Journal

April 3, 2014

The night had been long and cold. My toes feet were ice blocks in the cheap $30 sleeping back I bought at DICK’s. Chris didn’t sleep much better. We began our morning with some yoga, taking advantage of the beautiful view we had by the cliff of the mesa. Breakfast followed with yogurt and granola. Except when Chris dished up the yogurt, it had completely froze over the night. I never had fro-yo for breakfast, but I was pleasantly surprised. Ray stopped by soon after to join us on our biking adventure in Gooseberry Mesa that day.

I turned on my GoPro camera, attached to my helmet, and the three of us set off on a trail. At certain points the trail would venture 2-3 feet from the edge of the 500ft mesa. We rode on dirt paths, over boulders and between them, and along ridges. I felt like a kid in a giant playground jumping off rocks and maneuvering around them. Chris, Ray, and I would venture to the edge of the mesa to dangle our legs off and look out at nature’s abundant beauty. Many pictures and videos were taken. Ray was a seasoned mountain biker and had no problems keeping up with us on this 5 1/2 hour ride.

Once Chris and I got back, a camping neighbor got their car stuck on a raised rock and needed to be towed. Chris stepped to action, while “Bucket” and I did the towing to free this car again. Sweaty after the long ride, Chris and I needed to clean ourselves up. In the 55f (13c) degree weather, I decided it was time to have my first sponge bath. The check list: bowl of soapy water and a rag. Yes, it was cold, but very effective. We laughed at each other’s momentary discomfort and wrapped up in fresh clothes.

We cooked dinner for Ray and ourselves and chatted until the fire burned out and it was time for bed. Aware of the cold, we prepared for sleep with 2 layers of socks, sweatpants, a shirt and sweater, a beanie, wrapped like a burrito with a blanket, slipped into our sleeping bags, and our feet wrapped in another blanket. It helped :)

April 2, 2014

I woke up feeling relaxed and unaware of where I was with all the curtains covering the windows. Remembering that Chris and I had parked “Bucket” in a random place on the highway, I quickly got up to look outside and see where we were. I opened the side door to step out into a crystal blue day. Red mountains ranged all around us and there was nothing, but the road beside us and nature. We breathed in the fresh mountain air. It was the perfect beginning to our adventure.

We drove into town to pick up some last food supplies and then went to a bike shop to repair the wheels on one of our bikes. The store was called ‘Over the Edge‘ and a man by the name of Clayton helped us change the tire. Chris and I both had a rough memories of changing a bike tire so 30 minutes later and a tire still on the bike, we decided to ask for help. Clayton happily helped us and lent us some tools. Not too long after, our bike was back in shape and set loaded back on the bike rack.

I asked for directions to Gooseberry Mesa and we were led to the entrance of a rough dirt path. “Bucket” took a little beating bouncing around, but taking it slow and with encouragement from Chris and I, he proved his strength. We reached a map station where we met a man named Ray. A 60 year-old, retired elementary teacher from Canada. Ray showed us the best camp spot that over looked the valley. It was a stunning view. By the time we set up camp it was already 4pm so we decided to take to walk around a little and take it easy. Ray joined us later around a small fire we made and we talked under the thousands of stars that were out that night.

We went to sleep with food in our bellies and awed by the beauty of our first destination. It was weird for both of us to have been working for the past year with school, internships, tech business, and preparing for this road trip and to come to this point and have an abundance of time. We also had not internet so no Facebook or emailing! Imagine the dilemma :) Tomorrow the biking begins!

April 1 , 2014

Today Chris and I woke at the break of dawn in Palm Desert. A beautiful sun rose behind the mountains and amongst the clouds as we packed our last belongings together. My parents and Grandma woke up to say their goodbyes as we started the engine of our RV called “Bucket” (The Bucket List) and drove away. We drove 11 hours, which took us back towards Los Angeles, through Las Vegas, and into a town called Hurricane. (The weather was fine!) 3,248 ft above sea level, we passed red mountains and plenty of Walmarts.

When we arrived in Hurricane and our goal was a place called Gooseberry Mesa, a famous mountain biking and camping area right before Zion National Park. The sun had already set and the night had come. Not able to find the mesa camp site nor another Walmart, we pulled off the side of the highway and prepared our beds. It was our first night and we did not know where we were and it was very cold.

Chris and I had been thinking about this moment for the past 2 years. There was so much I wondered about what we would face and the people we will be by the end of this. We went to sleep with uncertainty, but with a great feeling of independence.