BLOG #5

Our Last Stop

It was a bittersweet journey as we made our way to the big city of Los Angeles. It was hard to believe that the modern, skyscraper-filled city was only an hour-and-a-half drive away from the Mojave Desert! All four of us—Angela, Olivia, Tyler, and I—had compiled together a list of locations we wanted to stop at while in Los Angeles, and we visited each in turn in a scavenger-hunt manner. We went to Venice Beach, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the infamous Hollywood sign, and more. Tyler got his hands on a bag of jackfruit chips, something that most of us had never tried—or heard of—before. The chips were crunchy and sweet all at once, and nutritiously filled with phytonutrients. There was no doubt that we would have to get more of those jackfruit chips before our trip was over. We met one of Angela’s friends for dinner at a quaint restaurant, and we all took turns sharing our favorite—and funniest—parts of the trip. Finally, as evening dawned on the city, we all headed up to Griffith Observatory to get a look out of the 12-inch refracting telescope. It was quite a giant telescope, and as we learned, the most-viewed telescope in the world (this could be easily explained by the large number of visitors waiting their turn to peer through the telescope).

    Once our legs felt as if they could walk no more, we retreated to our cozy van. This was our last night together; the next day, we would part our separate ways. Together, we delved into a deep conversation of all aspects of our road trip, reflecting on all we had experienced and learned now that our trip was coming to a close. We had certainly learned leadership, teamwork, and planning. We had all improved in one area or another, whether that be driving, photography, meal preparation, music selection, or something else entirely. Most importantly, though, we all had a great time.

    However, there were still a few last questions that remained in our minds: Where could we get some more of those delicious jackfruit chips? How would we ever sort through all our pictures? And, above all, when was our next adventure?

Image Source - “Santa Monica, California.” Live Beaches, 11 June 2024, www.livebeaches.com/beaches/santa-monica-california/.