From Boulder to Long Beach

What is dedication you ask? (you did ask, right?). It is embarking upon a 2 day drive, and definitely the longest drive of my journey so far. Believe me when I apprehensively admit there will be longer drives to come, but for right now, let me focus on what I have survived thus far.

I embarked upon a 2 day journey from Boulder Colorado to Long Beach, California. The first day was spent taking the scenic route through Utah and then shooting up to Salt Lake City to spend the night. This drive wasn’t bad at all. It was littered with gorgeous views of vast land stretching as far as the eyes could see. It was beautiful, but it was HOT. I did enjoy seeing the mountains in the distance and being in anticipation of what awaited as I drove through them. I made it to Salt Lake City by sunset, it was a little over 9 hours of driving. I was able to enjoy the city lights against the night and crash for the evening.

After breakfast, I was gearing up for day 2 of driving, and ultimately the longest day (12+ hours) through a crazy desert. While I did admire the view of driving through such large massive formations of land, I longed for additional cloud coverage in the sky, as temperatures reached well over 100 degrees. Every time I stepped out of the car it was into a wall of heat. So, I limited rest stops with the goal of powering through to get to that gentle breeze that comes with the close proximity of the ocean.

I drove through Las Vegas Nevada and in the distance, that city looked like a mirage. Was it really there? Maybe, maybe not. It was during the day so the lights were not as vibrant, and with the haze of the afternoon heat, I could easily see how it would be only a figment of my imagination to have passed through there. Then, I drove an additional 4-5 hours from Vegas to Long Beach, through vast expansions of earth and more earth and yes folks…..even more earth.

It’s quite an epic drive to make going solo. In looking back, I really should’ve broken it up between 3 days instead of 2, but given the weather and heat, I’m sure you can understand my anxiousness to get to the shore.

Making it to Long Beach

I made it successfully to Southern Cali. I can smell the ocean in the air All I can say of the drive for now is we are so small, so big and yet so small. The mountains, the cliffs, the plateaus, my eyes were in awe. All I could think of was how big we are and how small we are (and who on earth built this road through these gigantic forces of Mother Nature?!?!). I drove through mountains, through flatlands, through red rock, and through the desert. California, I have arrived.