The Great Outdoors and The Big City Lights...We're doing it all!

---

---

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first." --Mark Twain



Hey Friends!



Carrie, again! So it’s time to play catch up because we’ve been without internet signal and charged electronics for quite a few days. There’s lots to fill in on, so bare with me…or should I say “bear” with me??...no? not funny? Okay.

After leaving Yellowstone National Park (where Cody was very disappointed we didn’t see a grizzly), we found a much needed shower and night’s sleep in a dinky but inexpensive Motel 6 somewhere in the middle of Idaho, and then trudged onward toward California! With three more states to go through before getting to the west coast, we made the logical decision to split the drive up and stay the night somewhere halfway. Except I’m lying and we actually drove through the night thanks to having too much fun in Salt Lake City. Oh, the spontaneity. How can you pass up an afternoon bike ride, lunch, and goofy roadside photo shoot all with the picture perfect backdrop of desert and mountains and straight long empty roads? And then the Utah Salt Flats! Man what a beautiful surprise…I’ll let the photos prove it. I feel like a little kid on this trip and every time I see a new place or beautiful landscape I say “That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!” And then 2 hours later I say the same thing for something else. At least I’m consistently impressed and not consistently disappointed.



We were welcomed to the Pacific Ocean in a northern California coastal town, Westport, by our friend Chelsea’s mom and subsequently, our West Coast Mom! Boy did we get spoiled by Mama Tayce! Although we visited for less than 24 hours, she made sure we were well fed, well rested, and showed us all the local must-see spots before we made our way out of town. Not to mention the views from their house! Serene. Peaceful. Beautiful. Truly a great escape. Chelsea is a genuinely great person whose friendship Cody and I cherish, and although she couldn’t make it out to see us for this trip, we’re grateful to be part of her family. Mendocino is a cute little coastal New England style town we were able to explore and get some awesome cookies from Mendocino Cookie Company. Another stop, Macharacer State Park, was right on the coast, had beach access, campsite, bike trails, walking trails..you name it. Cody and I went down to the tide pools to search for some sea critters and urchins.



On our way back, Cody kept eyeing up these rock formations on the edge of the jetty and said he thought it’d be a great idea to set one of our hammocks up between two rocks….and out over the ocean. Not dangerous at all. So we tie up each end of a hammock to these two pieces of jagged rock and then both look at each other wondering who should be the guinea pig and try laying in the hammock. Cody, the gentleman, volunteers to go first, and the hammock held him!.....for about half a second….until he, the hammock, and several pieces of shale and rock came tumbling to the ground. Even through his laughter I was convinced he had a concussion, but luckily we both climbed up the jetty and out of the park alive. Needless to say, we’ve stuck to trees for the rest of our hammocking encounters...but more on that later.



Next stop was San Francisco where it was great to catch up and visit with my cousin Zoe and her dad. We got a feel for California style of living at his house tucked away way up on a hill outside of SF, bed out on the porch and all. Zoe was generous enough to have us crash at her cute little place in Oakland. We made it into SF with enough time to bike the Golden Gate Bridge! We had our own bikes with us but there were several rental spots along the way for tourists. We started from Fisherman’s Wharf and worked our way up up UP to bridge level. Once on the bridge, I made the assumption of thinking we would eventually get some downhill decline action around halfway. No that doesn’t happen. From SF to Sausalito, it’s pretty much all uphill. The reward comes at the end though, with a super steep and winding, no cars allowed road that takes you down to Sausalito and the ferry back to SF. Talk about exhilarating, freeing, wind in your hair, and “oh crap, if I crash I’m dead,” feeling all at the same time! VERY COOL. We made it down alive and just in time for the ferry back to SF where we chatted over a few beers at a local bar called “Grumpy’s,” got some photos of the Bay Bridge area around sunset, and then met up with my friend and previous TN roommate, Corie! It just so happened that she accepted a job and was moving to SF right around the time we were in town. We all caught up on life and our summer adventures over pizza and local beer in a city I can definitely see myself visiting again for a longer amount of time.



After two nights in San Fran, we were off to Yosemite National Park!! Or were we? About two miles into the park, Cody’s car basically said “I’ve had enough,” and just stopped accelerating. Not the best time to have car trouble…one lane road….on the edge of a mountain…no cell service. We brought it back to the nearest gas station to top off and give it a rest, and luckily it hasn’t acted up since. We didn’t have too much time to spend in the park, so we decided to just stick to the Yosemite Valley area. Yosemite is known for its geological structures and rock formations that were formed by glaciers. It’s hard to wrap your head around until you become a tiny ant at the bottom of this huge valley and you look up all around you at giant slabs of granite and rock. UNREAL. We passed up Yosemite falls, given they’re currently dry because of the drought, and made it all the way to the Half Dome. The name says it all. Yosemite is also where there’s been wildfires for the past few months and we learned that the National Park Service has spent $4.9 million so far to keep the fire contained. WOW.

Lot's of info on what we've been doing at our stops, but how is the actual road trip part going?? It's amazing! It's truly a whirlwind. We're learning so much about ourselves, each other, and our country. We're meeting people and chatting up random conversations at rest stops when people see our car with an east coast license plate, packed to the rim, bikes on the back, accumulated snow, or salt, or sand, or dust or whatever the current conditions are. We're making decisions on the fly and just going with it and stumbling upon some pretty remarkable hidden gems. Cody and I are working really well as a team. Even though lots of what we do is last minute and unplanned, it takes some effort and time to figure out the most inexpensive AND fun way to do it. We're doing that and it's going well, but it's not easy. Internet and mobile apps and GPS are super helpful, but we don't always have access....and that can get frustrating. Being in the car for hours and hours on end can make you silly and crazy and then 5 hours later that thing that was funny is now extremely annoying. We're constantly making calls on what to do next and trying to make it so that we're both happy with that decision. It's definitely a challenge but it's another new experience that's all part of the adventure. Any advice for couples taking a long trip together?....Make the good times count and let the little things go. I'm on an amazing journey with my best friend. You bet I'm making the most of it. Stay tuned to find out all of the beautiful things we've seen since Yosemite! Thanks for reading and keeping up with us! Cheers! Carrie

---

Photos

Golden Gate!
We rode bikes across it!

Hill Family Home!
A beautiful place with great people.