Throughout this trip, I made it my priority to go to as many new cities and new sites as possible. I felt I accomplished that and widened my view of California considerably but I also wanted to make this trip about my connections and relationships. At it’s core, this journey’s function was to “find myself.” Along the way, I realized that isolating myself and looking for “the real me” was only possible because of the relationships I had already made. Seeing my family taught me that our tribe of people might not always get along but the love is always there. Seeing my friends taught me something else though. No matter how far away we live, whenever we get back together, it’s like no time has passed at all.
I left my aunt and uncles house that afternoon. My destination was Lafayette, home to my good friends Brian and Krista. The drive took me about an hour and a half and it would also take me back out towards the coast and my next camping destinations. At this point, my goals were to stay the night in Lafayette then make my way back to San Jose for one night with Spencer. From there, it was back to camping and making my way into Big Sur. Staying with Brian and Krista was fun even though it ended up being pretty short. I got to hang out and eat dinner with them at their new apartment and I got to show off my meticulously marked map which they both enjoyed. Lafayette was a cool area that I’d never seen and I’d would definitely like to visit it again and spend some more time. In the morning, I realized their house was a quick ten minute drive away from St. Mary’s college, so I decided to spend my afternoon exploring the campus.
Once I got to Spencer’s, it was evening. I settled into my spot on the couch and we even got to watch Return of the Jedi which pleased me to no end. All in all, my visit was brief but just as enjoyable as the first time. Time with the homies was much needed and I now felt re-charged and ready to re-enter the wilderness. I had a bag full of clean clothes, a truck full of fresh camping supplies and a brain full of deep thoughts. I was ready to tackle Big Sur.
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