Wild Wild West

The day after graduation I embarked on an adventure with my best friend to California.  We stayed in the Sierra Nevada's for eight days and then explored San Francisco for four days.  Our two weeks in the west were full of adventure; hiking, climbing, kayaking, and much more. Never have I ever seen mountains so monstrous, valleys so deep and dry, and the sky so abundant and blue.  

We stayed in cabins so we weren't exactly "roughen' it," but the intense altitudes, exhausting hikes, and extreme climates definitely pushed us to our limits.

Each morning we'd load up on carbs to get us through our day and then set out for an adventure.  Some days it'd be a strenuous hike through three foot snow and others it'd be hours of bouldering through the Alabama Hills, a famous spot for old western movies.  While each day was exhausting, something about being outside, engulfed by the Sierra Nevada's, rejuvenated and refreshed me in a way that is indescribable.  I felt on top of the world (probably because I was at 14,000 ft. elevation).  

After long days of exploration and adventure we'd come back to the cabin where we'd cook dinner and sit by the campfire and relax.  One day we found a spot next to a creek, set up our iHome, and read.  It may have been one of my favorite moments of the trip.  I'm usually the kind of person that likes to go go go all the time but it was so nice just to sit, relax, and take it all in.  

After a week of fun we left the mountains and headed to the city. It was a pretty big adjustment going from being in the mountains where we literally saw no one except our group to being in the city where we were surrounded by people everywhere we went.  During our four days in the city we ate a lot of good food, checked out some of the local hot spots, and even sunk our toes into the very cold Pacific Ocean.  

Our trip out west was one-of-a-kind.  I will never forget the sights we saw and the good times we had.  Although it was sad leaving the wonderful state of California, it was only "goodbye for now," because I know we'll be back to enjoy her soon and very soon.