Road trip from San Francisco to Las Vegas was beautiful for the time we were on the coast. We took the coastal highway for a little over two hours and I saw huge waves and early morning surfers, after we veered in back east it was mostly desert with a few dead-looking shrubs and very very small towns. We stopped for an oil change in Gilroy, CA and met a very attractive Precision Auto employee and learned to stay away from the north side of the Vegas strip. Then I peed behind a sand dune somewhere in the middle of the Mojave desert and almost got eaten alive by fire ants, and then finally as the sun set I saw the lights of Vegas sticking out in the middle of nothingness.

Let me preface this by saying that Las Vegas is a mecca of everything that is wrong with the United States. Gluttony, Excess, Power, Greed, I could go on. We entered and went immediately to the Marriott where we showered and got ready for the evening. I decided animal print was appropriate and off we went to club XS. We were on the guest list (thank you Stefan) so we got in right away without cover. Destiny, Auren, and Jonathon somehow partied a little harder than I did in the hotel so I was left moderately sober with the drunkest people in the bar. It was a little complicated but definitely fun as I managed to talk not one but 4 people into buying me 12 dollar drinks. Destiny and I headed back to fall asleep and the guys got a free limo to the Spearmint Rhino, a strip club that the guys could only describe as "wow". The next morning Destiny and I decided to pregame for our afternoon then head out to the strip for tapas and sangria. It was 104 degrees in Las Vegas. If you don't realize how hot that is, imagine this...Destiny's brown heels (that we thought were made of wood) melted from the heat. MELTED. They are now 1/2 an inch shorter but luckily still wearable. When we got back the guys were awake so we made evening plans that started with an all-you-can-eat buffet Vegas style with more food than I could ever need. Out we went to what we found out was one of the hottest clubs in the country, Pure. Once again we were on the guest list (geniosity on Auren's part) so we avoided cover or a line. We split up by gender immediately. D and I went to the upstairs, outdoor part of the bar where we proceeded to dance and share a drink. A guy passed us once, twice, then stopped to talk and invite us to his VIP booth. D and I were in Las Vegas, at one of the hottest clubs, dancing behind the DJ booth with one of the best DJs. Life is good. Behind the VIP ropes was a story in itself. We had bottle service with various juices and learned all about just how materialistic Vegas is. One guy was taking pictures with girls our age and sending them to his 15 year old daughter, another was talking about how many gallons his pool holds, and they were all obsessed with how important they were. I could never live in Vegas.

The next morning we packed up and headed out for the Grand Canyon, arriving in time to pitch a tent and have a campfire. Upon awaking we went straight to the trails, completely ignoring the suggestion to not hike in the middle of the day. It was HOT in the canyon and we only hiked until we realized that half a can of soup was not an appropriate amount of food to support my body on a canyon hike that was all uphill on the way back. Regardless of exhaustion it was beautiful. Breathtaking that something that big exists not just in the world but in the country that I live in and I have never seen it. Truly mind blowing. Also we saw a heard of female elk (HUGE) and thankfully did not see a mountain lion (but I swear I heard one outside our tent).

Then it was on the road again and now I find myself in Flagstaff...off to a wine bar then a live show then Sedona tomorrow. Keep in touch for some positive energy!

XO

Humbled

I don't know how I could have forgotten this, probably because I was in a burrito-induced coma. Before going to bed in Santa Barbara, we ate at a lovely little place called Freebird's. Freebird's is like Panchero's and Chipotle if they got 10,000x sexier and more delicious. Did I get a regular burrito? No, I got a MONSTER burrito, which is approximately the size of my skull with three scoops of meat, refried beans, rice, cilantro, onions, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, and love. How did I finish this do you ask? Well as the other three in my party were like "ohhhh I can't eat anymore" and "oh my god I think I'm going to be full for a week" I was like "I haven't eaten all day, we went to six flags, and I am a ravenous wolf who will not only finish this MONSTER burrito but also a side of chips and salsa". I don't claim to be a lady, but who doesn't want a woman who can eat? Anyways, burrito slammed, blog written, fell asleep in lovely Santa Barbara on an air mattress with my hetero lovebug.

We were co-surfing with two guys from Liverpool (they seriously could've been the beatles) who were just exploring as well. They Greyhounded most of their trip and were doing as much cheap to free stuff as they could. They ate eggs and vegetables every day that they had a kitchen and pretty much went without anything else. I find this inspiring because I have eaten out way too much and spent ridiculous amounts of money in the past week and a half. Perhaps I should be more frugal. Sam and Ian were musicians. They asked us questions such as "how easy would it be to jump a train?" and "if we don't want to pay for a campsite at Yosemite could we just pitch a tent in the woods?" They didn't like bears, sharks, the thought of getting killed in Mexico, or seaweed. I liked them a lot.

The next morning we ventured into downtown Isla Vista to find out it is about 1.5 square miles, so after the city tour and another visit to Freebird's for the best steak sandwich ever we hit the beach. Once again in absolute perfection we asked where the beach was and rendered the response "about 3 streets that way". Why have I stayed in Iowa so long? I need to live here in this state that has real beaches within walking distance. The beach was a scene out of a college summer beach movie of the '50s: boys were playing catch, girls were laying out and watching, the water came in subtle waves, someone in the distance had a boombox playing, simply wonderful. After that we got ready for the night and went to downtown Santa Barbara. After plans for a nice Italian meal fell through we found a place called The Palace Grill. Even though they closed five minutes before we arrived we were greeted, seated, and served like kings. Cajun food had never tasted so good, we got free muffins and bread pudding, and they served Turbo Dog (only one of my top 3 favorite beers). How could the night improve? Perhaps by finding a bar with live reggae music and cheap Mexican beer. Destiny and I perched at a high-top table and sipped our Tecate outside while the band played inside and oh did we meet some characters. First was Harold* (names have been changed due to lost memories) the personal chef to the wealthy who wore a "cali green" shirt but had a handful of excuses why he was not in possession of any cali green. Then we met Crazy (name changed due to appropriateness of new name) who was a firefighter from San Francisco. He may have been on speed, told us about going out in the marina, and tried to kiss me in the most awkward way possible. Then there was Blake whose name I remember for whatever reason. His introduction to us was him speaking loudly to some foreigners about why being an American made him angry. He had a lot of political opinions so I stopped listening as he droned on about pessimism and blah blah blah. Left the bar to pee in, yes, another parking garage :) then drove through the night to arrive in Yosemite by 9 am.

Yosemite is in one word...humbling. We set up camp and got immediately to hiking what was supposed to be a four mile trail. After going off trail for who knows how long we ended up on an eight hour hike through the forest and the mountains. My legs are still sore from the hour long uphill trek but it was so worth it. I hung my feet off a 6,000 foot tall cliff and took amazing pictures atop a mountain that offered a 360 degree view of the valley. I've never felt so small and insignificant, and yet so amazingly one with everything around me. I was 4 inches away from certain death crosslegged with my eyes closed and felt like part of the mountain. It was amazing, probably the most inspiration moment of this trip so far. I can't wait to see the Grand Canyon and other parts of this country that render me speechless.

After Yosemite we drove up to San Francisco. The bay area is beautiful. Destiny and I were eyeballing a couple of guys on the highway while the boys slept. We soon discovered that there was a child in the back seat of our flirting object, awwwwkward. Went to Fisherman's Wharf, VERY fishy. After couchsurfing plans fell through we stayed with Auren's super hospitable cousin in Albany which is about two blocks from Berkeley. Berkeley, aside from being a college town, is amazing. The culture is so free and artsy and centered. Today we happened upon People's Park which is worth googling if you get the time. It is a tract of land that was going to be turned into a parking lot had the people not resisted and now it is a mecca for students, the homeless, the arts and music scene, local kids, etc. Iowa City could stand a place like this. I helped a man do a Muhammed Ali puzzle and watched guys play basketball and got offered weed by a guy under a tree. Now I'm at Peets, a coffee shop that was founded by the same men who founded Starbucks. I prefer Peets.

New concept of the day: Medical Tourism - going to different countries for cheap medical procedures.

New thought: How much do we let our hair define and confine us?

Newest place I've publically peed: Destiny's foot

Vegas here I come.

Life is Wonderful

7/22/09 3:29am

I can’t believe how life changing this trip has been already. When I left you I was digesting some delicious bacon in L.A. and now I write lying on an air mattress in the beautiful Isla Vista, an adjacent of Santa Barbara. The past few days have proven to be everything I wanted, so I will recount them as best as I can recall…

Shortly after breakfast when I last wrote, Destiny and I met up with Auren and Jonathon and their friend who became our friend Sid. We drove out to Hermosa Beach, which took 3 hours in ridiculous traffic, but we got there in time to jump in the water once (a feat that took some major convincing on my part) and have a few drinks and a good talk; took a drive back to Sid and his many roommates’ house in Redondo Beach, got into party dresses, and headed out to a few bars near Hollywood. The Velvet Margarita had crazy patio dancing and The Room had crazy expensive shots leaving the parking garage to be my favorite memory of the night. After bar close we headed back to the car, I peed in yet another parking garage in my life, we took some pulls of a bottle of Seagram’s, and Destiny convinced Jonathon that we should lift the gate ourselves instead of paying our fare. He obliged immediately causing a security guard ruckus and the Saab’s ban from that parking garage. Ever again. Too funny. We crashed at stranger-to-friend Travis’ apartment that he was house sitting. I shared a floor with some cats but I got some chicken fingers and afterhours pizza so the night was a success.

The next morning Destiny and I woke earlier than everyone else (not uncommon after a late night) and took a walk around Detroit St. and the surrounding area. I saw up close the largest wacky inflatable arm-flailing tube men in the world. They are actually quite terrifying and loud, but still fun J. Returned to the apartment to find the boys mostly awake so we continued our day. This time we headed to the beach at a reasonable time, giving us the opportunity to soak up some much needed sun and enjoy more stranger-to-friend time with Sid, Travis, and now Garret as well as the original foursome of vagabonds. Sean found us and we had a great reunion of the five minds who decided that life was ours to create. Then it was back to Redondo Beach to get ready for a Friday night out in the Hermosa area. We arrived at the house and had a quick pick up game of basketball where I made the first jump shot of my life! Then as we wound through the back door we discovered the pool and water slide that was originally unmentioned and of course jumped straight in. Walked inside to meet more roommates, one of which is the e-author of an e-book that teaches women how to talk dirty to their men. I am all about sexual liberation for women and the removal of archetypes and double standards but I don’t know how I feel about allowing a man to define what is sexy and what our sexuality should be…I digress, the book was entertaining at least and now I am part of the email list sexiness. Headed out to Hermosa pier to a bar where Jonathon and Destiny split from me. After an hour I realized I was surrounded by strangers and decided to go where I knew people so I called up a few Cali friends and tried to find my way out to Hollywood. The VERY generous cab driver pulled over when I told him my location and informed me that my cab ride would be 70 dollars and that I should just find out where my friends there were. I found them and headed to an afterhours party where I fell asleep immediately. On the way home Auren and I stopped at Carl’s Jr/Green Burrito and got one of the most delicious burritos of my life then promptly fell asleep on the couch.

The next morning was funny because dirty e-author Adam was having a yard sale so the passed out vagrants on the couch became a spectacle for prospective buyers. We didn’t scare too many away thankfully. I woke early, put on my swimsuit top, and fell asleep on the back deck by the pool while I soaked in some vitamin d and listened to the gardener garden. Jumped in the pool when the others woke up and we discussed our upcoming journey to San Diego. After all was decided, two girls and four guys piled into a car for an intensely uncomfortable hour and a half drive south. We arrived and searched for a hotel, hostel, or couch to sleep on. We thought our luck had run out so we went to a hotel to pay too much for two single beds. Right as we were about to process the transaction my big brother’s friend Blake who was in San Diego for work called me and graciously offered to share his downtown, 5-star hotel room with us. Let me side-step the story to mention how awestruck I am by the generosity of friends. I only hope that I am a good enough friend that I could elicit this kind of response in a time of need. Back to the tale, after accepting this amazing offer we found the first beach we could and smoked hookah, watched the sunset, and played two-on-two football where I was MVP and game winning quarterback! After showering and getting ready for a night in the gas lamp district, Blake invited us out to chill with him and a few work friends. We started at a tavern and ended at a club and it was all amazingly fun!

The next day we convinced Blake that work was unnecessary and we took a ferry to Coronado Island. Before catching the boat we ate fish tacos and I saw a submarine, very very cool! Coronado Beach, according to travel websites, is the number four beach in the country and it lived up to its name beautifully. The pyrite in the water sparkled like gold to make it look like we were swimming in glitter. On the walk back to the ferry we happened upon a weekend festival with live music and dancing and couldn’t help but join when the band belted out Brown Eyed Girl. We danced to oldies for an hour, learned the hand jive, and made friends with women who gave us amazing bean dip. Oh to retire in a place that has live music festivals every Sunday. Sounds like heaven to me. Went back to San Diego and got a cheap Marriott room thanks to Destiny and went back to the tavern we started at.

I bonded immediately with San Diego. The weather and people and vibe were all things I seriously enjoyed. After expressing this to Blake, he offered to spread my resume around and then said that when I get a job out there, I can sleep on his couch until I find an apartment of my own. He is not only my new favorite person, but that is right friends, within the next couple months it’s goodbye Iowa for good!

Back into the car with six people and back to Redondo Beach. We decided to go to the infamous Saddle Ranch instead of a bar to watch a mechanical bull-riding competition. It was hilarious, and they sold massive AMF’s (if you don’t know what it is then you probably still have remainders of a liver and soul) and I was backwardly talked into riding the bull. Sid told me that I absolutely couldn’t handle a level 9 ride. I rebutted with the fact that I have been thrown from an angry mule in my life so an animatronic bull would not be the end of me. So there I was in the middle of Saddle Ranch on the mechanical bull. The control man started me at a 7 which was a glorified merry-go-round ride so Sid convinced him to kick up the power. He took me to an 8 and I rode like a true champion, not falling even with the swiftest swings. He then took it upon himself to attempt to sexualize my bull-ride with body shaking and that just upset me so I evil-eyed him and dismounted on the next swing. I have a crazy inner-thigh bruise and a video to remember the night.

That brings me to today’s festivities. Auren and Jonathon have entirely too much stuff in the first place in our road trip car, so adding four bags and two people seemed impossible without extra storage. But never, and I repeat never, challenge a tightwad packrat to either pack the car or pay $300 for a storage bin. I had that car packed with room for both Destiny and I in one hour. We bought tickets to Six Flags Magic Mountain and said our goodbyes to our first hosts. Off to Valencia California for a crazy roller coaster rocking out America time! I have not been to a theme park since the 7^th grade so my hangover and fear of roller coasters threatened to ruin the day, but after my first ride on X2 I was ready to go. We rode every roller coaster in the park, leaving time for a second ride on two of our favorites. I had quite possibly the best time I’ve ever had at an amusement park and we stayed for 10 hours. Each line we thought we were hungry but after the adrenaline rush we would forget to eat and race to the next ride. It was amazing! The park closed at 10pm and the weariness started in so off to Santa Barbara we went for my second couch surfing experience. So here I lie, typing this blog on an air mattress. I love this trip, more than I think even I can comprehend right now. Tomorrow we are planning on a beach adventure, maybe staying another night, then off to camp at Yosemite.

I don’t even know how this could get better but I know it will.

Jonathon may snore louder than me. That is saying a lot.

Jim Croce is an amazing road trip partner.

I love my life.

"Do you know her?...Be careful"

Yesterday as I boarded the plane from Denver to L.A. the ticket-taker glances back at Destiny with her sombrero and heels and asks "Do you know her?" This seemed pretty obvious to me, because I was wearing a matching sombrero but I responded "yes." He just shook his head and said "be careful"

I digress

First morning in L.A. The weather is AMAZING! Today we plan to meet up with Auren and Jonathon and possibly go to a beach, where I will wear sunscreen to avoid becoming a crab person but it will only be SPF 15 because a girl's got to tan when she's in California people!! I drank, quite possibly too much, last night and went to a bar called The Perfect Fit where the bartender was pretty hot, you could buy a hookah for 15 bucks, and we were one of the only degenerates who wanted to get drunk on a Wednesday. Before entering I drank SoCo straight from the bottle, chasing with a little bottle of RealLime juice in Jorge's truck. All good decisions.

This morning Maria's beautiful mother made us eggs and bacon and these biscuits that were all flaky and layer-y. I have got to ask what kind they are. I don't know about any of you, but bacon is seriously the best cure in the world for this girl's drunk tummy. So now I write, coffee in hand, before we go spend our second night of the DJ where life can only possibly get better!

More shameless flirting
More excessive drinking
More Hookah
More Love :)

'breros

Short for sombreros, which is fun to say, but better to shorten!

I am in the Denver International Airport anxiously awaiting Destiny and my flight to L.A. I am wearing a sombrero, which has not been questioned but has been: silently judged, smiled at, heartily approved, and concerned for...among I'm sure countless other things that facial expressions cannot emote.

Already, just hours into our journey, Destiny and I have met a woman who guides meditation classes and was so excited about our trip she invited us on another, to stay with her in Washington D.C. And a man from San Diego (not Ron Burgandy) who mentioned concern for our Mexi-plans but otherwise seemed to generally approve of everything I was about. We shared a short but detailed conversation about my views on life/this trip/etc. His most memorable quote, however, was "[glancing at Destiny] she seems like the crazier one. Keep her out of Mexico." This makes me laugh but is probably accurate.

In a few short hours the adventure officially kicks off with a celebration of being in California and of course the one-week anniversary of my 21st birthday which needs to be celebrated with even more enthusiasm than the original because of all the great things happening simultaneously. My excitement has only grown and will continue to grow exponentially as I get closer and closer to Dream Journey (shortened hereafter to DJ which is coincidentally our initials...heyyyy)

More later after D and J encounter DJ

Another chapter of life ended

Much like my dear friend Destiny I am going to start a blog...I feel like a lot of things in my life are ridiculous and out of the ordinary so might as well entertain myself among others.

As of today around 7:45pm I am no longer a resident of Iowa City. Three years, a degree, a lost friendship, and countless gained friendships happened there so I suppose you could say a lot of shit went down. It felt odd leaving tonight. My empty room was sad to look at. I just packed all my stuff into boxes and left like it was nothing, no celebration or goodbye party or anything, just a casual "bye apartment!" and on the road I went. It could have everything to do with the fact that I am preoccupied with the fact that I'm going on the most perfect dream vacation this Wednesday.

Perfect Dream Vacation Itinerary:
1. Fly to L.A. (for 14$ mind you)
2. Party with new and old friends
3. Meet up with Auren and Jonathon and Sean
4. Interview for a wellness coaching job
5. Party more

Part 2: Road Trip
First up north through Cali, camp a little, couch surf a little, hug a redwood, etc.
Then down to VEGAS! Dangerous but exciting
Then I'm not sure. Do I fly home? Do I continue the magical mystery tour? I'm basically putting these decisions into the hands of the universe because it was fate that made me happen upon these amazing people and this opportunity to see the world and the country in a light I've never seen. Living in the moment is something I have always been terrible at doing. I've been a planner since I can remember, but letting go feels good. So in the moment I will stay, I like it here.

Sadly this beautiful adventure will have to end at some point and then I'm back in Des Moines, back in the waiting place, to make money and spend time with family until my next adventure. I give myself until the end of the year to decide where I'm going to live next but my plan is to move as far away as possible under the assumption that slowly but surely I'll gravitate back toward home.

I always thought that I would have more figured out upon graduating college. I also used to think that I would find the love of my life in college, and you can guess how accurate that assumption was. So freshly 21 with school behind me and life ahead of me...here goes

Keep tabs on me to find out where I am for the next few weeks...I'm guessing it will be pretty random