Good Day Sunshine

When I began this blog, I had a clear intention of chronicling my journey from New Jersey to San Diego, both as a means of personal record and means to share my experience with family, friends, and anyone else interested.  This task was the main driving force of this blog, but I also had a glimmer of an idea that I could keep this blog going after my road trip was finished; it could be a chance to practice (I believe one is always practicing the things they do, forever improving no matter how skilled one is in the task at hand) writing and a new channel for commitment and enjoyment.  So now, as I've touched on the overall timeline of my cross-country travels, I'm taking a stab at writing within less-dictated guidelines.  I've been bouncing around the idea that I should make my first non-road-trip-entry for a while now, always wondering what might be interesting enough to write about. And today, the topic came clear to me as if it was calling my name, and I felt enlightened at the realization. LOLJK.  That didn't happen.  I DID however realize that an idea would probably rarely, if ever, hit me that way, and I just had to go for it--try something--and work with what I had.

Here's a thing I LOVE about San Diego--it's practically ALWAYS sunny.  And I soak in every joy-inducing, bright beam of sunshine I catch with a satisfaction that's a combination of disbelief and ecstasy.  The first weekend I was here, I went to a bonfire on the beach at Coronado.  It wasn't exactly summer clothes & swimsuit kinda weather--I was comfortably sporting jeans and a hoodie.  Even still, I couldn't get over the fact that I was relaxing on the beach in February.  Sure, you can do that in New Jersey--but it'd be a lot colder.  I must've sounded like a toddler who just learned a new phrase--constantly repeating myself, over and over, no matter what was going on.

"Hey, want a soda?"
"No thanks. Wow I can't believe I'm on the beach in February!"

"Can you pass me the marshmallows?"
*Passes bag.* "Wow, I can't believe I'm on the beach in February!"

"How do you like your new place?"
"HEY DID YOU HEAR I'M ON THE BEACH IN FEBRUARY!!"

I think you get the idea.

This sunshine and warmth has been working wonders on my psyche.  Don't get me wrong--I've never been a girl that hated winter.  I always loved playing in the snow and sledding, and had forever felt a certain gratitude for growing up somewhere that had four seasons.  I though it was funny and adorable my freshman year of college when some new friends from California marveled at their first snowfall.  But as the weight of recent years had been piling up on my shoulders, I was finding less joy in snow that was hardly falling this winter, and more misery in the grayness of the season.  This girl was in desperate need of sunshine.

I've noticed that even on my down days here, the days when familiar depressing thoughts begin to creep up on me again, or days I feel homesick, I've maintained a steadfast beacon-thought that "I may be down, but I'm much better than I was two months ago".

There are a lot of factors in my move out here that have led me to this point, and though I suppose I can't attribute it entirely to the bountiful sunshine, I know it's played a huge roll.

Have you ever had a similar experience?  Finding amazing therapeutic power in sunshine?  Or perhaps suffered from a lack thereof?  How did you cope with gray skies?

San Diego (Or, if You Prefer, *in Ron Burgundy Voice* San DiAAAHgo)

Thursday, February 21 - Saturday, February 23

San Diego had been such a longed-for, drawn out, eventual destination for me that when we woke up on Thursday morning and prepared to get in the car again to drive to our next and final stop, I could hardly believe that stop was San Diego.  I'd spent so long thinking about San Diego, turning the idea of going there over in my mind constantly, that it seemed unreal that I would ever arrive.  It almost seemed surreal, like I couldn't trust what logic was telling me would be happening today.

After hugs and thank-yous and goodbyes, we said adieu to sunny Phoenix and made our way to the southern-most city in CA.  Funny note--there's a neighborhood (district? not sure of the proper classification) in Phoenix called "Surprise", which provided many laughs in situations such as seeing a cop car sporting "Surprise Police."  The most morbid, yet perhaps most humorous example was one we saw on our way out of the city: "Surprise Funeral Care".

See?  Wasn't kidding--it's actually called that!

We continued through the desert climate, and paused at a rest stop in Gila Bend (if I remember correctly).  It was an interesting little place with a small museum inside, off-beat brochures, and a smiling cactus.

We saw the same wide, empty spaces that had become familiar to us during our time in NM & AZ, and just after we drove through Yuma we entered California.  After some brief celebratory sentiments for hitting the Western-most state in the continental US (and of our journey), we were taken aback--we had entered the desert.  I thought we had been driving through desert for the past 2 1/2 states, but this was straight-up, sand dunes everywhere, beach without the ocean, nothing but sand, damn-when-did-we-get-to-the-Sahara desert.  Like many other things I had seen for the first time on this trip, it was incredible and unbelievable.

Then, after a handful of bewilderment at the sight of the desert, we came to perhaps the strangest, most foreign thing I saw during the course of the entire trip.  This bit of scenery was unlike anything I'd ever seen before--I felt like I was on another planet. They're mountains that look like giant piles of rocks.  They appear as a bunch of boulders piled on top of each other that just so happen to be balanced as you look at them--the whole time driving through this mountain range I was uneasy, fearing these piles might suddenly start to slip and down would come countless HUGE BOULDERS crashing as they tumble down to my car.  It didn't help that the weather was looking a bit ominous at this point.  (Anyone know what these mountains are called?  I haven't been able to find it and would like to know!)

Photos Courtesy of my Cousin Chelsea--Thanks! 

Note: The rocks are much bigger than they look in this photo (the mountains are too).

After some time, the mountains became a bit more familiar, and they were as beautiful as the previous peaks were peculiar.  I wish I could've gotten some more deliberate photos, but all I have is this quick snap my cousin took with her phone:

Doesn't really do it justice, but gives an idea.  Thanks for the pic again, Chelsea!

Pretty soon, things became familiar, and I realized I was in San Diego!  Still somewhat in disbelief, I was overcome by a tingling excitement at this realization.  This was it.  The place I had been shooting for all this time.  The beautiful city I had been thinking about for so long.  Throughout my journey I faced many diverse emotions, ranging from anticipation to homesickness.  Though I'd thought much about the family I missed, as I came into my destination I was absolutely thrilled.  I couldn't stop smiling!  Also, though I'd been there before, this was the first time I was actually driving on these roads--very aware on the California city traffic, I was wary and full of adrenaline at the same time.

After reaching our destination, we unloaded the super-packed car.  My car was spacious again--and my room was full of piles of everything.  Once we cleared a path, deciding to tackle the mess later, and met up with my boyfriend (who I was now in the same city as! yay!), we headed to a place called Slater's 50/50 with some friends.  It's a classy burger joint that has a famous 50/50 patty--half ground beef, half bacon.  I myself am not a burger-eater, but they do chicken sandwiches too which are pretty bangin'.  If you're ever in the San Diego area (and I think there may be more than just this one, in other cities, not sure), I recommend it!

Exhausted, we hit the hay after dinner.  The next morning we woke up and headed out for the San Diego Zoo!  My cousin only had one full day here, and the Zoo seemed like a must for her San Diego experience.  The 3 highlights of our zoo day (in my opinion) were:

1. Seeing the baby Panda!

Chelsea got the best picture.  The baby's playing!

2. Bonding with the giraffes

One giraffe became friendly with my cousin.  (S)he put his/her face down really close to Chelsea's (that's her on the bottom left)--this was after (s)he picked his/her head back up.

This is the photo Chelsea got when her giraffe friend stooped down to say hello!

3. SEEING THE SLOTHS MOVE!!!!!! (If you're reading this and aren't privy to my sloth obsession be informed that I LOVE SLOTHS!)

YAY SLOTH! 

After our time at the zoo, we made our way over to Balboa Park--one of my favorite places in San Diego.  There you can find a ton of museums, street performers, a Spanish Art Village, two theaters, a community of international cottages, and an Organ Amphitheater, to name a few places.

For dinner that night, we got mexican--because I'd been dying for some mexican food from San Diego, and I couldn't let Chelsea leave without her getting a taste too.  Afterwards, we headed downtown to the Horton Plaza mall with my boyfriend and 2 other friends.  Unfortunately, though, the night had to come to an end, and we needed to head back and go to bed so I could get my cousin to the airport for her early flight the next day.

When the morning rolled around, we groggily got out of bed, and I drove Chelsea to San Diego International Airport.  In what seemed simultaneously like the blink of an eye and a trip we had set out on ages ago, we had driven from the East Coast to the West.  I thought I knew that our country was huge and diverse, but I really did not understand until I drove across it--and I only traveled the bottom half this time!  I saw landscapes I didn't even know existed in America, and I met people from all over.  I had a wonderful time with the companionship of my cousin, and I was sad to see her go.  As I was driving back from the airport, I decided to listen to the radio, and guess what song came on?  It was "Take it Easy" by the Eagles (and written by Jackson Browne).  I could hardly believe it.  This song had graced my journey from when I set out to pick up my cousin at the beginning of the trip, to our stop somewhere in the middle at Winslow, AZ, to the car ride after I dropped my cousin off at the airport to fly home.  I'm not really sure what it means, but I'm going to take it as a good sign. :)