The Desert and The Sea
I want to revisit the summer of 2015; the summer between my graduation from high school and my first year away at college. This summer was the experience of a lifetime. I tagged along on a road trip across the western United States with my boyfriend at the time and his family. Though they started in Tennessee, I met up with them in Utah to begin my part of the adventure.
“There’s something special about an empty road going on... to the horizon where the sun burns the world away into a dancing, shimmering heat haze that reflects the crystal blue sky, literally blurring the line between heaven and earth.”
I had one of my first real camping experiences... and boy was it an experience. We braved a thunderstorm (yes, crashing thunder and roaring wind included) all night in a tent, only to find out in the morning that the rest of the family had moved into the van to sleep. Needless to say... we were a little cranky, but I was happy to have made it through.
Before the sun rose above the horizon, we set out to conquer my fear of heights.
I've never witnessed a more amazing sight than the deserts of Utah from a bird's-eye view.
Arches National Park
Moab Desert, Utah
We moved on to Arizona, where I stood on the edge of a rainy Grand Canyon. It was so overcast the clouds hugged the canyons, and I craned my neck to try to see the bottom.
San Francisco was one of my favorite stops, and sadly my last. We drank coffee and ate seafood at Pier 51 while watching the sea lions bathe in the sun on the docks. We made the iconic Golden Gate Bridge pit-stop, and soon I was on a plane back to South Florida.
I conquered my fears and learned a great deal about myself on this trip across the western frontier. It set the mood for adventure as I dove into my first year of college, and changed my experience for the best.
