July 31, 2019

I spent the morning packing and then double and triple-checking that I had everything I thought I might need over the next 40ish days. I would be spending almost a week exploring National Parks such as Crater Lake and Yosemite, exploring cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles and then finding my way back along the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. I had no idea what I would need to dress for, let along whether I should bring along textbooks, art supplies, camera equipment or trendy pool inflatables. I am certainly the type of packer that I pack everything I think I might need and then I narrow it down to the more 'minimalist' version of that (ie I only brought two sets of pajamas instead of twelve.)

That afternoon we, meaning my father (who I would be traveling with for the first leg of my journey) and I, went grocery shopping for road trip snacks and last-minute necessities before hitting the road at three that afternoon bound for our first destination: Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. We were anticipating at least a seven-hour drive and stopped only for Starbucks, gas, and a brief dinner at In n' Out. This may be a controversial opinion but I find that In n' Out's burgers taste dry and plain at best, they lack the spice and flavor of other famous burger restaurants that take the time to age their meet so that it expresses all of the rich flavors that a simple beef patty can exude. The chocolate shake was also somewhat watery, which meant that overall my expectations were less than met. I strongly prefer Five Guys burgers over In n' Out's, it may be a more calorie-dense burger but it also translates to more rich flavor tones.

We arrived at our campsite just before midnight and as soon as the tent was pitched I was out like a light.