California

Death Valley

July 22, 2016

Leaving Vegas this morning, both of us felt like we needed to come back and spend some more time in the City of Sin, but unfortunately we had a long day ahead of us, as we would be driving over 8 hours to get to Yosemite National Park. The drive ended up going quite fast though, and it was amazing how much the scenery changed as we went from Vegas, through Death Valley, and into the mountains where Yosemite is located. Along the way we attempted to fry a couple of eggs on the hood of the car, but oddly enough, Death Valley was one of the cooler places we drove through, and the eggs just slid off the hood. Arriving at Yosemite just as the sun was setting was truly spectacular, as the golden light lit up the trees. Khyber would like to interject here and say that Yosemite is easily one of the most beautiful places he has ever seen. We also made a quick stop at Mono Lake which was beautiful as well, but didn't compare the Yosemite. After taking some pictures, we headed to our hotel for the night, which was still a two and half hour drive away.

Khyber attempting to fry an egg on his car

Yosemite National Park

July 23, 2016

A quote that is often passed around, especially during exam times on college campuses is "you can sleep when you're dead" and we've definitely been living up to this ideal. We woke up at 5 am to catch the sunrise at Yosemite, which turned out to be well worth it. After some coffee and some great food at a local breakfast store we went to the old mining town of Bodie, which had been abandoned in the early 1900's, and then turned into a state park in the late 1900's. The town was really cool, and gave a fascinating glimpse into the life of a true 'wild wild west' town. Favorite parts included the general store and the school (see pictures below). Getting back on the road, we headed towards Yosemite where we would see El Capitan (a famous mountain peak) before cutting through the park to head to Santa Monica!! Up so high in the mountains (ca. 10,000 feet, or 16,000 kilometers for the rest of the world), the car struggled with the altitude, and turbo lag became incredibly noticeable, but we made it, and were greeted with an amazing view of the valley and El Capitan. We would've stayed longer to appreciate the view, but the Pacific Ocean was calling our names, and we were eager to answer the call. Another several hours later, and we got our first view of the ocean as we descended towards the beach. This was it, we had finally made it. Nearly 6,000 miles later, 20 days, and tons of new memories and our goal was complete: drive cross country. To celebrate, we smoked some cigars on the beach, and then headed towards Orange County where we would be setting up base camp with family for the next couple of days.

El Capitan in Yosemite National Park

Los Angeles

July 24, 2016

According to Ke$ha, California girls are unforgettable, and after meeting up with some friends, and going swimming in the Pacific, we can both agree with her on that. After swimming in the Pacific, we headed to a highly recommended burger place, called Umami Burger, where we proceeded to have the best burgers either of has had in a long, long, time. Plus their Maple Bacon fries were to die for. After stuffing our faces with some delicious food, we headed towards the Hollywood sign to end the day as complete tourists. We got there just after the sunset, and after hanging out at the park beneath the sign, we dropped our friend off at his hotel, and headed back to O.C for some sleep. Tomorrow, San Diego (or so we planned).

Laguna Beach south of Los Angeles

July 25, 2016

Once again, we both overslept until around noon, which meant San Diego was no longer feasible, given time constraints. Instead, we dropped off some film to get developed, and then began planning for the trip back. This of course meant a stop at Walmart to pick up the road trip necessities (Beef Jerky, Coca Cola, and Red Bull), before returning back to Base Camp to start packing up the car. Tomorrow we would begin the drive back home. 36 hours, 2600+ miles, and 8 states. Here's to a good drive, and no tickets.