2 years. I can’t believe how quickly 2 years have flown by.

2 years ago, I was on the road with my cat, CL. We were driving across the country from Michigan to my new home in California.

Well, I did all of the driving. CL tried at one point when we were stopped at a gas station. I came out of the convenience store to him standing on his back legs in the driver seat, front legs perched heavily on the horn. He’s mostly Maine Coon, and for those who don’t know, they are a big species and their bodies can be very…dense.

I have no idea how long he was laying on the horn, but I’m sure it was equally as irritating as it was hilarious to other customers.

I had always been curious abut California. I was born in Orange County, but my family moved to the Atlanta area when I was two. I don’t remember anything from CA, but I often looked at old pictures from my early years. I had light blonde hair, and I was usually smiling in the CA sunshine while monkeying around in our trees.

In May of 2015, my contract in MI was coming to a close and I had a huge decision to make. I loved forecasting for the active weather there, I had always been impressed with the sense of community in Saginaw, I loved my little bouldering gym, and I worked with THE most genuine people in the entire world. Seriously.

I was excited to see the direction downtown Saginaw was heading, and I wanted to be a part of it. Did you know I was the first person to sign a lease at the newly renovated Bancroft/Eddy buildings? People told me not to move downtown. By the time I moved out of the Eddy, most of the units were rented out, the Bancroft bar and restaurant was in full swing, and there was a nice downtown family forming.

But I had an itch. An itch to get out west. To explore the mountains. To live closer than 4 hours to good outdoor climbing. To see more year-round sunshine, and to feel fewer below 0 temperatures. I’d been a nomad for the past decade, spending a few years here, a few years there. Repeatedly starting over in a new place without knowing a soul. It’s sort of fun and exciting, but a big chunk of my has also been constant goodbyes.

Someone reached out to me and let me know of a morning meteorologist position available in Fresno, CA. My first thought…what’s a Fresno? 🙂

I’m going to be brutally honest. After a quick Google search, I had little interest. It was another mid-size city for the same position that I currently held. It seemed like a lateral career move for me. Not to mention, I’d be giving up the active weather forecasting.

I looked at Google Maps. 60 miles to Yosemite? 90 miles to Kings Canyon/Sequoia? I get to forecast for those national parks which include an abundance of winter weather? 2 hours to the beach, 3 hours from both San Francisco and Los Angeles, and access to outdoor climbing for 90% of the year. I’m always looking for ways to expand my weather experience, and I read the fog in the Central Valley is unreal. Add mudslides and wildfires to the mix. Ok, maybe I’ll give this guy a call.

A few months later, I was hitting the road with CL. It was an extremely bittersweet day.

I wanted to take full advantage of driving across the US and needed to see as much as possible. I’d done long trips before: To and from Denver several times in college, Phoenix to Atlanta, Atlanta to northeast Pennsylvania, Michigan to Atlanta. I really don’t mind being on the road.

First stop was Wisconsin to see family. It was a bit out of the way, but I’m so thankful I stopped. On a somber note, this was my last visit with my grandma. She had a sly sense of humor, and I like to think I got a little of her personalty. ☺

I then drove through…I honestly don’t even know. I took the most direct route from Appleton to I-90 W, when I should have gone a few more miles out of the way to stay on highways. But I like unnecessary adventure, I guess.

I loaded Google Maps on my phone before I lost cell signal for hours. County Road A. County Road E. Join up with A again. 20th Ave. Unnamed road not found on Google. County Road G. Highway H. Left, right, left. That was my route.

I was SO happy to reach a gas station. I was in Wild Rose, a town of 700. The cashier spoke with a familiar accent. I asked her if she’s from Australia.

Indeed! I spent a semester there in college. It was an incredible experience. What are the odds that I can share my world travel stories with an Aussie in a tiny WI town? We chatted for a bit before I hit the road again.

County Roads O, C, and V got me to I-90. Sioux Falls or bust!

I made it to the KOA Campground before sunset. It was a beautiful property, and I had very pleasant interactions with everyone who worked there.

The only one who did not seem enthused was CL. It was his first camping trip. I think he liked looking out the mesh tent doors, but that was it. He spent most of the night laying in his (clean) litter box. Weird, but it was familiar to him.

I went into town the next day for something. Oil change, maybe. Seemed like a quaint city. Then, it was on to Rapid City.

I was excited to see western South Dakota. I’d heard great things about the Black Hills, and I was ready for my first national park of the trip.

Before I got into Rapid City, I stopped at Badlands National Park and bought my America the Beautiful park pass.

I LOVED Badlands. I’d never seen any formations like it. CL was indifferent. But I renamed it “Catlands” after him anyway.

I will note, national parks aren’t 100% pet friendly. Most of the time, pets aren’t allowed on trails. In Badlands, pets are allowed on paved walkways only. I was unsure how the rules applied to cats in backpacks, but I’m a rule follower so I didn’t do too much exploring other than in the parking lots.

On to Rapid City. I met up with a Central Michigan grad who had landed his first weather job in the Rapid City market. That’s the beauty of a fairly small broadcast meteorology community. You’re bound to have a weather friend in any city you visit.

I will note, I was carting CL around downtown Rapid City this entire time. He has a 5-in-1 carrier. 1 carrier, 5 different ways to use it. I used the rolling feature here.

CL spent another night camping in his still clean litter box. It was obvious that camping stressed him out, so I switched my camping plans to one of few cat-friendly motel chains that are found in almost every single town…Motel 6. I have a special place in my heart for the Motel 6. Specifically the Motel 6 in Kankakee, IL. Drop me a comment if you have any idea where that is! That story is for another time.

There was so much I wanted to do near Rapid City, but I only had the morning to explore. I knew Mt. Rushmore was a must-see. Unfortunately, pets aren’t even allowed anywhere near the monument. I parked in the shaded parking garage, left the windows open in the 50° dark lot, and ran to see it. FYI, not even park pass holders can get around the $11 parking fee. That was an expensive 5 minutes, but I’m glad I got to see it.

Next up was Custer State Park. I told the ranger at the entrance that I wasn’t leaving without seeing bison. He told me where herds had been reported that morning, and I started out on my mission.

This was such a sweet park.

Donkeys were chilling in parking lots.

 

Pronghorns bounded along the side of the road.

When I turned onto a dirt road in the middle of the park, I saw them.

 

Hundreds and hundreds of bison. CL was impressed! He actually sat up for a better look.

By the time I left, I was bisoned out. That’s a good thing.

I spent the afternoon driving alone through Wyoming back roads on the way to Denver. I drove miles and miles on a narrow state Road without passing anyone. I didn’t have a cell signal. I saw wild pronghorns. It was wild. It was neat.

I was excited to get to Denver. I lived there for 2 years and studied at the University of Denver, so I always love going back. I had climbing plans, and I also was

going to hang out with my former roommate and cheer squad buddy.

Little known fact – yes, I cheered. For two years in college, I pretended I knew what I was doing at basketball games. I knew NOTHING about that game beforehand.

Now I know to cheer when your team makes the correct basket, what the ref’s traveling gesture looks like, and how much it hurts to tumble on hardwood instead of a spring gymnastics floor. I loved my role as as flyer. Weeeeeee!!

Anyway, I spent an awesome day climbing at Clear Creek Canyon right off the side of Highway 6, then met up with my friend. I never pass up an opportunity to reconnect. My former teammate, roommate, and Australia travel partner was born and raised in Colorado. Seeing her is always a treat. There are people in our lives who come and go, then there are those who are there forever. We may not talk all the time, but when we do, we always pick up where we left off. I’m willing to bet all of you out there have some of those friends, too!

I miss Denver. It’s a fantastic city, but the winters are a little harsh for this California-turned-Southern-turned-California woman.

After Denver, CL and I headed west to one of my favorite states: Utah.

My first experience in Utah was long ago for a climbing trip to Moab. I loved it. I went back about a decade later for a weather conference. I hiked near Salt Lake City, then went on to camp my way through Canyonlands, Bryce, and Zion national parks. I loved it again.

To be back a third time was amazing. I stayed in Green River the first night (Motel 6 for the win). The only thing I can say about Green River is I ate a pizza there, and I arranged my movers for Fresno.

I headed down to Moab and to Arches National Park. The last time I was there was for a night hike to Delicate Arch. I don’t think I ever really saw the Arch since it was dark, so this was a new experience.

I headed up the trail, which was way longer than I remembered it being 10 years before. I think it was around a mile, and you have to put in some uphill effort to get there. I met a really nice family along the way who were in a similar situation – they were taking their time moving across the country. I forget where they were heading, but I always love hearing where people are from and where they’re heading. You’d be surprised at how connected we all really are.

Instead of taking a direct route though Las Vegas and on to CA, I opted to make a detour to the Grand Canyon. I’d never seen it before, and I’ve always wanted to do a backpacking trip down into the canyon. This wouldn’t be that trip, but I was SO close to it that I couldn’t pass it by.

Let me tell you, this was the most entertaining part of the week for me. Have you ever seen a catpacker? That’s the name I coined for myself as I was carting CL around in his backpack.

The South Rim Trail in the Grand Canyon is pet friendly. Hehe.

I put CL on, and we were off on a Grand “Catyon” hike! All I heard were whispers of passersby.

“Was that a cat?!?”

“OMG. She has a cat on her back.”

“Wow, can I pet him? He’s such a sweetie!”

Seriously. He was the highlight of everyone’s trip. 😺 Well, that’s what I told him.

We sat down at a fantastic overlook. There happened to be a couple nearby who were cat people. They agreed to snap the weirdest photo I’ve probably ever taken. I couldn’t leave without a handstand photo, and I needed CL with the Grand Canyon. So, I got a combo photo. I know, I’m a strange individual.

Don’t worry, there is a clip in his catpack where I can connect his harness. He wasn’t able to jump out.

It started to get dark, so we made our way to Kingman, AZ. You guessed it, Motel 6. I should get free stays from them by now for all of these mentions. But really, I know there are several cat-friendly hotel chains. They were so welcoming to CL, so it was easy and free for us to travel together. I digress, again. I think it was either in Kingman or Kingsburg, CA that I lost my park pass. I had ALMOST paid it off with my trip out here. Oh well. I never regret giving more money to our parks. I sure use the heck out of them.

I didn’t have any more stops planned. After a night in Kingsburg, I drove the 20 minutes up north to my new home in Fresno. It was moving day, and it was also 105°. I failed to mention earlier that I left a 50° and rainy Michigan only a week before.

After a U-haul fail and also gaining my first friend because of it, I was on my way to getting settled in. Thank goodness for moving companies.

Two years later, I don’t regret my decision to move. I’ve explored hundreds of miles of the Sierra Nevada, climbed the heck out of the rocks out here, and my new work gig is great. I have fond memories of Michigan, and I still feel very connected to the Mitten because of social media.

I asked CL if he has also been reflecting on how swiftly the past two years have gone by. He told me he’s hungry.