Feeling inspired to challenge myself today and do something a bit different, I’m going to use the Google Map embed feature to provide a (very) brief history of my life.
From 1981 through the summer 1999 I grew up in Ridgecrest, CA in the middle of the Mojave Desert:
It was a great place to grow up though I didn’t appreciate it at the time. Quiet, peaceful, safe, and with easy access to both the western and eastern side of the Sierra.
I was baptized in the Kings River, Zumwalt Meadows, Kings Canyon National park:
These driving directions are pretty good. Take the 180 to Zumwalt Meadows, park, and then step down the trail a little ways. I don’t think I could find the exact spot anymore, but once you are there you’ll get the idea. And, yes, it was cold.
At the ripe old age of ten I went on a backpacking trip that, among other things on the week long adventure, saw us summit Mount Whitney:
These driving directions will get you to Whitney Portals and, if you have the proper permits and are properly conditioned, you can do the day hike up to the summit and back from there. On our trip we went in over Kearsarge Pass and hit Whitney on our way out of the backcountry.
We went on several family trips growing up.
Yellowstone:
Washington DC:
London:
Paris:
In 1999 I graduated from high school and moved to San Diego in the fall to attend UCSD, Revelle College. I lived in La Jolla (2 years), Serra Mesa (3 years) and Mira Mesa (3 years) until I left in 2007:
My alma-mater:
Shh, don’t tell my parents, but I may have taken a couple trips down to Tijuana:
After graduation, I took a trip out to Catalina Island to, er, um, “rest” and “recuperate” from the long and arduous years studying for school. (Can you hear my parents laughing in the background?):
I headed east to Prescott to visit my brother who went to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and then worked for the school for several years after graduating as a flight instructor before eventually winding up in Phoenix:
All of those trips were about resting and recuperating as well.
In 2007 I moved from San Diego to Camarillo where I lived with my soon to be wife until 2009:
We ventured out to Colorado on several occasions to visit her sister in Gunnison and to go snowboarding at Crested Butte:
The Rockies are as enchanting as the Sierra. Each of those trips was an absolute blast.
We took several trips up to Mammoth to snowboard, and we married there in April of 2009 at McCoy Station:
Eventually I’m going to have to do a separate post about our wedding. It was amazing. The picture at the top of my blog page is from that day – Top of the Sierra, standing on 18 feet of snow. We had some of our pictures taken with us sitting on that sign. Anyway, if you’ve never been to Mammoth, winter or summer, stop whatever you are doing (after you finish reading my blog of course) and go now.
In 2009 we bought our first house (a condo) in Oxnard and that is where we still find ourselves today:
We still venture out and about though, and aside from our normal trips up to the mountains we’ve also made it out to Pennsylvania a couple times and even to Playa Del Carmen:
Who knows where we will head next.
What an adventurous life you’ve had so far, I don’t know if I could’ve coped with all that moving. Excellent way to use the maps by the way.
Thanks! As much as I have bounced around, I’ve actually moved less than a lot of people I know, so I guess that’s all about perspective.
Nice post. Looks like you have been all over in the States.
And ah Paris. It has been on my wish list for sometime now. Haven’t been to Europe at all.
You should go! I was fairly young when I was there and need to get back myself because I would appreciate it a whole lot more now. Thanks for reading and commenting!
I will assume that the trips to Catalina Island included much sleeping in. I am assuming it wasn’t during spring break of course.
Late summer trip, much sleeping in, and much *ahem* “relaxation” time on the beach. There might have been a few drinks invovled, it’s all a bit fuzzy.
selective memory – i hate it when that happens.
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Um, I think you missed Whistler?
And Vancouver for that matter. And the Russian River, and The Colorado River, and the Green River in Utah. And the Dakotas. And Montana. And Hunington Lake for Camp Kern. And Coronado Island. And Yosemite. And Julian. And Redlands. And Big Bear. And Mt. High. And… And if I included them all I’d still be looking up maps to embed! But, yes, perhaps I should have included the spot of my honeymoon.