Leaving oklahoma was hard. i miss my family. i miss seeing everyone grow up and despite the distance i feel like with age our relationships have become more meaningful. After oklahoma we headed to amarillo. Not because its a vacation hot spot or a place on the map i really cared to see but it was our outlet to the west coast. The plan was to go to colorado and meet up with some friends but things never seem to go as planned. So instead we found ourselves on a 35 hour freight train ride through New Mexico, Arizona, and a significant portion of California. The trip was enjoyable up until we found ourselves in the desert with no water. To be honest, it was the first time in my life i ever considered dying to be a real option. The lack of water was not so much life threatening. The issue was what we were doing was illegal and therefore nobody knew we were on there. Had one of us passed out, it could have been a very very bad situation. Luckily with lots of prayer and the good lord stopping our train next to a courtesy water jug on a golf course we were able to make it our alive. Ive complained about being thirsty before, but up until that train ride i had never really "thirsted" for water in such a way.
To be completely honest that was a very spiritual moment for me. Not to many of you know but i have had alot of issues concerning my faith. It was a moment in my life when i really understood what it meant to thirst for something and i could only think that if i thirsted for God in such a way he would reveal himself to me in a way that would reassure me of my faith in who God is and what he wants from me. Saying that i dont want anyone to worry about me. Heck, i dont know if anyone actually reads this, but i am okay and doing find. I still love God i just have questions that i need answered. All in all it will make me a more devout and sincere lover of the truth, once it is revealed to me.anyway.
After our near death experience on the train we found ourselves in Barstow California and we decided to rest for the rest of the night. The next morning we decided to try and make it to our actual destination of Los Angeles. We decided to hitch hike the rest of the way simply because we had a bad taste in our mouth from the previous trip. Gus and Louis, a father and son from somewhere in california was our first and only ride for the day and he took us the entire way. Gus happened to be a beef jerky factory owner and we spent the majority of the day riding around with him taking care of some business and grabbing some food when the time came. After a couple hours in the car Gus finally took us into LA and gave us a tour around the different areas of LA from the hood to the hills of hollywood. He took us to a jewish pastry shop where Al Capone had spent some time hanging out with his friends back in the day, a fancy fancy coffee shop in the heart of hollywood, and then on to ventura california where he proceeded to purchase a hotel room for sarah and i to rest, relax, and cleanse our bodies of the filth accumalated from the sleeping outside and riding of the rails. A true God send. We continue to keep in touch with him and he has even offered us jobs in Las Vegas and somewhere in Arizona working his beef jerky shops and a recently purchased coffee shop. But the adventure must continue.
We spent about a week in LA and on our first day there we found ourselves wandering the streets searching for things to see and do. In our search we ran across a lady by the name of sister Nikki, another God send. I happened to ask her for directions and we got to talking about our adventure and she gave us a few pointers on where to find cheap eats and fun places to visit while we were in town. She eventually proceeded to invite us into her home for the next 5 days where we were able to get great rest, showers, and some weight off of our shoulders while we explored the city. (most the time we are carrying 30 lb bags on our back which sort of dampers the excitement of exploring the city). any chance to leave our bags somewhere safe is a major major blessing in life. During our stay at her house we were able to help her do a little housework to somewhat repay her for her hospitality although it was not near enough work to repay her. While in LA we visited the basic tourist spots, long beach, venice beach, hollywood, and a couple other places that have left my mind for the moment. The culture of california is amazing. There is a huge variety of people from all across the globe and for that reason i did love LA, but there is absolutely no way i could live there for too long and be content. Too many people and the "hollywood" industry has pretty much consumed that whole bottom half of that state. AFter LA we caught up with some friends in San Francisco. Honestly san francisco was a lame experience. We stayed at some peoples house that i personally didnt feel to welcome at so it made it hard to relax. I think if i were to go back and had time to explore i could enjoy it, but for now my view of san fran is kinda negative.
Next we found ourselves just north of San Fran along the infamous highway 1. Point Reyes was the town that i most remember and to be honest i could definitely live there. It was a tiny little community that had everything you would ever need to survive and live happily ever after. Beautiful beaches, tight knit community, and beautiful landscapes were all around us and despite a short stay i really did appreciate that portion of California. Our trip continued up a short portion of highway 1 where we got a ride over to the 101 and continued our trip north into the beautiful northern california. As far as natural beauty goes Northern California took the cake for me. I dont remember exactly where we were along the 101 but we did get to camp out one night along the highway in this secret spot that our ride happened to know about. We found ourselves on a beach along huge mountain bluffs with the clearest and coldest river water i had ever seen. Despite being in close proximity to the highway our campsite was out of this world. We hung our hammock up just feet away from the water and we were the only humans in sight. There is something about being alone along the river in the mountains that brings a sense of peace to my heart and mind and thats the reason i wanted to go on this trip. The next day We found ourselves right in the middle of the Coastal Redwoods where the freezing cold water and beautiful rocky beaches border the most magnificent trees i have ever seen with my own two eyes. It was a combination of everything i could have ever wanted in a natural sense. Had we had more time i think i could have camped out there for months but we had other places we wanted to see before we had to make our way back east for my sister inlaws wedding.
Our next stop on the map after a few days of camping in the redwoods was along the highway in a beautiful portion of southern oregon. i had no idea that northern cali and sourthern oregon were so beautiful but im glad we found ourselves along the highways that we did. again we were surrounded by natural beauty. Portland Oregon was the next major city we found ourselves in and we got to spend a couple of days walking around the city exploring. Voodoo donuts was a major part of our life in portland and if you dont know what it is i wont ruin it for you but if ever in portland you should check it out. DELICIOUS is all i have to say. and they have a major used book store that if you like to read you HAVE to visit. just ask anyone in town about a used bookstore and they will send you in the right direction. The name has escaped my mind for the moment. One problem with the trip so far is that i have been too lazy to journal and i have seen too much to remember the names of all the places and things i have seen.
Im tired of writing now. so ill continue this later.
as of now we are in louisville kentucky visiting my wonderful mother sister and mothers boyfriend. its been a good time of relaxation. After leaving portland we made our way to washington, idaho, montana, north dakota, minnesota, wisconsin, illinois, indiana, and finally kentucky. alot has happened in between all of these and i dont have the patience to think or write about it. we are headed to nashville to see friends and get my dental work finished that was started right before we left, if i have time ill finish the info from all of the states mentioned above. this trip has been everything i wanted it to be and more. i know people worry about us and think we are somewhat crazy but i can say that so far it has been nothing but good times accompanied by good people and a good God who is taking care of us in a way that you cant understand nor can i. im excited to see where we end up and the things we get into.
i am hoping to slow the pace down after the wedding we just sort of hurried around the country with the time we had but plan to go back and take our time in the places that have stuck in our hearts thus far.
the east coast is on the map and i am sooo sooo sooo soo pumped to head up to the northeast. hopefully gonna hike a couple hundred miles of the app trail while we are out there. looking forward.
christian
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