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Published: September 4th 2014
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Happy September! The past month has been an absolute whirlwind. Some of the highlights include:
Visiting my father at his conference in Pasadena, getting free VIP tickets to the Jay-Z/Beyonce On The Run tour, taking a spontaneous camping trip to Joshua Tree National Park, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones, finding a second job in the scuba department at a sporting goods store, going diving, studying for my advanced certification, and finding an affordable and adorable new apartment.
I won't bore you with all the stories behind the events, so if you want more details check out my new blog here:
http://leaveandexplore.wordpress.com/ or send me a private message (especially if you need my new address!)
Now for the good stuff- the infamous
spontaneous camping trip aka "SCT".
My co-worker Christy and I decided very abruptly that we felt like going camping and neither of us had been the nearby national park named for the funky, spiky trees that are native to the area. So with only a quick Google search on potential free campsites, we loaded up the car with a tarp, some pillows, a cooler of food, and our hiking gear and
drove about 3 hours northeast of San Diego. We reached Joshua Tree just after sundown and managed to follow my chicken-scratch directions to the dirt lot owned by the Bureau of Land Management. And thus we rolled out our tarp and blankets, scrounged up some grub, and enjoyed a beer under the incredibly bright moon.
The next day we woke up with the sun and enjoyed a hearty breakfast of Cinnamon Toast Crunch out of solo cups. Full and excited, we cruised into the park and pulled over at the first big cluster of rocks we saw for some bouldering. The rest of the morning involved driving from one spot to the next, climbing up, over, around, and through the enormous granite structures that lay scattered like little mounds of pebbles. By lunch time the sun was overwhelmingly hot, so we sought refuge in the shadow of a canyon wall at the Jumbo Rocks campground. Avocado sandwiches, a round of Banagrams, and a nap were just the trick to beat the intense desert heat.
In the afternoon, we did a bit more climbing, scouted out a sunset spot and gathered firewood and supplies for the evening. As the
Dinosaur Rock
The time I decided to climb in a rock and take a selfie... sun began to sink down, we scrambled up to the highest point around and watched the shadows grow behind the piles of stone slabs. We walked back to our secretive canyon campsite as the moon rose and the sky changed from orange to purple. More food, more beers, and a roaring bonfire made for a perfect evening camped out under the stars.
Sadly it was a short trip and we had to drive home the next morning, but it felt much longer than the 36ish hours we were gone. Nature has a way of soothing the soul and restoring my sanity. I don't have enough words to describe the wonder that is J Tree, so I will leave you with my pictures (though I don't think they could ever really do it justice). It will definitely be a place I return again many times.
My next adventure is coming up soon, so keep on the lookout for my blogs!
Also, my
25th BIRTHDAY is rapidly approaching and the only thing on my wishlist is to be able to afford my trip to South Africa this February. If you feel so inclined to help out, save
yourself the stamp and check out my cool page at
http://www.gofundme.com/bsz99g.
Every little bit counts, so please share my blog, my gofundme page, and my story with anyone you know to help my with my fundraising! Any contributions for my birthday, Christmas, or general goodness of your heart are more than greatly appreciated 😊
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Virginia Kelly
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Good Times!
Lovely writing! Aren't you glad you are still in California? Keep those adventures coming! Love you tons!