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.
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