A week ago today I flew into Fresno, California to begin a National Parks/ National Forests road trip out West. I’ve had so many adventures in the last seven days, and many more to come.

I’m already feeling refreshed and inspired, my heart full and grateful. I have a lot that I want to share about my travels, but for now I wanted to give a little update simply with where we’ve been, what we’ve done, where we’ve eaten, and what’s up next.

If you want more frequent trip updates, follow along on Instagram! Otherwise, stay tuned here on my blog for more soon!

Locations

Here are the cities we’ve hit so far! Some cities we’ve just stopped through, and other’s we stayed in. We’re car-camping our way across the country, so we’re staying at campsites most of the time, but occasionally Airbnbs (as we are here in Portland).

I’ve also included places we’ve found to eat when not cooking at our campsite. Right before I left for my trip I started a strict diet for medical reasons. The diet requires that I cut out eggs, fish, dairy, soy, nuts, and gluten. I’m already a vegetarian, so in short I’m on a vegan, soy-free, gluten-free, nut-free diet. Here I’m sharing places that I’ve found that have amazingly accommodated my dietary restrictions.

Fresno, CA — Oakhurst, CA

High Sierra RV Resort

Love Cafe

South Gate Brewing Company

Oakhurst, CA — Sacramento, CA

Vibe Health Bar

Sacramento, CA — Redding, CA

Cinders Wood-fired Pizza

Redding, CA — Prospect, OR

Union Creek Campground

Prospect, OR — Portland, OR

Next Level Burger

Trails

I’ve been keeping track of all the National Parks and Forests! For Sequoia and Crater Lake National Park, we largely enjoyed the views from the scenic byways. Otherwise, we took to trails and tracked out mileage.

Sierra National Forest

Shadow of the Giants — 4 miles

Nelder Grove — 1.5 miles

Sequoia National Park

Kings Canyon National Park

General Grant Loop — 0.5 miles

Shasta-Trinity National Forest

Hedge Creek Falls — 1 mile

Umpqua National Forest

Clearwater Falls — 0.5 miles

Umpqua Hotsprings– 1.1 mile

Crater Lake National Park

That brings my total mileage to 8.6 so far! I had hopes to do a marathon’s worth of hiking, so 26.2 trail miles. We’re heading out on a longer trail today and we’ll see what else we can fit in within the next week!

Up Next

One of the best parts about this trip is that we’re living day by day. We wake up every morning and decide what we want to do for that day, then we go do it! This trip is teaching me how to live in a very different way, a much needed release from the rigid lifestyle I fell into after a break-up followed by the worldwide quarantine.

That being said, anything could happen next! After Portland we’re starting to head back East, with definite plans to hit Colorado and possibly Salt Lake City, Utah to visit an old friend.

The best bet to see what’s next on this trip is to continue to follow along!

Reflections

I’m starting to really soak in this travel sense of freedom. I crave independence, something I feel that’s been lacking lately in my everyday life. But these experiences show that I am in fact strong-willed and capable. There are many ways to manifest independence.

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to discover everything the natural world has to offer and continue to build a deep appreciation for Mother Nature. I stand in awe of her every day, every new place she shows me opens my mind that much wider.