I found a free campsite in Louisiana on I-20 near the Mississippi border. I stopped in Shreveport for dinner and restocked my camping supplies. On my way to the store, I saw a homeless man with a puppy standing on the corner. I remembered I got some dog food samples at the picnic, so I parked my car and talked to him. I gave him the dog food and told him about the picnic. He told me I definitely need to get a dog. Great advice!
The campsite was near a boat ramp. I found the boat ramp, but couldn’t find any campsites nearby. It looked like it was a residential area. Afraid of accidentally ending up in someone’s backyard in the Deep South, I decided to abandon this campground. I found another one about 30 minutes down the road in Mississippi.
This one was a bit further from the interstate but it seemed like my best bet. I arrived around 11pm. I found the bathroom, got ready for bed, and went to scope out a campsite. After circling around, I found the perfect campsite to accommodate my hammock tent. Using my headlamp, I pitched my tent in the dark. I grabbed some blankets and laid in bed reading before falling sleep.
When I woke up, I saw light shine through the trees. Two yellow leaves fell from branches above me. This was my first glimpse of Mississippi in the daylight. It was beautiful! I loved being surprised by the scenery in the morning.
Morning view from my hammock at the free campground in Mississippi
I stayed in my hammock for a while before getting up. It was so peaceful laying there, watching the leaves fall above me. I felt so refreshed. This was one of the best camping sites I’ve ever been to. And it was completely free.
I packed up and got back on the road. Before I got to Jackson, I stopped at a local convenience store to get some snacks. As I was getting into my car, I saw that a cashier had followed me and was calling out to me. He must have been 17. I looked at him and he ran towards me, “Hey! I was just wondering if you have a boyfriend or a husband?”
I ignored him, quickly got in the car and left. I was so frustrated and repulsed. Unfortunately, this scenario is all too common in my life. I wish men would stop being creepy.
From Jackson, I headed south and didn’t stop until I got to New Orleans. When I arrived at my hostel, I parked on the street and headed inside. Everyone was very nice and very friendly. This is the type of hostel where you can sit in a room with a bunch of strangers and instantly become best friends with everyone.
I hung out for a bit and chatted with people from Paris, New Zealand, and Australia about their travels around the world. After a few hours, I decided it was time for dinner. I looked around and found a restaurant called “Tacos and Beer” that was only a block away!
I sat at the bar and ordered some tacos to go. As I was waiting for my food, I found out it was karaoke night. I was not interested – I was waiting for my food so that I could take it back to the hostel and eat. Then the DJ called out to me. He must have seen me sitting at the bar and thought I was drinking, because he told me it was my turn to sing. I told him no thanks, I was just waiting for my to go order.
“That’s ok, you can sing while you are waiting on your food.”
Ok, he got me there. I looked through his books and found a song I HAD to sing! Lonely Island – “I’m On A Boat.”
The restaurant was completely empty except for a party of 6 or 8 sitting in the back corner. As I started singing, they all got up and hit the dance floor, singing and dancing along with me. I don’t know how I did it, but I managed to turn an empty bar into a party in less than 3 minutes.
The next morning, I talked to the owner and asked for suggestions on where to go. New Orleans was one of Aaron’s favorite places and it was my first time there. The owner was very happy to give me suggestions on what to do.
I hopped on a streetcar towards the French Quarter. I got off near downtown. My sister-in-law said she spread some of Aaron’s ashes by the water, so I had to find that place. I walked by Harrah’s and the outlet mall towards the water. I got some frozen yogurt at Pinkberry. I wasn’t fully recovered from the altitude sickness, so I tried to minimize walking. There was so much more I wanted to do, but I was exhausted so I headed back.
When I got back to the hostel, they were having a huge barbecue on the patio. I ate some food and hung out with my new friends and chatted some more about what places they were visiting next.
The next morning, I headed out for Florida. I was tempted to drive around Biloxi to see what it was like, but couldn’t find anything of interest. Also didn’t see anything I wanted to do in the 66 mile stretch of I-10 through Alabama. I was tempted to stop by the beach in Florida’s panhandle, but hesitated because there might not be enough trees to hang a hammock. I found a campground that looked perfect in Apalachicola National Forest, just outside of Tallahassee. Unfortunately, it was hunting season, so camping was out of the question. I ended up staying at a motel and heading straight to my hometown of Gainesville in the morning. I finally arrived to see my friend and her six dogs. And I made it to the end of my road trip before Thanksgiving!
After six weeks and over four thousand miles, I arrived at my destination. I left Washington not knowing my final destination – only that I was stopping in Dallas for a picnic. I learned a lot about myself and about travel over these six weeks. Previously, I didn’t think I was cut out for a cross-country road trip! But it was an amazing opportunity that I am so grateful to have experienced!
A few weeks ago, I flew to Portland, OR, for the World Domination Summit. Ooh, sounds intriguing! What is the World Domination Summit?
It’s a conference for people who want to live their lives on their own terms instead of blindly accepting what is prescribed by society. We are a global community of adventurers seeking to change the world for the better. Some of us are entrepreneurs. Some of us are location independent (which means they travel so often that they don’t need a “home base”). But all of us reject the idea that society set limits on what we can and can’t do with our lives.
I was so grateful that I was able to attend this year’s conference. I had been sick for two months, but feeling well enough to attend. My first event to kickoff the conference was the whitewater rafting trip that I led. I knew there was a possibility that I wouldn’t be able to go rafting, but I decided to wait until the morning of the trip to see if I felt well enough to raft.
Group photo after rafting. Photo credit: Sean Ho; Back row: Kristin Brethova, Joanna Hoang, Mark Allen, Olena Zhygylevych, Josanne Johnson, Martin Breth, Monica Gill, Drew Hitchcock, Sean Ho; Front row: Dana Massaro, Steve August, Rebecca Palmer from EntreLaunch, Kam Kubesh
I was ecstatic when I found out I would be able to go with some minor modification. And it was such an amazing experience! We started out as a group of strangers, including one from Singapore and one from Ukraine. We overcame our fears together.* We paddled together. We swam in freezing water together. And after we conquered the rapids together, we celebrated with a meal in front of a gorgeous view of Mt. Hood. We had a great group that bonded after a wild day on the river.
Mt. Hood as seen from our lunch table. Photo credit: Josanne Johnson
Whenever we saw each other at meetups, academies, and parties, we felt like we were with our tribe. The group had such a great time on the trip, people were still hearing whitewater rafting stories near the end of the conference!
Later that night, I checked my schedule and found a sustainability meetup I couldn’t miss! I was about to rearrange my schedule when I realized the event was full. I decided to go anyway. When I got there, I discovered that none of the people who RSVPed showed up! And it did not disappoint.
The group organizer, Rebecca Wilcox, had been living in Sweden for several years and attended grad school for sustainability. She shared her experiences living in a country where people are more aware of the environment than in the United States. Muffadal Saylawala quit his Wall Street job to get back in touch with nature. He now owns an eco-hostel in Nicaragua, despite lack of recycling facilities there. We shared our visions for building a sustainable future and gave each other great ideas on how to implement them. I have always been interested in sustainability and was looking for ways to apply my engineering skills. This meetup made me realize that it is possible to travel around the world to learn about sustainability and to help communities work towards their goals. I am currently saving up to make this round-the-world trip happen.
That afternoon, I attended a meetup on how to improve your live-streaming video on your social media. I had never used live streaming video and I hadn’t really planned on it. But I ended up learning a lot and I’m so glad I went. I learned that social media algorithms favor live video over everything else. Most importantly, I got lots of great ideas on how to keep my audience engaged. These ideas are sure to boost my social media to the next level! Stay tuned!
An old friend and a new friend meeting Vanessa Van Edwards with me at the World Domination Summit Kickoff Party.
After being misunderstood my whole life as that woman with crazy ideas, I have finally found my community. Instead of telling me that I’m crazy for wanting to travel, and that I should forget about it and go back to my corporate job, they say “I want to do that too!” But most of all, I was floored by how unconditionally supportive everyone is. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have a supportive community of like-minded people. We inspire each other to come up with creative ideas and do our best work towards dominating the world with kindness. I can’t wait to see what our community creates by next year!
*Watch the WDS Rafting group overcoming our fears by jumping off of a bridge!
Cross-Country Road Trip: Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico
I didn’t really have a plan for what to do in Utah. I knew I wanted to see Zion National Park, The Wave, and some other hikes. On my way up, I drove through Zion. I thought about going in, but didn’t want to pay $30 near the end of the day with little time left.
When I got to the Cowboy Bunkhouse Hostel in Kanab, I met the Trail Boss. He gave me
The Cowboy Bunkhouse
lots of awesome ideas on what to see and where to go. He also informed me of a little known fact among visitors: you have to enter and win a lottery in order to hike The Wave, so that is out of the question. With his help, I was able to plan the best trip to suit my needs. I could have stayed for a whole month and still not seen everything. But it was the end of the season, and many places were getting ready to close for the winter.
Each trail was a long drive from the hostel. The parks and trails are vast and spread out along southern Utah and northern Arizona.
On my first full day, I went to Capital Reef National Park. A few miles outside of the park, I stopped at a visitor’s center. I was hoping to scope out which trails to hike. But instead, the visitor’s center employee threw a whole bunch of judgment at me.
“You drove all the way out here by yourself? You’re so brave! Your momma let you drive here alone? Jesus Christ, you need to call your mom, she must be terrified!”
Thank you for your unwanted opinion. But you don’t know my mom. You don’t know if she’s still alive, or what kind of relationship I have with her. I’d be lying if I said this encounter did not spoil my mood. Sure, she probably “meant well,” but perpetuating gender stereotypes is not always helpful. Sometimes it is dangerous.
Hickman Bridge at Capital Reef National Park.
Once I got inside the park, I was in complete awe. I’m very happy I got to experience this park!
On the second day in Utah, I decided I wanted to take it easy and just do a short hike. I headed out for the Toadstools at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The sign for the entrance was so small, I passed it a few times down the two-lane highway through a country road. I almost missed it! The trailhead was further from the entrance than I expected.
I almost got lost looking for it. Then once I found it, I almost lost the trail pretty early on. It was very narrow and on the sloping side of a roof! (Shown on the right.) That didn’t seem like the way I was supposed to go! I stayed around long enough for other hikers to come by, and they assured me that was the trail. After that, I made it all the way to the toadstools with no issues. Once I got there, it started to rain! The cover picture is me standing next to the toadstools.
My next trip was to Bryce Canyon. I was told if I only have time to do one hike, I need to
View of Bryce Canyon as seen from the rim
do the Navajo Trail, which is a 1.3 mile moderate hike. It starts at the rim of the canyon and goes inside on a narrow, winding path on the side of a cliff. It’s one of the best spots for spectacular views of the canyon. I set out about an hour before sunset. Plenty of time. Not too far into the trail, I spent a lot of time taking pictures. There views were amazing! But about half a mile in, I realized that the sun was setting. I needed to hurry back to the rim before dark! But I felt so exhausted. I gave myself a break and took a few minutes rest before what I thought would be a sprint to the end of the trail. After my break, I didn’t feel any more rested. I still couldn’t catch my breath! I knew I should probably rush to the end of the trail, but I couldn’t push myself. I was so out of breath! I kept going at a slower pace. Better than not moving at all. I just didn’t want to be out on the trail in the dark. I started to feel nauseous. Still out of breath, I tried to keep moving. But it was
Bryce Canyon as seen from the Navajo Trail
inevitable: I would be stuck on the narrow, winding trail on the side of a cliff in the dark. Once the sun set and darkness came over the trail, I realized something. I had altitude sickness. This was my first hike over 9000 ft. I can’t catch my breath, despite taking plenty of rest. And now I was in the dark on the side of a cliff. I didn’t panic. I was just fine in the dark. I just wished I brought my headlamp that was in my car! I decided to keep going in the dark, but if I had any sense of panic or if I couldn’t see where I was going, I would attempt to call for help. I wasn’t scared, but I knew I had to stay safe. I pulled out my almost-dead cell phone and used it to light up the trail. At this particular point on the trail, only one side was on a cliff; the other side was a wall. I stayed as close to the wall as possible. After about a quarter of a mile and a few hairpin turns, I finally made it to the end!
The next day, I was hoping to check out Zion. Then I would head to the Grand Canyon North Rim (the less popular side). But due to altitude sickness, hiking was out of the question for several days, even at lower altitudes.
Several friends recommended I check out Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. It was only
The Wishing Fountain at Best Friends
five miles from my hostel, and didn’t require hiking. I signed up for a tour of the sanctuary. Since I arrived early, I had time for lunch in their all-vegetarian cafeteria. During the tour, we drove by the horses on our way to see the rescue cats. We got to go inside and pet all of the kitties! Then we drove over to where they keep the rescue dogs. They don’t allow people to play with the dogs, but they brought out one of the dogs for us to pet. He was so cute and sweet. I wanted to take him home with me! But I wasn’t sure if the rest of my hostels allowed pets. Or if I could afford to feed him.
When I left Best Friends, I headed south to Arizona. I drove through Glen Canyon. I stopped at a little pull-out on the side of the highway and took this video:
I got to my hostel in Flagstaff with every intention of getting right back into adventures. At check-in, I asked the people who worked there about Grand Canyon tours and Sedona trips. The first guy said he recently moved to Flagstaff and didn’t know the area. I asked a few others and they didn’t know either. Oh well, I could figure it out on my own. I used to live in Arizona, and this wasn’t my first trip to Flagstaff.
I went upstairs to my room. There were two bunk beds, a tiny fridge, and a sink. Two of my roommates were from Europe. They were friendly and chatted about their time in Flagstaff. I offered for them to join me on my trip to the Grand Canyon South Rim, but they already booked a tour. Everywhere I went since Las Vegas offered their own private Grand Canyon tour. They also had a list of third-party tours that they recommended, in case the in-house tours were full. Most of the tours were well over $100! Since I already bought my National Park annual pass, I got in free. My only expense was transportation, which was easy since I was driving. Many of those trips seem overpriced and don’t offer much for what they are. But I suppose if you don’t have a car, those tours might be your only option.
The next day, one of my roommates got very sick. The day after, the other one was very sick as well. They thought back to what they had eaten the previous days. The only thing they both ate was something from the hostel kitchen.
After two days in bed with the occasional trip next door for Pad Thai and Vietnamese Iced Coffee, I decided to get up and do something. Now would be a good time to start experimenting with homemade dog shampoo. I went into the hostel kitchen to make my first batch. At some point, I saw a huge rat run across the floor and hide behind the fridge. I went downstairs to alert the staff. Their response?
“This place has been infested with rats for years. There’s no way to keep them out. It’s ok, they won’t hurt anything. What, you mean you want us to get rid of them? How do you propose we do that? There are some stray cats outside. How about I let them in?”
Guests frequently cook food in that kitchen! Hmm, maybe that could explain why my roommates got sick.
I left early the next morning and headed to the Grand Canyon South Rim. It was nothing like what I expected. The Rim Trail was like a really wide sidewalk that is wheelchair accessible. It’s awesome that such a well-known trail at a National
Grand Canyon South Rim
Park is accessible. But the crowds were overwhelming. The South Rim is the Disney World of National Parks. Many of the visitors are not hiking enthusiasts. Nor even National Park enthusiasts. But once you get on the trail and see the Grand Canyon with your own eyes, you realize that no picture you’ve ever seen has done it justice. Spectacular views as far as the eye can see. I was not feeling 100% yet after getting altitude sickness, so I stuck to the Rim Trail. The guides at the Grand Canyon info desk suggested I also go on Bright Angel Trail, which is one of the trails that went down to the bottom of the rim.
You can’t hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up in the same day. And you have to leave early if you plan on going to the bottom. She said about 200 ft into the trail, there is a lookout point that is great place to stop and get spectacular pictures. Many people go to that lookout point and come right back. I stood at the Bright Angel trailhead and looked down. Those first 200 ft were very steep! Just the thought of climbing back up that hill was exhausting, so I passed on the Bright Angel Trail lookout point. Maybe next time. The next morning, I checked out of the hostel and headed to Sedona. I couldn’t wait to get out of that rat-infested hole of a hostel!
I planned on getting to Sedona early, checking out all of the sites, then heading to my AirBnB. I’d spend the night and then head to my next hostel in Santa Fe, NM.
It was Halloween! I found the touristy area of Sedona. There are lots of little gift shops and restaurants that span several blocks. I found a visitors center, and they explained that Sedona is famous for it’s vortexes. (Yes, they are called “vortexes,” which isn’t even a real word. Nobody calls them “vortices,” which is the correct plural form of vortex.) These vortexes are locations that have lots of energy. Supposedly, if you stand on a vortex, you can feel the energy from it. Many people have traveled to Sedona and had life-changing experiences. I wasn’t sold on the energy idea. But I figured they would be great places to take pictures. Maybe it would make more sense when I got there. I took a map with the vortexes labeled and set out. I went to the furthest one first, and figured I’d make my way back into town, have dinner, then go to the AirBnB.
I followed the map to the first vortex. It was on the side of a country road. I found two trailheads nearby. I parked and got out, looking for directions that said “This way to the vortex,” or “vortex here.” No signs of a vortex. Even the signs that explained the history of the trail made no mention of a vortex. I tried to use Google Maps, but I did not have phone signal. I found several other people who were looking for the same vortex, just as confused. How would I know if I found it? I decided to give up and move on to the next vortex. I ended up having a similar experience. No signs of a vortex. I decided to give up on the vortex scavenger hunt and head to the airport. The lady at the info desk highly recommended that I see the sunset at the airport. It had the best views in all of Sedona, she said. The airport at the top of a hill. Halfway up the hill, there are about four
View from Sedona Airport at sunset
parking spots. That’s the spot I where I was supposed to watch the sunset. All four spots were taken, so I decided to go all the way up to the top. On my way back down, I found a spot. The sunset photo op spot is a bit of a hike from the parking spot, on top of another hill. I walked around and enjoyed the views, then hiked up the hill.
I remembered there was a vortex at the airport. Again, no mention of a vortex. The place was crowded. I overheard people saying the vortex is at the top of the hill. I climbed up and saw the amazing views. I stayed up there for quite a while. As the sun began to set, I got an itchy feeling like I didn’t want to be there anymore. (Does that mean anything about the energy at the airport?) I grabbed some dinner from a nearby grocery store and headed to my AirBnB. Sedona Airport View:
My AirBnB was advertised as only 20 minutes away from Sedona. It turned out to be an hour away. It was on top of a large plateau that had no cell phone signal. My host didn’t seem to mind that I arrived late. Bonus: she had a cute dog. We chatted for a bit, and then she said she was going to bed. Shortly after catching up on texts, I realized I had left my bag in the car. I go out to my car and realize I don’t have my keys. Maybe I left them on the coffee table. I go inside and tear apart everything in the bedroom and the living room. No keys. Maybe I left them on the roof of my car? Or dropped them on the lawn? I went back outside. No keys on the roof. I got on my hands and knees, picking through the lawn using my cell phone as a light. No keys. I started to panic. I couldn’t call anyone because I had no phone signal. But I had a spare set of keys inside my car. Maybe I could call a locksmith in the morning? But I didn’t have any clean clothes or contact lens solution. I went to go sit in bed to try to calm down and figure something out. When I sat down, I realized it was an air mattress instead of a real bed. I hate air mattresses, and never would have booked had I known. But it was too late, and I couldn’t get ahold of anyone anyway. I started to feel nauseous. What if she took my keys in order to control me, to make sure I didn’t leave? I felt trapped. I just wanted to escape this situation, but I had no way out. There was nothing I could do until morning. I threw away my contact lenses and went to bed without showering, brushing my teeth, or putting on clean clothes. My best bet was to try to rest a little bit until morning.
In the morning, my host said “funny thing happened, I found your keys on the desk in my bedroom! I wonder how they got there?”
Not funny. I never went into her bedroom. Terrified and attempting to escape in one piece, I got some clean clothes, glasses, and a toothbrush out of my car and took a really fast shower. I made a quick smoothie and hit the road. I couldn’t get out of Arizona fast enough!
As soon as I got to Albuquerque, I contacted AirBnB and let them know about my terrifying experience. I ended up getting a refund.
I stayed at a hostel in Santa Fe. They had a lot of different tour options, including some free ones. I was given a tour of the property, and given my key. I stayed in a room by myself this time. The people at the hostel weren’t very social. I only ever saw other people during breakfast, and none of them acknowledged my existence. I slept in and then did laundry. It was good to feel safe again.
The people who worked at the hostel highly recommended Ojo Caliente, a hot springs resort just north of Santa Fe. I saw that they had a campground. Sweet! I can stay in my hammock and relax at the hot spring.
It turned out that none of their available campsites could accommodate my hammock tent. There aren’t too many trees in New Mexico. And even then, finding two that are sturdy enough and perfectly spaced for a hammock is rare. I decided to go to the hot springs and spend the night at an AirBnB in Albuquerque. My hot springs experience at Ojo Caliente was much different from my experience in Oregon. It was expensive to get in. Once I got in, I was given a robe, a towel, and a locker. I put my stuff in the locker and headed to the water. There are 10 different pools. Each one is naturally enriched with different minerals. Some are indoors, some are outside with a great view. There’s even a mud bath! It felt really good to finally relax after my bad experiences in Arizona.
When I set out on my road trip, I figured I was already going ridiculously far. Why not take an extra weekend to drive up to Canada? I heard a friend from college was in Vancouver, BC, on a business trip. Sold!
I made sure not to pack my car before going to Canada. After all, having everything I own in my car would look suspicious. I made sure to pack only what I needed for the weekend and headed north. I reserved a bed at a hostel and looked around for some nearby restaurants and coffee shops that would be suitable to meet my friend.
When I got to the border, I handed them my passport card. That’s it, right? Just swipe your passport card and I’m good, right?
Wrong. They asked me a hundred questions about why I’m going to Canada. They thought it seemed really suspicious that I was just going to visit a friend from college, have coffee, and hike around the city. They made me get out of my car and go into the office. I wasn’t allowed to bring my cell phone. They wanted proof of where I would be staying. And proof of US residence. But my driver’s license doesn’t count. And neither do reservations on my phone. After asking endless questions, including “What do you do for a living?” and “What happens if you get sick while you are in Canada?” I was informed that I would not be admitted into Canada. I was so pissed. All I wanted to do was visit a friend.
I turned around and headed back south. I pulled over into the first parking lot I saw and made a reservation for a hip beach hostel north of Seattle, then put it into my GPS. At that point, my GPS alerted me that this route includes a ferry, which stopped running for the night. I called the hostel and asked if there’s a way to get there without a ferry, and they said no. I asked to cancel my reservation, since I had no way to get there. They were very rude, and told me there was no way to cancel the reservation.
I found a seedy motel near the border. After being harassed that “it still counts as last night, even though you arrived after midnight,” I got to my room. Even though I was very upset and disappointed, I didn’t want this leg of the trip to be a waste. I was determined to find adventure, with or without Canada. With or without the beach hostel.
I heard that the popular soap-making website Bramble Berry had a storefront in Bellingham, WA not far from the Canadian the border. In the morning, I stopped in and took a self-guided soap-making class. Through what I learned at the store – Otion, The Soap Bar – I am developing an awesome handmade product that is just about ready for market testing.
After making soap, I headed back south to Vancouver, WA. (Not to be confused with my intended destination – Vancouver, BC.) When I got home, I packed my car as quickly as possible, and headed out for the rest of my trip. I didn’t want to talk to anyone because I would have been embarrassed to tell them I didn’t get into Canada.
I booked an AirBnB in Eugene, OR, and headed south. I had precious few plans. All I knew was that I wanted to see Crater Lake. I wasn’t entirely sure what else the rest of Oregon had to offer. I had previously only been to places that were a day trip’s distance from Portland.
I hit gold when I got to my AirBnB. My host was also an avid adventurer. She gave me enough Oregon adventure ideas that could have taken up an entire month! I had originally thought I would pass through Crater Lake on the way down south and then head straight to California. But I decided to take some of her suggestions. After all, I didn’t have to be in Dallas until the second week of November (and it was only the first week of October).
I decided to take McKenzie Pass to Sisters, OR, then heading south to the hot springs in Umpqua National Forest. I was excited about my little side adventure!
Shortly after I left Eugene, I lost phone signal. Most of McKenzie Pass was off the grid and far from civilization. It was unlike anything I had seen before. Mountains, forests, and lakes. I stopped at Lava River National Recreation Trail and the Dee Wright Observatory. Everything is covered in black lava as far as I could see, and it looked like I was on the moon. The Dee Wright Observatory is an ominous black tower that looks like something from the dark world of a Zelda video game, especially with the ominous overcast sky in the background.
Dee Wright ObservatorySpectacular views along McKenzie Pass
After an amazing scenic view through McKenzie Pass, I finally arrived in Sisters, OR. I still didn’t have cell phone signal, and I could only find two restaurants that were open. I decided to head towards Bend for the night, since it wasn’t much further.
After having lots of trouble with hostels in Washington and not having luck finding affordable AirBnB options, I decided to go into town and stock up on camping supplies. I already had a hammock tent and lots of blankets. I mostly bought food that didn’t need cooking or refrigeration. Since many campsites in the forest don’t have running water, I stocked up on jugs of water just in case.
I headed back into the mountains towards the Umpqua Hot Springs. It was another long, scenic drive through mountains and forest. When I arrived, there was a short uphill hike from the parking lot to get to the hot springs, which made the trek to the hot springs even more intriguing. The springs look like natural hot tubs strategically placed on the side of a mountain. They overlook a river with spectacular views. I was warned that most people that visit bathe nude. When I got there, I saw that some people were nude and some wore bathing suits, but everyone kept to themselves.
Umpqua Hot Springs overlooking the river
On my way out, I looked for a place to change into dry clothes, but didn’t find anything. So I just headed south towards Crater Lake with my clothes on top of a wet bathing suit.
When I got to Crater Lake, I found out that the park was closed for the season. Luckily, some of the roads were still open. I drove through and stopped to take pictures. It was absolutely gorgeous! There was snow on the ground, and I was still wearing a wet bathing suit. Maybe that’s why people bathe nude at the Hot Springs?
As I was passing through, I realized I was almost out of gas. I was far from a town, and hadn’t seen any gas stations since I left Sisters. Luckily, there was a small town on the other side of Crater Lake. Highway signs said they had a gas station. When I arrived, I discovered that the gas station had closed for the night. It turns out they were also part of an amazing campground. I actually tried to plan a camping trip near Crater Lake, but couldn’t find anything that was open this late in the season. This place was much better than anything I could have planned for! I stayed in a campsite with snow on the ground, still in a wet bathing suit. But they had hot showers. I pitched my hammock tent in the dark with my headlamp, got a hot shower, made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and went to sleep.
The view from my hammock tent at the campground outside Crater Lake
This was my first solo camping trip. I definitely wasn’t prepared for freezing temperatures, but it was one of the most liberating experiences in my life. All of those fears of what might happen when I’m alone (even though I’ve lived alone since I graduated college) disappeared. All of the chatter inside my head was silenced by the beauty and awe of the forest. I no longer worried about what other people would think about me or my trip, or if other people were trying to get ahold of me. It didn’t matter because I was far from cell phone signal. I could be alone in the woods and still be completely independent. I didn’t need another person “just in case” something went wrong. I was perfectly capable of handling it myself. It sounds obvious, but it was a defining moment in my life that I couldn’t have learned from any book, video, or conversation. I just had to experience it myself.
The next morning, I packed my car, waited in a long line for gas (apparently many others also spent the night waiting for gas), and set off for California.
The rare self-serve gas pump in Oregon
On to California!
To view the entire photo album for this part of the trip, click here.
Road Trip series:
Road Trip Part 1: Cross-Country Road Trip: Washington and Oregon
I almost got lost looking for it. Then once I found it, I almost lost the trail pretty early on. It was very narrow and on the sloping side of a roof! (Shown on the right.) That didn’t seem like the way I was supposed to go! I stayed around long enough for other hikers to come by, and they assured me that was the trail. After that, I made it all the way to the toadstools with no issues. Once I got there, it started to rain! The cover picture is me standing next to the toadstools.
