Couchsurfers, swimming and Needles Lookout

27/8 - I'm officially in another transition phase of my life. I'm physically still here in Porterville, but my mind and heart have been long gone and can be found elsewhere, far away.

My time at the newspaper is coming to a close, as Sept. 19 will be my final day. I also registered for the Foreign Services Officer test, which will be Oct. 3 in Sacramento. And of course, I will apply for the French visa in San Francisco on Sept. 16. Luckily, Marie-Amance gave me everything I need from her for that process.

Like during my final two weeks in England, I'm thinking ahead. I know my time here in Porterville is closing out, and it's a little bittersweet. While I will say it was a mistake to return to the Valley, I will never say it was a waste of time. My time in Porterville has definitely been productive, and I have grown as a person. Like that dead-of-night thunderstorm over the Isle of Wight a year ago, I feel like the past year is already fading away into a memory. But since there is no weather here besides heat, a more appropriate comparison would be the cloud of smoke from a wildfire slowly disappearing throughout a week.

28/8 - I hosted Evgeny via Couchsurfing last night. He is bald with a beard, and his accent is thick. He lives in Los Angeles but is originally from Moscow, Russia. He's been in California for the past four months and said everything is much different to Russia, including how many oranges there are compared to apples. It's funny how a traveler makes you appreciate things in the states more, like driving habits here. Apparently people drive much safer here compared to Moscow, and the traffic in LA is better than Moscow. Ok then!

I only hosted him for one night. This morning Evgeny was back on his motorcycle on his way to Sequoia National Park, Yosemite and eventually Burning Man. I'm glad I had the chance to give him some advice as to where to go and what to see; after all, I'm a traveler helping a fellow traveler. I'm also happy to be his first Couchsurfing host.

One more aspect of my life that is going through a transformation is the fact I joined a health club which houses an indoor swimming pool. It's time to treat my body right and get fit again. Swimming as a workout is tough! It's easier on your body in terms of impact, but there's the fact you can't breathe freely like you can when running. I feel it's more fun than running as well.

One other benefit of the gym is the fact it's the perfect release of frustration that builds up as a result of living in Porterville and the Central Valley...

1/9 - The flight to Paris is booked for Oct. 17. There are only a few more things I need for the visa application and then I'm ready to head off to San Francisco in a couple of weeks for the appointment at the French consulate. I still need travel insurance and a couple of application forms. I got passport photos taken a couple of days ago, but they look more like mugshots.

7/9 - I've had a pair of French couples Couchsurf with me over the past three days. While it was a pleasure to host Emma and her husband because we exchanged stories discussed language and they helped me with my French pronunciation, Cieline and her friend arrived late at night and were shy. It wasn't nearly as fun talking to Cieline and her friend because they were so shy and quiet, whereas Emma and Antoine were outgoing and talkative. They also brought homemade crepes and jams and shared them.

Both couples were around my age and were traveling through the Sequoia National Park, Yosemite and around California. I'm happy to give a little bit of advice to travelers regarding what to do around here.

As for my own hiking adventures, I went to Needles Lookout this past weekend in the Sequoia National Forest. It was a short hike (4.5 miles) but it was at high elevation, above 7,000 feet. The draw of this hike was the fire lookout perched precariously on a tall group of rock spires which provides an awe-inspiring view of the surrounding mountains. Unfortunately, the lookout burned down some years ago but the stairwell up to the concrete base still remains. There is a gate which blocks the stairwell, but it's not locked. So, while carefully climbing the steps, I opened the gate and proceeded to the top.

The walkway felt sturdy for the most part, but it had that rust color on the metal, and I felt a small amount of vertigo at the very top, as if I'd lose my balance based on the sheer drop on either side of me.

 

With all of the swimming and hiking I'm doing, I feel refreshed. It's a throwback to when I was in Spain and Finland, because of the fact I'm using a sauna several times a week as well. I feel better, I have more energy, hikes are easier and I can swim farther. I also look better! So, here's to the transition phase of my life. 

Couchsurfing, inspired drinking and self-examination

15/2 - Friday was yet another chapter in my Couchsurfing story. I hosted Jan, a German traveling through California Friday night after I got off work. He's just like me in that he doesn't plan where he's going to stay long in advance; he figures it out when the time comes.

I hosted him on just a few hours of notice, so before I went home I picked up some beer to share with him. As a traveler myself, I understand how it feels not being able to find a place to sleep for the night. That's why I hosted him, as a fellow traveler and human being. If not for me, he would have slept in his car. The time he was there we just had a few beers and traded travel stories, and I gave him a sleeping bag, pillows and blankets and he slept next to the electric fireplace.

The best thing about it was the fact he was grateful for my hosting him on such short notice. The encounter wasn't long at all, but it still feels great to meet new people and help a fellow human.

My weekend, while not as epic and memorable as the previous one, wasn't bad at all. I rode the Ducati up to Springville, but the smog and haze was so bad it dampened the ride a bit. Considering that, it was great to drive north to Sacramento and out of the smog. It was there in midtown Sacramento where I discovered a German beer garden and met up with my coworker and his girlfriend. It was the first time we had properly hung out outside of work and had a few drinks. It's great to have someone there who's my age.

Continuing my exploration of California, my family and I hiked Rockville Hill in Fairfield on Sunday. Dad and I both used GoPros on our foreheads, and we hiked about five miles. It was fantastic to be outside in the warmth and clear air. It's not often it's as clear as that was in the Central Valley.

Finally, I did some day drinking with an old friend of mine in Davis before making the trek back to Porterville. It was here where I did my best to inspire my friend to do something big with his life, such as travel, to get out of his funk that has bogged him down since he broke up with his girlfriend. He's been very cynical of everything lately, so I told him to shut the f**k up, stop thinking about everything that could go wrong and just do it. Sometimes, inspiration comes in the form of flat-out bluntness.

22/2 - Life in Porterville these days has been enjoyable because I'm spending a lot of time analyzing why I am the way I am. I'm trying to figure out what I really want, both from a woman and with life, and it has been enlightening. This examination of myself has made me more self-confident, and I've noticed I have been sticking up for myself more. Maybe this is just all part of maturing, but I like where it's going.

My latest adventure was a short-and-sweet trek to Lower Coffee Camp in the Sequoia National Forest. There I messed around on the edge of the Tule River with a GoPro on my forehead, scrambling over granite boulders and slowly navigating the brush beside the river. The best part was finding a comfortable spot on top of some granite and lying down on the opposite end of a waterfall that spilled into a large pool. It was there I faced the sky, focused on my breathing while listening to the rush of water and let the time melt away, with everything turned off and me being disconnected, if only for an hour or two.