"It's the journey, not the destination"

Hi everyone!!

Well, before I describe the past few days, I should probably say the most important piece of information; after 10 days and 4,422 miles later, we finally made it to San Diego!!!! It doesn't even feel real, which is why I'm thankful that I documented this trip as much as I did because now I'm able to look back and re-live it.

Now let me rewind a bit:

Monday we left Bryce Canyon, which was beautiful by the way. I forget to mention that in my last post. I'd google this place atleast a few times a week before this trip because for some reason it intrigued me the most. I was not at all disappointed when I got to see it in person. After our visit, we headed about an hour south to Kanab, Utah to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Out of all the unbelievable places I've seen, this is at the top of the list. You would be heartless if it didn't move you in some way. We arrived and saw that this sanctuary was spread out over thousands of acres of land!! I'll admit that my first thought was that I hope this wasn't a walking tour. First we watched a video about the sanctuary and what their mission was. If you don't know, their goal is to end homelessness for animals, and it's the largest no-kill shelter in the entire country. They have up to 2,000 animals on any given day!!! We got in a van, and the tour guide drove us around to all the different burrows including the Angel's Rest (animal cemetary), the cat shelters and dogtown! (Dogtown was on National Geographic). We got to get out and see and play with the cats, as well as some of the dogs. It was awesome!!! It was the perfect way to end this road trip. I will absolutely go back, but next time I'll volunteer. People from all over the country go on "vacation-volunteering" and stay for a few days to help socialize the animals. It's amazing and it makes me so happy that there are people out there that genuinly care about animals and their well-being. "Kindness to animals builds a better world for us all."

We then got some dinner, and were suppose to be heading towards the Hoover Dam in Nevada, thinking we could get there by dark. Well, my mom seemed to get lost in the scenery on the drive, and we ended up going over 100 miles in the wrong direction in Arizona. Oh it gets better. There wasn't a fast route back, so we ended up having to take a long, scenic route to the highway we were orginally suppose to be on hours ago. (Literally hours ago). Still gets better. All of a sudden, we approached the darkest cloud that I was just taking pictures of from afar, and got stuck in rainstorm with nothing but rocky mountains and red dirt on either side of us. Then, a car stopped in front of us, and what looked like to be animals running across the street were actually giant boulders from the mountains that were falling across the highway!!! (If we got to that particular part of the road a few seconds sooner, I wouldn't be able to post this blog right now). We then realized that a flash flood was occuring, in which the water and mud were moving so fast across the highway it was starting to catch up to our car. It was straight out of a movie!!! The car in front of us did like a 5 point turn, and then we hurried to turn around before the muddy water caught up to us. We sat on the side of the road thinking we were safe until I looked in the rear window and saw it creeping up to us. All I remember is yelling "GO MOM GO!!!" We went to a nearby gas station and told them what was going on and asked what to do, they said it might be easier to wait it out then to drive all the way back from where we came. So, we went back, and by this time about 10 other cars were there. We all got out and walked up to the scene (it stopped raining), and took pictures until one brave soul started his car, tempted fate and drove thru the mess. He made it thru the mud and around the boulders, but I wouldn't want to see his car repair bill after that. Slowly but surely, we all followed suit and were able to get by. What a mess!!! But, it was an adventure to say the least, and added some excitement to our night.

We obviously didn't make it to Hoover Dam by dark, so we ended up sleeping at a hotel in north Vegas, and got to see it in the morning. It's very aw-inspiring in how huge the actual dam is. I feel weird about seeing huge structures, I don't know if this is considered a real phobia or not, but I get really anxious and nervous when I see cruise ships, cranes, bridges, etc. up close. Seeing the Hoover Dam was no different. We walked across it and when you look down, all you see is the most creepiest amount of cement, and water way at the bottom. I had white knuckles when holding onto that railing. Anyway, I read the history of it and many lives were lost while building it. I give a lot of credit to those who helped design and create it, because it plays such a significant role throughout Nevada, Arizona and California's water supply. This was our last official stop and it was now time to finally get to San Diego.

I wish I could say I thoroughly enjoyed the last few hours of the ride....but I would be lying if I didn't say it was brutal. The desert heat was overbearing, and I still wasn't feeling 100%, so it seemed like forever until we got to our destination. The AC in my car could have been mistaken for the heater, so we relied on the breeze from our rolled down windows. There's not much of a breeze in 100+ degree desert air.

We arrived in San Diego yesterday (Tuesday) at 3:00pm and San was waiting there with open arms. It was such a great feeling to see her and to know that we've made it...but at the same, I am so sad that its over. I am so used to being on the road that it feels funny being able to relax in one place for more then a day. I still actually feel like I'm in the car as I write this, must be motion sickness. Ew :( On a happy note, I feel so lucky that I was able to have such an amazing experience. I saw a great portion of the country, and saw all of the beautiful places I have always wished to see! And best of all, I got to experience this with my Mom. It is a memory that I will have with me forever, and I couldn't have asked for a better co-pilot on my journey. We were such a great team (I love you Mom) :). I feel more alive, and I am very humbled by this trip. Like I said before, we are all so small compared to the vastness our country holds. I would do this again in a heartbeat, because the best part is, there is still soo much to see!!! This was by far one of, if not THE most, beautiful experiences of my life thus far. I now truly understand what it means to say "it is the journey, not the destination."

Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed seeing these great places thru my eyes. :)

I still have the end of my pictures to post---will do that soon.

Until my next adventure, whenever that may be....


Love,
Angela


**STATS**
# of gallons used: 140.41
Cost of gas: $420.11
Food: $305.88
Miles: 4, 422
Duration: 10 days