curiouser n curiouser

My first ever time camping. Cowboy steaks on a camp fire. Butter and seasoning, wrapped in tin foil. Ate with bare hands, the juiciest most delicious steak I’ve had in a while. I think a lot of it had to do with the experience.

Because i have never camped before, i didn’t realize how cold it can get, or how uncomfortable the ground is without a pad to sleep on. I learned that very early on the first night.

The night was spent it Las Vegas. The last time i went to Las Vegas, i spent five days there with my friends right after i finished paramedic school. This time, i spent less than twelve hours. We stayed at the hard rock which had a pretty awesome room and view for last minute, and spent some time to get dinner and walk around the strip.

I met some single serving friends walking back to the hotel, a couple who had come to Las Vegas for a small getaway that came to spend some time together and get matching tattoos. Small world, they had a trucking business and have been to the Scranton area in Pennsylvania. I always forget how small of a world it is.

I tripled my money, from two dollars to six, and cashed out. Made way to lake mead and the Hoover dam for a small cross over in Arizona. Unfortunate, south rim of the Grand Canyon was still closed so i didn’t get to make that stop this time.

We spent the night in Palm Springs, and got a little taste of the night life. Went to the coolest little bar and met some cool people.

The next day I made it to Venice beach, touched the ocean, because what is driving across the country if you don’t start at the water.

So i made the decision back in March to adventure. I bought a ticket from Newark to SanFrancisco, and i got myself an airbnb for the first night. I decided to wing it from there. I flew out there and spent the first day looking for a car. I was able to find a Jeep Cherokee for $5200 cash on day one.

One of the big ideas about this was i wanted to attempt to go to local breweries and bars to meet the local people, instead of only getting tourist experiences. I kept a travel journal of my experiences, thoughts, and feelings, every day of the trip.

Day one ended with a trip to Walmart for some necessities, and staying in a shared Airbnb. Sharing a bathroom like that with strangers was a new experience. The guy in the room next to us stayed up late yelling at someone on the phone. This was also my first air bnb experience.

On day two, i met with my friend Shane. Shane once was from Pennsylvania but has found his home in California. Back when i once played open mic nights, he hooked me up with a small set or two on his online radio station. So needless to say, i was pretty excited when i had the opportunity to see hid set studio.

I went from there to the pier, saw the trolleys, and of course the Golden Gate Bridge. In all honesty, i never thought i would have gotten the opportunity to get to California. Never did i ever think i would be standing in front of that bridge. Or crazy enough to drive across the country just to see what i was missing.