Travelogue Epilogue

The Travelogue series recounts a seventeen-day-long cross-country road trip I took at age 21 with two college friends. We started in Charlotte, NC, and ended up two weeks and 8,000 miles later in Los Angeles, CA. The previous 18 posts in the series are taken verbatim from a handwritten journal I laboriously kept on the trip. Names have been changed, but the rest is absolute, 100%, unedited truth.

*****

I wouldn’t do it again.

I know. Call me crazy. It was the trip of a lifetime. But if I could take it back and never have gone, I would.

I loved America. I loved the variety of the cities, the rural areas, the topographies, the animals, the trees, the people especially. But I went with the wrong people, at the wrong time, in the wrong way.

Travelogue Pt. 18

The Travelogue series recounts a seventeen-day-long cross-country road trip I took at age 21 with two college friends. We started in Charlotte, NC, and ended up two weeks and 8,000 miles later in Los Angeles, CA. The following is taken verbatim from a handwritten journal I laboriously kept on the trip. Names have been changed, but the rest is absolute, 100%, unedited truth.

*****

Jul 13

Wow I can’t believe I haven’t written in this long. So much has happened.

Got a job after 3 rounds of interviews, a morning spent filling out paperwork, and a day of watching orientation videos and reading the manual. Went to 2 out of 5 days of training and was actually kind of enjoying it. Morgan and Christina were training me. Morgan – older Mexican lady. Christina – older white lady. They were kind and I was starting to get the hang of it.

But… while I was waiting 47yrs for my actual training to start, Jessica got a job at Shelby’s and kept telling me all kinds of stories about it, so I went in and got trained there and actually worked. 2 shifts before the other training ever even started.

Travelogue Pt. 17

The Travelogue series recounts a seventeen-day-long cross-country road trip I took at age 21 with two college friends. We started in Charlotte, NC, and ended up two weeks and 8,000 miles later in Los Angeles, CA. The following is taken verbatim from a handwritten journal I laboriously kept on the trip. Names have been changed, but the rest is absolute, 100%, unedited truth.

*****

June 21

They weren’t lying when they said LA is unlike anywhere I’ve ever lived. These people live in an unreal world.

Sarah’s apartment is incredible. 3 minute walk from the beach. Three bedroom, 3 bath. On the canal.

Travelogue Pt. 16

The Travelogue series recounts a seventeen-day-long cross-country road trip I took at age 21 with two college friends. We started in Charlotte, NC, and ended up two weeks and 8,000 miles later in Los Angeles, CA. The following is taken verbatim from a handwritten journal I laboriously kept on the trip. Names have been changed, but the rest is absolute, 100%, unedited truth.

*****

June 17

Woke up this morning around 7:30 in Mountain Valley. Brianna was in the living room trying to get us to play with her. Kevin was leaving for work, but we had breakfast with Melissa. Cinnamon bread, eggs, bananas. We wanted to run laundry so we hung around for a while.

Drove into the city on the 280 to avoid traffic. Minor incident where I had to pee really, really, really bad so made them pull off on the next exit which of course was a fairly bad residential area. So we tried a market, nothing. A cafe, nothing, and all the big scary guys at the counter turned and stared at me. Were going to try a church but it didn’t look promising. At this point I was almost crying. Right before we reentered the interstate, saw a much bigger restaurant and figured it HAD to have something. Pulled in and there was actually an outdoor restroom. Perfect.

Went into the city. Drove through Chinatown and parked off Broadway. Walked down to Fisherman’s Wharf. So touristy and expensive but being right on the water like that is hard to beat. Saw the sea lions. Saw Alcatraz from a distance. Jess kept saying it’s much smaller than she thought, but for me it was much closer than I had imagined.

Travelogue Pt. 15

The Travelogue series recounts a seventeen-day-long cross-country road trip I took at age 21 with two college friends. We started in Charlotte, NC, and ended up two weeks and 8,000 miles later in Los Angeles, CA. The following is taken verbatim from a handwritten journal I laboriously kept on the trip. Names have been changed, but the rest is absolute, 100%, unedited truth.

*****

June 16

Writing from Mountain View, CA.

This morning woke at Kyle’s in Folsom. Had breakfast there. Katherine was already gone but Cody came out awkwardly right as we were leaving. He’s not a morning person.

Went to downtown Folsom and met Jonathan. Walked around. He took us around and showed us the historic turnstile from when Folsom was a gold town. Took us down to the river and this really old bridge with a funny sign about not driving more than 50 cattle or 200 sheep across at one time.

Travelogue Pt. 14

The Travelogue series recounts a seventeen-day-long cross-country road trip I took at age 21 with two college friends. We started in Charlotte, NC, and ended up two weeks and 8,000 miles later in Los Angeles, CA. The following is taken verbatim from a handwritten journal I laboriously kept on the trip. Names have been changed, but the rest is absolute, 100%, unedited truth.

*****

 June 15

Started out this morn in Arcata, CA. Slept in til 7:45. Breakfast at hotel. Left around 9:45.

Didn’t see much of the coast. Went to Avenue of the Giants, an incredible stop Uncle Justin recommended. It’s about 30 miles through the Redwoods. Just phenomenal. The first stop was a 2 mile hike that we did about 500ft of. The forest is just ridiculous. The trees are incomprehensibly large. We kept trying to take pictures but you can’t come anywhere close to capturing it. You can run along the fallen trees; they’re bigger than a runway in width. But just breathing it in, it was impossible not to be incredibly giddy. It’s so dense and just an honest to goodness forest. It wasn’t too touristy but it’s also a Monday. All in all definitely a good stop, but it took a while so we didn’t have time to then drive along the coast.

The rest of the drive was through the inland. First hit these yellow mountains covered in dry yellow grass contrasted against a blue sky and dark green trees. Looked like how I imagine parts of Africa. Then we drove through all of the irrigation farming. No rivers but bridges over river-sized irrigation ditches. Dusty roads with clouds kicked up from farm machinery. Orchards and crops. Kind of hard to watch.

Travelogue Pt. 13

The Travelogue series recounts a seventeen-day-long cross-country road trip I took at age 21 with two college friends. We started in Charlotte, NC, and ended up two weeks and 8,000 miles later in Los Angeles, CA. The following is taken verbatim from a handwritten journal I laboriously kept on the trip. Names have been changed, but the rest is absolute, 100%, unedited truth.

*****

June 16

June 14

Woke at 7 in Corvallis. Down by 7:30. Slept so good.

Aunt Alexandra made bfast. Eggs, toast, coffee, banana bread, fruit, sausage. Good eats. Uncle Justin came down. Helped map out routes but talked forever so we didn’t get out til 8:20. So glad we saw them though.

Travelogue Pt. 12

The Travelogue series recounts a seventeen-day-long cross-country road trip I took at age 21 with two college friends. We started in Charlotte, NC, and ended up two weeks and 8,000 miles later in Los Angeles, CA. The following is taken verbatim from a handwritten journal I laboriously kept on the trip. Names have been changed, but the rest is absolute, 100%, unedited truth.

*****

June 15

June 13

Woke at 7:15. Left without seeing hosts.

Easy drive to Portland; no traffic b/c it was a Saturday. Came into Chinatown. Red Chinese-style lampposts. Saturday market going on. Huge. Very impressive because it’s weekly. Had to pee so kind of rushed through to find literally the grossest Port-a-Johns ever. Crossed in front of a woman hula hooping for tips. She yelled at us for walking across “her stage” and told us “we’d grow out of it.” Lolz.

Travelogue Pt. 11

The Travelogue series recounts a seventeen-day-long cross-country road trip I took at age 21 with two college friends. We started in Charlotte, NC, and ended up two weeks and 8,000 miles later in Los Angeles, CA. The following is taken verbatim from a handwritten journal I laboriously kept on the trip. Names have been changed, but the rest is absolute, 100%, unedited truth.

*****

June 15

In Folsom. Or actually Orange Vale, CA.

Forgot my journal for a couple of days but will try to catch up.

June 12

Travelogue Pt. 10

The Travelogue series recounts a seventeen-day-long cross-country road trip I took at age 21 with two college friends. We started in Charlotte, NC, and ended up two weeks and 8,000 miles later in Los Angeles, CA. The following is taken verbatim from a handwritten journal I laboriously kept on the trip. Names have been changed, but the rest is absolute, 100%, unedited truth.

*****

June 11

In Seattle. Or more accurately a suburb called Port Orchard, WA.

Got up, in the tent, at 7. Jess had gotten up to milk the cow. Packed up. Ate breakfast with Jennifer, Andrew, and Kayla again. Oatmeal with chia and flax, bananas, honey dew, maple syrup. And coffee.

Left around 8:30. Knew it was going to be a super long drive. Stopped and got postcards.

Around 12 peed in this absurdly ghetto and gross bathroom stall. Probably never been cleaned. Had to go through Montana (Missoula) for a while. Stopped at an all-in-one stop for ice cream and postcards. They also had free popcorn. The preteen behind the counter couldn’t count out my 28 cent change. Gave me two dimes and a nickel instead of a quarter. Cut back into Idaho before Washington. I drove a big chunk through the mountains. It was a lot prettier than we were expecting until all the sudden after Spokane, it flattens out and there’s nothing, barely even farms. What I thought Kansas would look like but it was Washington. Stopped at Panera for dinner 7:30.