Since my last post, I’ve left Sequoia, been to Yosemite, Napa, Carmel, Big Sur, and am currently in Monterey. I left Yosemite a day early because I had an invite from a friend of a friend to come to Napa, have some dinner (she’s a chef!) and wine, and tell her about my travels so far. This trip is about not having structure and allowing myself some freedom, so I accepted.
I spent that morning and early afternoon hiking in Yosemite. I can’t say enough about Yosemite. It’s stately, powerful, and just absolutely stunning! Sequoia stole my heart with its peaceful and majestic feel, but Yosemite overwhelms me at every turn. It’s just so beautiful. I went first thing that morning to walk the Mist Trail. I took route up the John Muir Trail and planned on taking the Mist Trail to loop it back to the start. This way I could see the top of Vernal Fall. It’s supposed to be a strenuous three-mile hike. Unfortunately, when I got to the split off for the Mist Trail, it was closed. I’m not sure what was going on, but Search and Rescue was blocking the entrance. That meant if I wanted to keep going, I would have to do the seven-mile all day hike up to the top of Nevada Fall. I already had plans to head to Napa, so I missed seeing the top of the falls. I headed back down the mile and a half I had already done and went to Yosemite Falls.
That afternoon I headed to Napa Valley. I met Sarah, the very good friend of my very good friend. I had heard about her for years, so it felt like we already knew each other. She introduced me to her friends, and we all spent the evening eating a wonderful meal that Sarah had made and drinking excellent Napa wine. The night was so good. They were all so kind and generous to spend their time with me. We talked all about California and how different it actually is compared to how the South portrays it. It was a magical evening.
That night I stayed in the beautiful Embassy Suites in Napa. After numerous days and nights in my car, it was so nice to sleep in a bed. I took a shower before I went to Sarah’s, relaxed in the gorgeous tub after dinner, and then took another shower that morning! The last shower I had before that was in Sequoia and it had no hot water and minimal water pressure, so I took full advantage of the hotel hot water!
I left Napa and headed to the Monterey area. I spent a night in Carmel, drove Highway 1 the next morning to the Big Sur area to spend the day, then back to Monterey that evening to hang out on Cannery Row and spend the night there. I’ll be leaving Monterey in a bit to head outside of LA to stay with a very dear friend a couple days. Highway 1 is closed due to a rockfall, so I can’t get through past Big Sur, so I’m going to miss my dream drive down the whole coast.
My night I spent in Carmel I had a sudden realization. I am very content and happy on this journey by myself. I went to a very nice restaurant by myself that night and didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. I haven’t been scared, I’ve truly enjoyed driving, and I love being able to stop to look at whatever I want. In my previous life, I was not allowed to enjoy the journey, every trip was about the destination. We had to hurry up and get there for vacation to start. This trip I’ve stopped numerous times, just to take pics or visit shops that look interesting. The destination is nice, but it’s an end point. If we focus on the end point, we lose so much enjoyment in the other times. Life is truly about the journey. It’s about being flexible and allowing change. It’s about enjoying each moment and living in the now. It’s about making stops along the way that we enjoy. There is no destination in life, it’s all a journey. You can strive for money, power, fame, even happiness, but you’ll either never find it or reach it and want more. Truly living is not about a destination, death is a destination. And right now, I want to keep going on my journey, wherever it leads me.
Finding The Good 