I found joy in it all

After leaving Utah we drove and drove and drove through the hot Arizona deserts towards the Grand Canyon. Then in the middle of the desert we saw this beautiful rock formation just on the horizon. Our route towards the Grand Canyon followed these Vermilion Cliffs until crossing the Colorado river. That night there were lightening storm across the sky for miles.
We rolled into the Grand Canyon and were joined by thousands of tourists. The look out points were just beautiful as the sun that rose overhead. All around the canyon were signs and warning about the dangers of hiking into the canyon during the hot summer months. Feeling slightly exhausted as well as cautious we decided to enjoy the view from above instead of pushing our physical limits.

Post Grand Canyon we jetted off towards California. We took a southern route so we could drive through Joshua Tree National Park and up highway 101 along the coast. We arrived at Joshua Tree at twilight and took an exciting drive through the eastern corner of the state. I knew we were on the other side of the country when we started to see very large strange cacti looking plants. There were gardens of them that we strolled through but you are not supposed to touch them; supposedly very dangerous. So of course, both John and I touched them. They are very sharp but beautiful. The drive through the park took a few hours but anxious to get to the coast we kept on going west.
Finally, made it to the Pacific Ocean! As soon as we got there we parked the car and picnicked on the beach as surfers caught the Los Angeles waves. Blue skies and pacific wind met us on the coast and continued on with us all the way along route 101 up along the ocean. We headed back inland around the area of the National Sequoia Forest. WOW! These trees are so awesome. Not only are they huge and old but they have been standing firm through natural distaters; some as old as cleopatras' reign. We took a walk through the 100 Giants trail. And as it sounds there were about a hundred Sequoia trees that you could walk right into the trunks of! The forest felt almost spiritual as you wander, dwarfed, beneath these ancient trees.
Heading north we entered into our final National Park before driving to San Francisco; where we are now. Yosemite National Park is so majestic and upon entering the giant wilderness you feel so small. This is another park that has much to be discovered. After walking beneath the old Sequoias and peering up into the sky at the large rock domes that were shaped by the last ice age glacier movement you really obtain this sense of understanding of how big the world is and how little our everyday problems really are. We took a bike ride to the lower waterfall (as you can in the photo on the left) and slept that night beneath the large trees of the forest.

So here our camping and forest travels end. But our adventures and explorations have just begun. It is very difficult to ponder how to sum up a summer experience like the one we just had. I had a dream to travel, to see the national preserved beauty of this country, and to some day see the rest of the worlds' beauty. But one definite finding from these travels is the realization that I live in beautiful geologically brimming country. There is so much to learn by just experiencing and getting out there and doing it. I feel empowered yet smaller. After that bike ride in Moab I am almost confident I could try anything just as physically demanding. And after standing next to the Grand Canyon I feel smaller in comparison to the Earths' magnificence. But more than anything else I have discovered that I am nothing more than a single soul on this earth; here to niether destroy nor change what has been here for millions of years before my existence. To love my family, friends, and the natural beauty around me is all I need when searching for joy in my life.