I still don’t fully realize it and it seems abstract to me. But it’s official – in 53 days I am going to the USA for 2 months!!! What are my plans? Very diversified – they include visitng cities as well as lots (lots!) of hiking. I will also work as a volunteer in a field with which I have completely no experience. Are you interested? Keep on reading 🙂
2 months in the USA – what are my plans?
My trip can be divided in three parts:
1. California dream
2. Hike until you die
3. Let’s be #bornglobals
Part 1: California Dream
Los Angeles – Kings Canyon National Park – Sequoia National Park – Yosemite National Park – Monterey – Big Sur – Los Angeles / Santa Monica
Me and my fiancé arrive to Los Angeles. We are going to look for the trails of Lakers’ players in the city (Adam) and the ones of Johnny Depp in Hollywood (that’s definitely me!). After that we will set off for Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks in order to see the highest trees in the world. We will salute to General Sherman – the highest among the high trees in the park. From there we will go to Yosemite National Park. We’ll look for black bears – keep your fingers crossed that we don’t find any… 🙂 If the fear of heights doesn’t stop us, we will climb the Half Dome – a granite rock formation as high as 2693 meters above sea level. Sounds like a great warm-up before the next part of our trip! It is possible to climb up the Dome without real climbing – there is a well-kept cable route. But it will be challenging enough, I am sure 🙂 After that we will have a bit of rest in a town called Monterey, from where we will head towards Big Sur – a region where mountains rise from the ocean. We will drive along California State Route 1, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful roads in the US and sometimes even in the world. We will get back to Los Angeles, spend a lazy day on Santa Monica beach and feel like Baywatch… 🙂
Two months in the USA: California Dream
Two months in the USA: California Dream
Two months in the USA: California Dream
Two months in the USA: California Dream
Part 2: Hike until you die
Los Angeles – Oatman – Grand Canyon (South Rim) – Antelope Canyon – Grand Canyon (North Rim) – Bryce Canyon National Park – Zion National Park – Valley of Fire – Las Vegas – Death Valley – Los Angeles
Before we hike ourselves to death in all these parks and canyons we will stop in Oatman. It’s a little town almost abandoned by people and inhabited by donkeys instead 🙂 After that we will check if Grand Canyon is as amazing as it seems, and we will check it both from the South Rim and North Rim. We will also stop in Antelope Canyon – a place which looks so amazingly beautiful on pictures that I won’t believe it exists until I see it!
Two months in the USA: Grand Canyon
Two months in the USA: Antelope Canyon
We will say good bye to Arizona and go to Utah in order to see two of its national parks (more hiking! :)) – Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. In Zion we will face our fear of heights again on Angels Landing trail. Angels do not land anywhere – the view from Angels Landing looks simply amazing…
Two months in the USA: Bryce Canyon
Two months in the USA: View from Angels Landing, photo by Diliff
We will also spend some time in Nevada. Not on gambling in the Sin City though (well, I insist on playing a game of blackjack in one of the casinos… :)). We will go to Valley of Fire State Park (even more hiking!!) where we will look for colorful rocks, also called rainbow rocks. It’s not rainbow though, but different shades of red 🙂 We will probably go and see Hoover Dam – hydroelectric power plant constructed on Colorado river. Sometimes it’s worth to admire the wonders constructed by people…
If we have enough time we will go back to Los Angeles via Death Valley. The final nail in our coffin 🙂
Adam will finish the trip there – there will be professional and family responsibilities waiting for him in Poland. I will stay there on my own 🙂
Part 3: Let’s be #bornglobals
My goal is to connect travelling with making a positive impact on the world around me. That’s why a part of my time in the US I will spend volunteering. I like challenges – so what do I do, having lived in the city my whole life, not knowing anything about rural life? I look for a volunteering opportunity in the middle of nowhere via a network of organizations which facilitate placement of volunteers on organic farms 🙂 The network is called WWOOF – World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms.
I will work in SkyWater Ranch and Sanctuary, a rescue, respite and release site for injured and orphaned birds and wildlife. In return for working a few hours a day I’ll get an accommodation and meals. The Sanctuary is located near Sacramento – the capital of California. Except for fascinating challenges awaiting me at work there, it’s a great location to explore Sacramento, visit San Francisco or take (yet another!) hike in the mountains.
Two months in the USA: San Francisco
You know what? I can’t wait!! 🙂 Just after I came back from Global Citizen program in Russia in 2014 I started to dream of participating in another volunteering program. I told to myself that I have two years to collect money and making this come true. And it is happening now!
Do you want to follow my trip? I encourage you to follow my social media channels! An opportunity to win a surprise-gift from this trip will appear on Facebook soon… 🙂
If you have any additional suggestions on what to change or add in my plan – let me know. The plan is still quite flexible!
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