so.. we made it into California. Drove through San Diego on tuesday-- which was AWESOME! When we first arrived we ended up on Sunset Cliffs Blvd. Went directly to the Pacific ocean and stood on the cliffs and just were all in awe at how incredibly beatiful it really was. There was a farmers market, on Newport St., which only reminded me of home cause from the age of 4 till around when I was like 16 or something I worked with my mom at the farmers markets in Brookline and Newton selling flowers and soap. I talked to my brother Jon when I got there and he said to find a bar called Tonys-- and we did.. the boys needed a beer or two or three. So all four of us mosied into the place and played a little pool. It was a cool little bar. We stayed at a hotel that night, and Alex and I drove around a little by ourselves just looking at the city. It's beautiful at night too-- hills littered in lights and not really any sky scrapers aside from a couple we saw off in the distance.

The next day we drove through Laguna Beach, and the O.C. through Malibu and into L.A.-- we went to Venice Beach and walked around the strip-- sat for a while and watched some kids skateboarding. There was one kid who kept trying to do tricks on a flat rail and he couldn't so every like minute he was throwing his deck with impressive force. It was amusing... though I felt bad he couldn't land what he wanted to. We drove into Hollywood as well.. we would have seen where Eric used to live only it had since been torn down... wonder why? Cause it was a pretty crappy part of town. Haha. We went to some mall that night and ate at the California Pizza place( or something like that) .. The pizza was like 12 bucks and about the size of a Mr. P's personal pizza... it looked like it tasted like it too. Hah! That night we just kept driving till around midnight when we stopped at a little Inn and stayed the night.

the next day( friday) we drove more north up the 101 on the coast line along the cliffs and ended up camping over night at one of the many redwood parks. Then yesterday we drove up through San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge (!!! intense !!!) We didn't go into San fran-- bummer-- we drove until we hit Sacramento.. and now we're staying at the Governors Inn (hahahaha! Arnold!) Today we're going to dive around and look at a couple different apartments just to see what looks good.

..all in all... my feelings on California:

Dear California,
You're really quite beautiful. Your cloudless skies, and endlessly sunny 70 degree and up weather are really great. However-- I miss home-- I miss the clouds, and the scarf wearing weather.. and the rain. I miss the rain. Rain to me is a beautfiul experience..it is renewing and calming. It allows you to breathe, and it brings everything to life. It brings a quiet hum into my head that makes it easy to just be me. I will miss the rain most. Especially the summer rain. Summer rain is my favorite. It brings back good memories to my head just thinking about it. Summer rain is an experience better felt when you're in love.. I think. It slows everything down and makes everything feel like a movie scene. Every touch, every kiss.. every happy moment-- even just jumping in puddles is better. ^_^

But, California-- I made a choice and you were it. So despite my feelings of longing for that feeling.. I'll give you a fair chance to prove you're worth it. And if in the end you don't turn out to be what I need, or want.. then so be it. I can always.. go home.

Sincerely,


Veronica.

Back home I always thought I wanted so much more, now I'm not too sure
Cause sometimes I miss knowing someone's there for me and feeling free
Free to stand beside the ocean in moonlight
And light myself a smoke beneath the dark Atlantic sky

Another sunny day in Californ-i-a
I'm sure back home they'd love to see it
But they don't know that what you love is ripped away
Before you get a chance, before you get a chance to feel it

until next time..

Vegas BABY!!!

So since my last post I have-- Traveled south from Idaho, through Utah.. into Zion National Park-- stayed overnight. Saw my first ever red rock canyon. Then drove to Arizona- saw:

-Monument Valley.
-Sunset Crater Volcano.
-Petrified Forest.
-Painted Desert.
-Meteor Crater.

Today we drove from near flagstaff, arizona-- out to Nevada. Saw the Hoover Dam.. and now we're in Las Vegas BABY! We drove the strip earlier.. saw things like Caesars Palace, and MGM, The Venetian, Trump tower... The Graceland Wedding Chapel (Elvis hahaha) lots of strip clubs, tattoo parlors, and wedding chapels. The strip is amazing... I can't wait to go walk around it tomorrow night. Caitlin comes tomorrow afternoon! She'll be with us for a couple weeks. It'll be amazing to have one of my best girlfriends here with me... WOO! So for now we're staying at the Holiday Inn Express-- it's actually really nice for being so cheap. ^_^

tomorrow-- wake, get Caitlin at the airport.. see the strip stay in vegas again over night and see the vegas strip at night! Probably gonna be the first time I get rocked. I have barely even touched alcohol this entire trip, I havent had more than 1/2 a beer. Not that I drink much anyway... but it's Vegas.. and it's like a rite of passage or something. Hahaha.. wish me luck! on Sunday we ship off to:

-Death Valley
-back over the Hoover Dam
-back into Arizona
-see the Grand Canyon
-then head to San Diego to start our California coast line journey!

Things I can't wait for:

-to see more palm trees than my eyes can handle.
-san francisco
-Red Wood Forest!!!
-Seattle (ummmm hi... music!)
-then back to Idaho to get my car and see my mom again before ---
I'm going going back back to Cali, Caliiii! (anyone who gets that... good. I'm glad. I love Biggie too!)

I'm gonna go watch The Colbert Report and watch him tear apart the presidential debates and Joe the Plumber. hahahahaha

love

Veronica.


When the sun came up,
We were sleeping in,
Sunk inside our blankets,
Sprawled across the bed,
And we were dreaming,

There are moments when,
When I know it and
The world revolves around us,
And we're keeping it,
Keep it all going,
This delicate balance,
Vulnerable all knowing,

Sing like you think no one's listening,
You would kill for this,
Just a little bit,
Just a little bit,
You would, kill for this
You would, you would...

...

I guess I'm having one of those days. We leave for the next part of our trip tomorrow. It's exciting.. but I've got the homesick blues. I don't think that feeling will ever go away. I feel only partially here, and that's a terrible way to feel when you're doing something most people only dream of. I don't know... I just don't know.


the music in my head sounds off.
classic but intense.
soft and sullen.
like a bittersweet memory.
one not soon forgotten.
it remembers
it feels.
it breathes...
and it comes to life every time i close my eyes.

veronica

Like Vanilla Ice says: "word to ya motha."

So-- here's an update for the past few days:

Made it into Yellowstone. We stopped and took pictures next to the big sign that says like "welcome to Yellowstone" and a British couple from California also stopped and we took a picture for them next to the sign. They gave us a 7 day pass into Yellowstone-- which is $25 per car-- but I still had to pay for my car. Gheyy. We gave them a pass to Mt. Rushmore that is good for the whole year. It was a nice little trade. So we drove around Yellowstone all day long. Saw many many many hot springs bubbling up and smelling like sulfur (which if you don't know-- smells like rotten eggs). Any of the springs or geysers that were bubbling were over 212 degrees Fahrenheit .. which if you don't know is the boiling point of water. So... unfortunately there was no touching any of them. It would be ridiculous to do so. I'm not into getting burned. We saw some Ravens which were some pretty interesting birds. They're huge, and pretty... and I was like litteraly a foot and a half away from a couple of them taking pictures of 'em. I think there may have been a bonding moment in there with us.. I named them Ira and Millicent.. not sure if they were boys or girls.. but the names were dubbed none the less.

We also went to see Old Faithful-- the largest geyser in the whole frickin place.. and the most famous. In the parking lot were a couple kids in a car and at one point about 5 or 6 ravens were just chillin on the ground next to their car, and one kid gets out and starts chasing them and yelling, "away you foul beasts!!!" It was hilarious. Old faithful was a grand site to see. I took lots of pictures.. It just steams all the time, and every like 45 mins to hour and a half it goes off. We were lucky to get there only minutes before it went off. It shot water into the air probably a couple hundred feet. Let's just say it was waaaaay over my head.

We camped out for the night at a campsite in Yellowstone. The next day we drove around more taking photos and visiting all the different geysers and hot springs .. got into a little visitors place where they had like little hotels to stay at and a general store.. and we were driving along the road and a group or gaggle or flock or what ever you call a lot of Elk... were there.. just walking along the street. Some asian guy was just in the middle of the side walk taking photos of this huuuge male elk with a HUUUGE rack (antlers not breasts hahaha ^_^) and the male elk started trotting towards him pretty fast, and the guy just stood there. hahaha, if that was me.. well I wouldn't be so stupid as to just be sitting there taking snap shots of wild animals that are unpredictable.. and not of the most friendly nature... either way, I would have RAN the second that guy started trottin up to me. I'm not about to try and befriend a male elk. They are pretty big and burley creatures. The ladies however I rolled down the passengers side window and took some photos of them, they were pretty close... but as soon as they started getting a little closer to the car I had to roll the window up... or rather was yelled at to roll it up. I thought they seemed sweet, but then again I trust animals and people way too easily sometimes. Haha.

We camped out another night at the campsite... and the next day... yesterday in fact we were on the road again by 11 a.m.. We drove all the way into Montana (cause Yellowstone exits out that way...) Then drove into Idaho.. we went and saw the craters of the moon.. which is magma that flowed up from the earth and hardened and formed miles of volcanic rock. It was awesome. Just miles and miles of black rock everywhere. Man I love volcanoes. ^_^

Then we drove all the way to my mommas in Garden Valley, Idaho. We're here now... alex and eric have gone fishing for the day. While I am hanging with the mama, listening to music and making a homemade apple pie! This is DELICIOUS! hahahah :)

in another day or so we'll head out on the rest of our journey.. next up is the four corners (Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona) Then Into Arizona to see the painted desert and the petrified forest. Then to Nevada... Las Vegas... ummm, then down to San Diego and up the west coast to Seattle.. Then back to the mommas to get my car... Then back to Sacramento. It should only be another couple of weeks till I'm in Sacramento. I really want to be there now. However there's still a long way to go.

I'm gonna go finish helping with that pie.

It's like my whole life never happened,
When I see you, it's as if I never had a thought.
I know this dream, it might be crazy,
But it's the only one I've got.

Come baby, shake me, come baby, take me, I would be satisfied.
Come baby, hold me, come baby, help me, my arms are open wide.
I could be unraveling wherever I'm traveling, even to foreign shores.
But I will always be emotionally yours.

Bob.Dylan.Emotionally.Yours.

-Veronica

more on my journey..

So since Ohio-- and I'll make this brief-- cause I'm cataloging everything in a hand written journal-- I've been to these places:

-Indiana.. got a flat. slept in the car overnight at a rest stop. got it fixed. got a GPS.
-Illinois..saw chicago.. pretty neat stuff.
-Wisconsin.. don' cha know! saw a sign for "Cheese, diesel and Fireworks" hahaha
-Minnesota.. saw the Mississippi river. HOLLER! stopped at a rest stop and red a starving kitty some pringles and gave her some water.
-South Dakota.. Made it to the Bad Lands. It was an incredible sight. Had to beware of rattle snakes. EEEP! Went to Mount Rushmore.. also took a tour of a the Natural Cave in Mount Rushmore. It was all naturally hollowed out by water-- so freakin sweet!
-Wyoming.. went through part of the Rocky Mountains today, took TONS of photos cause that was a beautiful sight to see. Made it all the way to about 30 miles from Yellowstone Park-- We're staying at an Inn nestled in the bosom of the mountains. Delicious!

TOMORROWS ITINERARY:
Yellowstone .. possibly camp out in Yellowstone. I can't wait to see Old Faithful. Also I'm extreeeemely excited about the underground super volcanos! yeh, that's right you heeeard me!

To learn more about this super volcano:

go here- http://www.unmuseum.org/supervol.htm

I miss you all... will post photos on my photobucket when I get out to Cali. So-- a few more weeks. Arrevaderci amicis!

-Veronica Ashley

I could feel it go down
You left the sweetest taste in my mouth
You're a silver lining the clouds
Oh and I
Oh and I
I wonder what it’s all about
I wonder what it’s all about

Everything I know is wrong
Everything I do, it's just comes undone
And everything is torn apart

Oh and it’s the hardest part
That’s the hardest part
Yeah that’s the hardest part
That’s the hardest part