Five Thousand Miles Later

August 28th: 12 states and 5,155 miles later

Part 1: Yosemite
As our host headed off to work Thursday morning, Kara and I woke up bright and early as well to grab some much needed coffee before our final destination: Yosemite National Park. We had gone back and forth on what days we wanted to visit the park because we knew that the National Park Service was going to be celebrating their 100th birthday while we were out there. In the end I'm happy we went during their birthday weekend. We saw plenty of party hats and to our delight, we got into the park for free.

I was overwhelmed with beauty immediately. Kara and I took advantage of every moment we could by pulling off to the side of the road to snap photos of the views that we passed on our way to the valley. Pictures I believe, better describe the wonder we experienced, so here are a few snapshots.

We camped that night, which was somewhat intimidating since we pulled into our campsite with warnings of the plague, bees, wild fires, and bears. Sweet dreams I guess!! Here are a couple pics...

Kara hiding from the bugs

Ending with Yosemite was a wonderful way to end our trip. We had time to think back on our trip and reflect with one another. We had time to write up some postcards while we soaked up our last moments in the wonderful views of California. We headed out going east on Friday; we headed home.

Part 2: Reflections

Meagan’s reflection: Kara and I have wanted to travel with one another for quite some time. We couldn't live together, but we knew we could travel together. ;) So finally being able to take a trip like this was a dream come true. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I've always wanted to go to California, and the love for travel is in my veins, so this trip could not have come soon enough. Having just finished a very long and tiring year, the one thing that pushed me through was knowing I'd be on an open road with one of my best friends. As soppy as it sounds, there's something special about traveling with someone you care so much about. Kara and I have spent a lot of time being there for one another during tough and tougher times this past year, so taking the chance to celebrate life and enjoy it together was a beautiful thing. We don't know what the future holds, but we do know we will always have these two weeks of adventure that we can hold on to no matter where life takes us. This trip meant a lot to me for many different reasons, but most of all, it reminded me how capable we can be if we have the right person by our side. Although this trip was mostly fun and games, we also were tested in ways too. We could have thrown in the towel, or even gave up on the idea, but we didn't. Instead we found ourselves staring out into the Grand Canyon, awaiting our next adventure.

Kara’s reflection: This summer has been one full of change. While all change isn’t bad, I am definitely someone who struggles with it regardless. This trip could not have come at a more opportune time, and it really was the trip of a lifetime for me. Back in January, I sat down and made a list of goals for myself. I wrote down 10 things I wanted to accomplish in the new year. At the top of that list was going on a road trip to explore the country.

When I first told my parents that Murph and I were talking about going on a cross country road trip I got the two typical responses. My mom was worried and in true Kathy form she threw out all of the things that could go wrong. My dad more simply said, “go for it!”. After some careful planning I let my parents in on the game plan. Although still nervous, my mom was starting to come around. Then my world changed. July 7th will forever be anything but ordinary from here on out. It’s the day that we had to let my dad go, but it was also the day that I decided, this road trip must happen!

I like to think my love of adventure and experiencing new things is something I get from my dad. He loved traveling the country by car and taking in all its beauty. It is no surprise to me that everywhere we went in the thirteen days that we were gone, I felt him with me. At times it was overwhelming, yet it was the perfect way to connect with the big guy on another level. My only regret is that Murph and I will never be able to regale him in the tales of our trip. But that is my only regret.

I know this post is getting long, but there is one more person that needs a mention. That person is Murph. Without her this trip would not have happened. And to be perfectly honest, there is no one else I would have rather shared this with. At times when I was nervous, she was my calming presence. She was also always down for anything. I can’t count the amount of times we proclaimed “YOLO”, when trying to make decisions. No amount of words can accurately describe the gratitude I have for you Meagan, so I’ll keep it simple. Thank you for going on this adventure with me. I can’t wait to see what we do next! I love you.

Final treat of the trip

Part 3: Acknowledgements  

To the woman who grabbed Kara’s butt: We all know Kara has a great butt; ask next time.

To the Yosemite Park Ranger: Thank you for being the most helpful ranger all trip.

To the Knights Inn staff: We think your milk was sour and made Meagan sick. Okay, bye.

To the forward guy who approached us on the Vegas strip: Thank you for giving us an excuse to dart into a casino so that you would leave us alone.

Thank you to the blackjack dealer, Gloria, who helped Meagan win $60 and then let her lose it all.

To Kevin: Kara never gambled, but Meagan thanks you for the simple, yet quality gambling advice.

To the guy who changed our oil: Thank you for overcharging us for an oil change. But really, thank you for letting us know Kara’s battery was dead. Enjoy our $200.

To our first Airbnb host: Thank you for giving us a word to describe the Grand Canyon: SCHMOOBLYDONG.

To Patty: Thank you for allowing us to use your casita while we gallivanted through the LA area.

To Aunt Clare and Uncle Cody: Thank you for warm meals and a place to wash our stinky clothes.

To Florence and John: Special thanks to these two for hosting us last minute in Berkley. We loved getting to know you and greatly appreciated your hospitality.

To Bob: Thanks for putting a roof over our heads for the night and filling our stomachs with some delicious San Jose food.

To San Francisco Crossfit: Thank you for not only making Kara feel welcomed, but also for making her sweat.

To our boat tour guides: Thank you for taking us for a spin around the bay and giving us a unique view of the Golden Gate Bridge, the coast, and Alcatraz.

To Jimmy: Thank you for your genuine interest in our adventures as we shared them with you along the way.

To Kellie: Thank you for not charging Meagan rent while she was gone!! Her wallet thanks you.

To Meagan’s dad: Thank you for answering the phone every time a strange liquid leaked from the car. Also, thank you for passing down the gene of adventure to Meagan.

To Meagan’s mom: Thank you for encouraging her to chase after her dreams. She would have never made it to California without you.

To Christine: Thanks for calling Kara and checking in! We really appreciate all of your advice while we planned and executed our trip.

To Uncle Curt: Your surrogate goddaughter and Meagan sincerely thank you for fixing the flat tire Kara got the day before we left. This trip would literally not have happened without you.

To Kara’s mom: Thanks for being Kara’s rock.

To Kara’s dad: Thank you for being her inspiration for this trip. Kara felt your presence everywhere we went.

Kara's dad and us enjoying a hike in Colorado the summer of 2014

Happy Bellies and Happy Hearts

We arrived in San Francisco midafternoon on Tuesday with immediate thought of finding some food. Now, when Murph and I started to finalize this trip in early August, I had two stipulations: 1) we eat all the good food that Cali has to offer, and 2) that I drop in at San Francisco Crossfit if our schedule allows for it. That first meal we had at Tommy’s Joynt proved to satisfy one of those points. Tommy’s Joynt was previously featured on the t.v. show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. I had a mouth watering BBQ pulled pork sandwich on sour dough, and Meagan devoured some corned beef on sour dough. 

Hotel Room: Hotel Whitcomb

From there we checked into Hotel Whitcomb, our home for the evening. This was a last minute price line find. Our room itself was comfy and cozy, but the hotel was a little earie. As we were walking to our room I turned to Murph and said, “I feel like this hotel could be in a scary movie,” to which she exclaimed, “I WAS THINKING THE SAME THING!” It’s a historic building, but if you can imagine the hotel from the Shining, then you’ll get a pretty good picture of this place!

The next day we woke up bright and early and headed to crossfit. I went back and forth the night before about whether or not to even go. I was really nervous, as I had only ever been to my gym in Madison, and I felt like I would be leaving Meagan in the dust on OUR vacation. After a phone call from Viv (a crossfit buddy back home), and the reassurance from Murph that we could totally make it work, I signed up for class. Once I stepped in the door of the box I felt completely at ease. Everyone there was extremely nice and it felt great to get a WOD in. At the end of my workout I purchased a t-shirt and while chatting with Ben, the owner, I discovered that he had dropped in at my gym, Crossfit Recursive, about two years ago when it first opened. He said he really liked the gym, and the owners (yay Dirk and Nikole)!

After a quick shower, Meagan and I were off! Our first stop of the day was the Golden Gate Bridge. It was surreal to see something in person, that we had seen dozens of times before in movies. It definitely did not disappoint! After snapping some pics, we set our sights on Fisherman’s Warf (a neighborhood/area of the city Meagan had done a LOT of research on and was excited to visit)!

Alcatraz as seen from our boat tour.

Irish Coffee FTW!

Our first pit stop there was Buena Vista, an Irish café that is most famous for their Irish Coffee! It was 11:00 am in San Fran, but 5:00 pm somewhere else, so we ordered up this famed coffee and scarfed down more delicious food! The rest of the day, we strolled down the street, and along the water taking in the city and all of its energy. We took an impromptu boat tour around the bay that took us under the Golden Gate Bridge, and gave us a scenic view of Alcatraz. We both agree that we want to go back and get an actual tour of the island. We also were lucky enough to see some sea lions both on the pier and in the water. I wanted to snuggle those cuties so bad!

We then took the streetcar back to our car to head out of the city. If you are ever in the Bay area I highly suggest taking a spin in the streetcar. It’s one of those “when in San Francisco” experiences you don't want to miss! We spent Tuesday night in Berkeley with Florence and John (my cousin Kate’s husband’s parents). I had never met them before, but had heard wonderful things. I think Meagan and I fell in love with them immediately! Florence greeted us at the door with hugs and a smile that could melt your heart. We filled her in on our trip thus far, retelling the highs and highers thus far (there really are no lows when you’re traveling across country with your best friend).  After that, we then hit the hay with dreams of the redwoods in our immediate future.

We awoke to a breakfast spread that puts most B&B’s to shame! We were so overcome that we forgot to take a picture of it, but it included: freshly cut fruit, hard boiled eggs, some delicious sour dough bread with jam, and fresh coffee. We refueld and then hit the road for Big Basin Redwoods State Park.

We took the scenic route driving along the Pacific Coast Highway. There’s nothing quite like driving along with the Pacific to your left. We then turned right and proceeded to drive on a very tight, very narrow road that had turns every 50 feet it seemed like. After about an hour we parked our car, grabbed a trial map and set foot for a 4 mile round trip hike that lead to waterfalls. What happened next is embarrassing, but I’d like to share anyways.

Pacific Coast Highway View

Redwoods!

While I love the wilderness, and hiking and camping (all interests I gained from the big guy), I have a very large fear of bears. So when we started our hike I was on edge. Even though we saw nothing indicating that bears reside in the redwoods, I was spooked from the beginning. About ¾ of a mile into our hike we heard a large crash. I was DONE! Luckily the trail was right by the road, so I hopped down and Meagan followed. Thinking back the large crash was most likely branches falling, but Murph was so supportive regardless. We found an alternative hike, and still managed to take in the beauty that the redwoods offer!

Next we headed to San Jose for the evening to get a good nights rest, and see my friend Bob who just moved there. We ate all the good foods and laughed a lot. We even slept slumber party style in his living room. The next day we headed out to Yosemite National Park! I left San Jose with a happy belly and a happy heart and the anticipation and motivation to conquer my fear of bears and explore Yosemite by foot with my best friend by my side!

 

                                                                                   

Put a Pin In It

When Kara and I first started thinking about our trip, we started with big ideas. We tossed around ideas like Europe and Canada as well as other destinations like North Carolina and Washington. We circled around ideas, desires, schedules and people we may know in each of the destinations until we landed upon the one, the only, California.

When I was about four or five years old I established two loves. One of my loves is one that most of my peers and family already know about: my love of basketball. My other love is compatible with basketball, but slightly different: my love of performance. I began dance lessons when I was three years old. This began the era of me stealing the spot light every time my grandparents would come over by hopping on my parents’ wooden coffee table (that I would eventually ruin with my tap shoes) and dancing and singing away. But before I could fall in love with Christina Aguilera or Britney’s latest single, I fell in love with the singing, dancing child of the 1930s, Shirley Temple. She was my inspiration, my first role model. So naturally, when I found out she spent her life performing in Hollywood, my dreams were set, I would go to Hollywood as soon as I was able; I would become the next Shirley Temple.

Twenty years later, I never made it into film or acting professionally, but I did pursue my basketball dreams, which is how I met Kara. Kara and I met when I was going into my first year of undergrad. We both played basketball and became friends immediately. If you asked us back then I think we would both chuckle thinking about us going on a big road trip five years later, yet, here we are. We made it to California with smiles all around, ready for the trip that is months in the making, celebrating five years of friendship.

We enjoyed staying atop a friend's
garage in her casita! Super comfy.

We got into LA around 5 PM Saturday night, where Kara’s Aunt and Uncle greeted us before heading out to an art show, followed by some fresh sushi afterward (we also got to do some much needed laundry—thanks Aunt Clare!). The next morning we had breakfast with Aunt Clare and Uncle Cody before beginning our adventures in and around the LA area. We rented bikes and road up and down the coast. Kara and I enjoyed our ceremonial first dip in the Pacific Ocean while we looked out onto the Santa Monica pier that pulsed with life. Our next destination couldn’t have come any sooner; Kara and I were now off to see the Hollywood Sign.

We listened to tunes as we travelled from Santa
Monica Beach to Venice Beach.

When we arrived around 3:45 PM we were feeling cool and confident. We knew that people stroll up and down to see the sign daily so there were only feelings of excitement as we ascended to the Hollywood Sign. “Oh nice only 1.8 miles!” The signage by the trailhead reassured us of the ease of our hike. We departed just after 4:00 o’clock. Up and up we climbed until we gazed upon the site that’s been tucked away in my childhood dream compartment for two decades. We took picture after picture, capturing every angle of the sign and every angle of our sweaty, sun kissed bods. By this time it was 4:45 and we knew we should probably head out if we were going to see the Walk of Fame before dinner.

 

We started our descent when we ran into about 20 horses that were part of a guided tour. Dust sprayed up in our faces as we pushed ahead of the line step by step. We wanted to move past them as quickly as we could since the dust was in the air and making it hard to see. When we finally made it to the front of the line we triumphantly high fived and looked around, “Does this look familiar to you?” we asked one another…no it did not. We had been so caught up in walking by these horses we had missed our turn and went a mile out of the way. WE WERE LOST. At this point Kara had taken off her shirt and shoes to alleviate foot pain from her shoes and cover her shoulders from the sun. It ended up taking us an extra hour to get down, which clocked us at 6:45 PM, having walked 5+ miles when we finally returned. I was devastated, we wouldn’t make it to the Walk of Fame before having to head on the road the next morning.

Kara had a blast

Kara and I were comforted and nourished when we returned from our three-hour hike by Kara’s Aunt and Uncle. (And by the way, it took us longer to hike to the Hollywood Sign than it did the Grand Canyon, HAHA!) We ate good food and laughed about our Sunday triumphs and struggles, reminded that our day was well spent regardless of us missing the Walk of Fame. Aunt Clare and Uncle Cody also said some things that made me realize that my dreams of coming to Hollywood could never be actualized in one and a half days. “There’s just so much to see here, you’ll just have to come back!” they said in delight. “Yeah,” I thought, “I’ll put a pin in it.” I’ll come back and explore the vastness of the city I’ve been craving since I knew it existed. And even though I didn’t see every tourist spot, museum, or area of town (we did see Beverly Hills though!), and even if I didn’t magically transform into the next Shirley Temple, I can at least say that I did it; I made it to Hollywood with my best friend Kara.

So as Kara and I head off into the sunrise, excited about our next destination, I’ll put a pin in it, and instead of saying “I’ll make it to California one day,” I can happily say (cue Schwarzenegger voice) “I’ll be back.”

More pictures...!

We road our bikes all the way to Venice Beach
where we swam in the Pacific for the first time!

Another view of LA from the Venice Pier

We had a chance to swing by the Ferris Wheel on
Santa Monica Pier to get a look at the evening sky