Sunday, June 30, 2013

California Coast Cruising

旅 (tabi) - A journey or trip

When the school semester ended back in early May, I still hadn't secured a summer internship. That was fine, given that most other schools still had several weeks of classes left and many internships didn't start until June, so I just kept applying for positions and trying to make something work out.

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One can only spend so many hours a day looking for a job, so I had a lot of free time on my hands. I couldn't travel anywhere as I still needed to be around to network and interview and whatnot, so I spent most of my days laying out on the back deck reading. It was wonderfully relaxing, but at the same time never really felt like a vacation.

I finally managed to lock down an internship in mid June, much to my excitement. But there was still a part of me that felt like I needed to get out and go somewhere before starting my job. I didn't have much time to plan anything proper, so it needed to be short.

There are lots of places throughout northern california that would be cool to check out, most of which are just a few hours away. They're so accessible that it becomes an easy excuse not to go. You start thinking that you can go anytime, but end up not going at all. For me, driving down along Highway 1 was one of those things. A few hours of driving will get you a good ways down the coast, so I decided to just go for it and check it off my list.

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I got myself a rental car for two days to make sure I'd have plenty of time, then headed straight for the coast. Before I knew it, I was in in Pacifica, ready to hug the California coast. The weather was beautiful, with nothing but blue skies above. I rolled down the windows and just drove. It was the first time I'd ever been behind the wheel without actually having somewhere I was trying to get to.

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I took my sweet time, stopping to take pictures constantly. The idea that this was the edge of America was stuck in my head. That, as huge as this country may be, the ocean that sat to my side was the very limits of it. The landscape was gorgeous and it reminded me of how beautiful this country is. It made me remember other amazing places I've been, beautiful scenes I've seen. It was equal parts awe-inspiring and relaxing to see.

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I made it as far south as Big Sur. I didn't actually do very much for the two days that I was on the road. Most of my time was spent either driving or taking pictures, though I would occasionally wander off the road a bit just to see what there was to see. But that was exactly what I needed: to just be off on my own. As much rest and relaxation I had got lounging about in Berkeley for the previous weeks, this trip left me truly refreshed.

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These pictures are some of my favorites, but there are many more on my flickr account. I'm not sure that they do justice to what I saw, but hopefully it's a start.

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