road trip partners

I just recently posted how climbing isn’t everything.  I hate to say this, but its true.  If I could climb 150% of the time, I would, but in reality, there are so many beautiful things we really need to fit in our lives.  If we plan to climb a long time on through retirement…when we are  contemplating dentures, we want to be planning climbing instead!  To do this, we need to expand that long-lived beautiful climbing journey.

What do I mean?  Is Climbingjourney crazy? Well of course Climbingjourney is crazy, I travel everywhere to chase climbs no matter what the grade!  But I also learn along the way and want to share that all encompassing journey.

don’t do what I do

Once upon a time, DorisTheExploris planned a bad ass climbing 100% of the time trip to El Potrero Chico, Mexico.  Then one day I was so excited, ran to answer my phone, and ran into the doorframe and my finger did a gymnastic split.  With that split came a yucky finger injury and that bad ass-climbing trip got cancelled and replaced with a road trip going from Southern California to San Francisco.

I initially planned some climbing and well….it rained just around where I wanted to rope up and lead and my partner bailed last minute due to a minor accident.  I did get to do some bouldering and to note I got in my very first high balls and got on a much harder boulder problem for the first time since like 6 months right at Joshua Tree, and that was before we ran into a ginormous coyote, no mountain lions so I am grateful baby!  So…..20% of the trip ended up being climbing and the rest was everything you can imagine….well that two gals would run into a true road trip.

ready to boulder!

I will be doing a couple pieces on shared learning’s from my trip rather than do an official trip report.    We all climb and we all send, but who all road trips with a funny photographer just because? Do you want to hear how and what I sent or what I did and how you can live vicariously through it AND plan your very own road trip?  I choose the latter because it’s not about all I send, but what we all send!

some of my random folks

Here are 15 things you need to do when YOU take the California road trip!

1. When you land, go to the dollar tree, and decorate your car with a theme and have a mascot.  Ours was Pokie and Chillax Santa.
2. Make it a priority to chase sunsets, every single freaking day of the road trip likes it’s the highest paying job in the world.
3. Hike one of those forests with big big ass trees.
4. Climb up a big ass sand dune, sit at the top, and watch the sun set.
5. Go at night and sit at one of the lifeguard stands, drink bubbles and reflect and meditate.
6. Find a friendly animal farm of some sort and enjoy them and give them love, we went to the miniature horse farm in Solvang.
   

   find a state park of some sort and get these views, boulder and climb

7. Make sure the trip is mostly on the coast, and if inland any, chase beautiful windy roads with rolling hills, or anything scenic, avoid anything that will not inspire your road trippin’ (yes I am highly educated but I keep misspelling that on purpose)!
8. Use Yelp and eat at every healthy hole in the wall place that is unique and has good reviews, make sure to try at least one thing outside of your comfort zone (in other words, avoid chains, yes even Starbucks).
9. 

   oh my, a big ass tree

   Get a picture of a each sunset, a unique tree, a surfer, an elephant seal, a bird, a random person, a random thing (mine was Lobsta Truck!), and so on….get pics that help you reflect back to appreciate all the memories of the trip, from the simplest to the most memorable moments.

10. Make it a point to meet 5 strangers along the way, that does not mean pick up 5 strangers, or exchange personal information, that is 5 people you went out of your way to exchange conversation with in passing just because. Write each exchange down for you to later reflect on.  On my next piece, I will share with you my 5 people.
11. Climb at least two things that are not climbable (I climbed a tree and a window with no spotters, hahaha!), because whether we like it or not, we are climbers and we need to let people know who we are.
12. Buy one cool item you will leave in the rental car for the rental car agent that takes your car, something that is worth leaving like a souvenir or gift as a random act of kindness.
    

    chasing yet more sunsets

13. Make sure every morning you are kind to your body and do 3 yoga stretches.
14. Don’t go to bed at night without sharing highlights of the day with your road trip partner.  Make them share their highlights too!
15. Drive Big Sur in the damn day, it is too beautiful to miss if you drive at night and gas your car up way before, its too expensive at those little towns along the way.

And this story is to be continued….as Sophia’s and Doris’ Californication Excursion turns (get it As the World Turns soap opera?)…..now you should laugh out loud (LOL), just to show I know APA. Meanwhile, enjoy the slide show below of just a couple of many photos I will share over the next week or so with each post.  

meditation is healing

Hope you enjoy and are planning your very own combination climbing/fun road trip, and if you do, I would love to highlight it in my blog!

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