Trip to the West

Drove 2,000+ miles to California, then Oregon and back so I could return to the roots of where ALL GOODS FROM THE WOODS all started, a full ten years later.

I hauled my goods with me and set up a booth at MUSIC & SKY, a festival in NorCal where I also shared a lovely reunion with dear friends from Big Bear, CA. Ooohh what fun we had!

(full story throughout)

sidenote: If you have not yet read my Origin Story, grab a cup of tea after this and enjoy the story of humble beginnings, organic growth n perhaps catch the bug of inspiration, yourself!

Music & Sky was an event and gathering of the people that wish to empower others with knowledge, truth and personal freedom. I am so grateful that along side slingin’ my jewels, I was able to participate in so many workshops, see so many of the amazing speakers, enjoy many refreshing creek dips and dance my butt off well into each evening.

But before I knew it, the festival came n went and it was time to pack it up n hit the road again…to mosey on up to Oregon.

After almost 3 years since I have returned to California, I was curious how it would feel to be back and revisit some of my old favorite places. I wondered how nostalgic or foreign it would feel. I wondered if hiking at elevation would whoop me as I had seen in others when I lived at altitude…I wondered upon my return, might I feel sad to not call it home again?

I made this a proper roadtrip to see for myself…

my solo trekkin days consisted of enjoying each and every sunrise, discovering new music, LOUD singing, long phone calls with old friends, audio books, hiking, slowly n lovingly breathing in the western aromas, camping alone, n brewin coffee on the side of the many little roads

I was pleased to learn that even though it has been years since I have found myself up at altitude, I felt quite strong, comfortable and familiar while hiking at 8500 ft. Something about that small fact brought me a lot of peace. As if the mountains were saying, “yup, you are still welcome to enjoy it here”. why thank you old friend…

And the most deeply fulfilling aspect of visiting CA was spending time with these old friends…all the beautiful giant bull pines, towering redwoods, old growth firs and cedars.

The Trees, Foliage and Fauna and the overall geologic landscape is what makes CA so special to me. But this trip was necessary for me to experience what it means to be beneath them, in real-time, reality. In my own experience, by choosing to live a life beneath their canopy, also means choosing to live in a very busy and chaotic energy field which encompasses them. Even when trekking deep into the forest, it was nearly impossible to enjoy the sounds and sights of nature without simultaneously disregarding the sights and sounds of man’s influence. Nature is wholeness, beauty and perfection. However, the ever present hum of machinery in the distance, the trash, graffiti, “rules + regulations” signs, pay kiosks, dirty diapers tossed off the side of the road, etc. tend to leave a bad taste in my mouth… I used to be able to look passed such things with relative ease, but after living the last few years in a place with such little human influence, the witnessing of such profound levels of disrespect which surround places of beauty, is a pill I no longer feel I want to swallow in order to enjoy their beauty.

The fact that these old growth giants still exist, brings my heart peace. Even though the scent of this forest brought me to tears on several occasions, I never once felt to pull to try and call it home again. What a powerful insight that was to take back home with me.

Luckily, my family lives in a beautiful part of the PNW. So during my visit to Oregon, we explored all around their surrounding area, in great company. I will be treasuring those memories for the years to come!

On my long trek back home, I camped, ate snacks from my sisters garden and loved every second under the stormy monsoon skies