Emily and I are now settling down here in Oakland, CA. After a week of travel, we are relieved to be adjusting to our new home. The drive out here was so beautiful. The first major stop was the Badlands in South Dakota. What a place. It was basically a desert when we got there. During the summers the park gets up to around 95–105 degrees and in the winter can get as low as 15–10 degrees. We watched the sunset over the crazy rock formations and then spent the night at our insect infested campground.
The next morning we drove another 10 hours to the border of Wyoming and Idaho to another little park called the Grand Tetons/Yellowstone. Without a doubt, these are some of the most beautiful parts of our country I have ever seen, rolling hills all the way up to a quaint valley where the city of Jackson is located dominated by views of the Grand Tetons. A few minutes north and you’ll be at the southern gates of Yellowstone National Park.
We were not able to do a whole lot that week besides a few national parks. We had to be in Oakland in time for Emily’s first day of work. The highlight was definitely The Grand Tetons. There was so much to do, one would have to spend an entire week there exploring. We decided to go horseback riding on a hike through the hills and around a section of Jackson Lake. The views were just to die for. We started the trail down a winding valley, slowly making our way uphill to the grand view of the Teton Valley below.
We spent the next day with Emily’s Aunt in Idaho and then made our way to Reno for the night. We could have driven all the way to the bay but decided to take it easy and layout by the pool instead. Driving into California was so surreal. It still doesn’t feel real yet to say that we live here.
We are still settling down, looking for an apartment. I’m job hunting and re-establizing my freelancing here in the Bay Area. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers during this time of transition.
