East, East

Santa Barbara is a small, perfect, paradise. Too perfect for my taste i think. Southern California is totally, exactly, like in the movies. It was a bit of a clash, actually, to drive south on R-1 (so fabulous), with seals, and ocean clashing with land, and hills and mountains... into Santa Barbara. The night before we camped in a campground south of Big Sur, in Los Padres National Park. 5 feet away from the cliff, and the ocean. The sunset was so spectacular...

(Beach south of Big Sur, CA)

The more I am in nature, the more offensive I find the conglomerations of civilization. We drove away from the LA area, and the road transformed itself from a 7 lane highway into a 2 lane freeway, with no cars. Driving through the dessert at nightfall... so much better than a clustered beach... The road inland was slightly painful the next day, because of the heat, and the distances. But it was worth it. We drove through Sedona, and its red rock formations, and it was incredible. The Grand Canyon awaits. I have been waiting for so long to see it again (more than 20 years!) that I am not sure how will I react to it now.

No expectations.

The secret to always being surprised.

(Sedona, CA)