Hello there and happy summer!
This year is actually going by surprisingly fast, like, somehow it's already July, but I'm okay with it. I have so many trips I'm looking forward to that I'm alright with these in-between months going by quickly. Is that sad? I mean, I'm enjoying the summer and the pool and cruising with the windows down and Despacito blasting (I am trash, I am aware, but it's the song of the summer!).
But anyway, speaking of trips... I've got another one done! This time I stayed closer to home and had a cheeky road trip with my friend Cameron.
To quickly summarize quantifiably, my trip consisted of:
- eight days
- five states (Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona)
- 2800 miles
- an elevation change of over 10,000 ft (sea level in Malibu up to 10,000 ft at Vail Pass)
- a temperature change of over 68 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees in Silverthorne, Colorado to 113 degrees in Phoenix)
- And many, many adventures
My friend Cameron flew into Denver in the evening, and we spent that night and the next day taking it easy and hanging around in south Denver. The following morning we were up at 3 and on the road by 4, because we had to make it to Vegas that first day. First song on our road trip playlist? Waking up in Vegas by Breathe Carolina (Colorado peeps, you all know this song, right??)
If you've never been, there is no way I can explain Vegas. It's completely it's own world and I wish I could have spent more time there, except for the fact that it was unbelievably hot. I fell in love with the Venetian and the Bellagio, and people watching was extra fun since EDC was happening while we were there.
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| Vegas baby |
After Vegas, we drove the few hours to LA where we stayed in Santa Monica right off the 405. Since this was my first time in LA, I knew I was either going to fall in love with the city and want to move there immediately or I would hate it and never want to go back. I LOVE LA. Say what you want about that city (the traffic is terrible! The people are all fake! The smog will kill you!) but I fell in love instantly. Yes, the traffic is terrible. Yes, the smog sucks. But the whole vibe of the city was amazing, and I had the best time exploring, including hanging out at the Santa Monica Pier, hiking to the Hollywood Sign, hanging around the UCLA campus, eating the yummiest food, and going to bars in West Hollywood. The hike to the Hollywood sign was amazing and thanks to a blog I found online we got on a trail that took us about four hours total and about seven miles, but the view from behind the Hollywood sign and the drive through the hills there was amazing and I would definitely do it again. We also drove up the PCH to Malibu where we spent the day at El Matador beach and I freaked out the whole time because that's where One Direction and Blink-182 filmed music videos.
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| Santa Monica Pier |
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| Almost there! |
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| The view of LA from behind the Hollywood sign |
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| On the way to the Hollywood sign. #dope |
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| El Matador Beach, Malibu |
After three short days in LA, we drove off into the dessert and landed in Phoenix where we had our highest temperature and the worst traffic. It was miserable, but then we landed in Sedona which is basically my second home. I've spent many a school holiday in Sedona, and I know the quaint town like the back of my hand. If you've never been to Sedona, I highly suggest it, because the landscape truly is like nothing else on Earth. The red rocks are so stunning and unique, they never fail to leave me speechless. We stayed with my Aunt and Uncle in Sedona and it was so great to catch up with them, since I haven't seen them since before I moved to London. We ate at my favourite bakery (Wildflower what's up!) and had the best vegan burrito I've ever had. We went hiking around the rocks and visited Walnut Canyon and the cliff dwellings there and spent an entire day up at the Grand Canyon staring in awe.
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| Sedona |
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| The Grand Canyon |
To be honest, I kind of forgot how cool this country is. I feel like I've always taken the landmarks in the states for granted and always wanted to roam far away from home, but this trip reminded me that it's okay to explore closer to where I'm from and that I can still have a great adventure.
The moral of this story is that eight days is not enough to do that much driving (my neck and back were killing me by the time we got back to Denver) but there is SO much to see and do here in the US. But on that note... my next trip is back to England! And I honestly cannot wait to see everyone there and spend some time back in my favourite city. I wish there was more to catch up on, but I probably won't have any updates until I'm back in September. I guess the one last thing I can add is that I'm starting to look into PhD programs both stateside and in England. Am I crazy? Yes. Do I love going to school and would I be okay going back? Yeah, I think so. The real world kind of sucks and school makes me happy, so I'm doing some research into universities with psych PhD programs. Wish me luck...
Well, I think that's it! As always, if you've made it this far in the post, kudos to you, and thanks for reading! If you'd like, leave me a comment about how I could improve on these posts. Should I be more specific? Less specific? Should I stop all together? Let me know! I'm also thinking of starting a baking/cooking blog with some of the vegan recipes I've found that work, but that may be a ways off, but if you'd be interested in something like that, let me know!
Thanks for reading! I hope that wherever you may be in the world, you're happy.
Linds x
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