West Coast or bust

Yesterday I got an email from QANTAS asking me to prepare for my flight in four days.  That’s right, 4 days!  My last post was written in January with planning in its infancy.  I’ve just re-read the post, and while the bones are the same, the bulk that has been added, then changed, changed again and finally firmed up, but with still enough flexibility that further change isn’t impossible is quite impressive.

Some things have just come together perfectly, some are like pieces that were perfectly placed with spaces between waiting for the right pieces to be found to fill the gap and others were last minute rearrangements that tore the puzzle apart and forced some slightly mis-shaped pieces in their place.

My favourite rearrangement is August 3rd. I was so disappointed to find out that Brett Goldstein (aka Roy Kent in Apple’s Ted Lasso) was performing a series of gigs in March this year.  I saw Nick Mohammed (Nate) perform in London, and would love to have gotten the double in the US this year.  In March, Brett posted on his Instagram advising he had to cancel one of his Vegas shows and it would be rescheduled to August.  Now I am camping in Sequoia on that date (it was meant to be night 3), so I made the decision to drive the 7 hours from my Lodgepole Campground to Boulder Beach Campground at Lake Mead, so I could then drive into Vegas that night to see Brett live.  I then drive to Joshua Tree National Park the next day, spend three nights, drive back to LA and fly back to Vegas.  Crazy, I know, but hopefully worth every kilometre, hour and cent.

That rearrangement has also given me a few other options - visiting Calico, a ghost town from the silver rush era, and a hike on the Historic Railroad Trail outside of Boulder City, the old trail used to transport supplies during the construction of the Hoover Dam. 

My bags are packed (and repacked multiple times). I am only taking a small bag that is carry on size but will check it, a small day backpack and my handbag.  I figure the smaller the bag, the less non-essential stuff that I will feel the need to take.  If I can’t fit it, I can’t take it.  There may be a bit of shopping done while I’m there to warrant a larger bag, but I have a plan in play to cross that bridge when I get to it.

That has been a challenge in itself, as I’ll be camping in weather ranging from 7 degrees right through to temps in the 40s.  The first two weeks will be more like a Brisbane winter, while the second half will be like the absolute worst extremes of a Brisbane summer and then some.  It’s going to be quite the ride!

So be prepared those of you who follow my holiday blogs - it’s almost time to explore again and this time is like nothing I’ve done in the US before.