Willetts

October 15th, 2008

I spent last night at Golden Bluffs in the Redwood Forest. It was a long and winding dirt road to get there. I arrived at the beach campground just before sunset. I grabbed my wine glass and walked out onto the deserted beach.  The sea was agitated by strong winds. Heavy waves crashed as I said goodnight to the sun.  

As the skies were still pink, the full moon began to rise over the Redwood forest and the golden bluffs. I stood on my head for awhile then eventually wandered back to my truck.  I cooked some dinner on my tailgate then sat on top of my truck watching the moonlit waves lap against the beach until my eyes grew weary.

This morning I woke up slowly. It was cold outside but I was nice and cozy in the bed of my truck.  I showered in the campground bathroom.  The water was warm but not quite warm enough to make up for the drafty room.  I danced around as I sudsed up to keep myself from shivering.

I stopped for lunch in a redwood grove.  I wandered around with my eyes up in the sky straining to see the full expanse of the magnificent trees.  I could feel their strength as I pressed my hand to their trunks.  Their energy seemed to pulsate through me.  I soaked it up and left feeling powerful and with a a sense that a great wisdom was just at my fingertips.

Perhaps it was karma for ditching out on the camp fees, or perhaps I had just pressed my luck a little too far with my balding tires.  As I continued down the 101, singing along to the radio my truck began to shake.  I instantly knew what it was.  I took my foot off the gas and pulled hard on the steering wheel to slowly get off the road.  The rubber peeled and flew and the sound of metal against road sang out.

Of course, just outside cell service.  I locked up and jotted down the mile marker.  I stood next to my truck with thumb in air.   Two cars passed with reluctant looking passengers.  The third car pulled off.  Sometimes it doesn't hurt to be a tall blond. 

"Do you want help putting on the spare tire?" he offered. 

"That was the spare" I shamefully admitted. 

The car had a State of California Fishing & Wildlife decal on it.  What luck! I wasn't too worried hopping into the passenger seat. 

He dropped me off in the next town to the South.  I arranged the tow truck but was informed that I needed to be with the truck for it to be towed.  This might be harder to catch a ride from here without my broken down truck to stand next to.

I again stuck my thumb in the air, only blank stares from the first car.  Oh my god, that one's a cop car!  Great, on top of all this I'm going to get a ticket I thought.  Wait a second, he didn't even notice me.  Maybe I should ask him for a ride.

"Do you have any weapons?" he asked.  I confessed to the knife in my pocket. "Just keep it there!" he ordered and before I knew it I was riding in the back of a cop car.  The experience was a lot more pleasant than I had always imagined it to be.

An hour after the E.T.A. the tow truck showed up and drove me down to the town of Willetts. We pulled into the tire shop. The lights were off inside.  Well, I guess I'm spending the night in the parking lot.

So, here I find myself in the highway diner, wondering how long they'll let me sit here pretending to sip on my beer before I must retire to my truck.

Catch Up

I have always  been kind of a private person.  So, this feels a bit strange to be writing about my life and putting it up on the internet.  However, I have been convinced that this is my best avenue to stay in touch with all the amazing people in my life. So, here it goes...

I'll start with a little catch up of my year.

I graduated last winter with a degree in Recreation Administration from San Diego State University.  Yeah, I know... it took me until I was 26 years old to get a degree... in recreation.  I've never been too interested in taking the traditional route though, and sometimes it takes a little longer when you're out there bushwhacking. 

I celebrated my graduation by flying down to Los Cabos.  I had a feliz navidad in San Jose Del Cabo with my parents, my brother and my sister-in-law.  You know, just a typical winter holiday of marlin fishing, sailing, and margaritas on the beach. We then began the drive up the coast of Baja California.  We stopped at an oasis up in the mountains and went kayaking for New Years.  

Several days later, I met up with a group from school in Guerrero Negro to participate in a Wilderness Education Association course.  We spent a week backpacking through canyons to see the Sierra de San Francisco cave murals.  Then we spent a week sea kayaking in the Sea of Cortez and ended with an unexpected evacuation by a local fishing boat. You'll have to ask me about that one.

I spent the next several months dividing my time between my Ocean Beach life and leading canoe & kayak trips for Aztec Adventures. I spent more nights on my therma-rest or on someone's couch than in my bed.  It was great.

In April, I finally decided to let go of my home in San Diego.  I loved the house, the rent was cheap, and I could see the ocean from my front door, but I was ready for new adventures. I was ready to fully give in to my wandering tendencies. 

I sold and gave away all my belongings that I didn't need. Ok, well most of them. And moved into my truck.

Over the summer I worked for Outward Bound Wilderness instructing sea kayaking courses in the San Juan Islands of Washington. I worked with 5 groups of students ranging in age from 15 to 54.  The courses lasted anywhere from 7 to 14 days.  It was an incredible experience. More on that later.

I finished my season with Outward Bound a couple of weeks ago, and now I'm back on the road. I'm currently at a friend's house in Halfmoon Bay, California. Not a bad place to hide out for a few days. 

I plan to wander around for a while longer on the West Coast, then head over to South East Asia at the end of November.  

I will tour Burma for a couple of weeks with my uncle's photography expedition, Close Up Expeditions, then I want to work in an orphanage in Cambodia for a couple of months and do some more traveling.

Well, that's my story so far this year.  No promises, but I'm going to try to keep this up with short stories from my adventures.

Much love, Kelsi