Back into the desert...last blog entry

I never thought I'd be back in the high desert so soon. But we have found work, and we leave today to go work on a farm near Joshua Tree National Park. It was the very first certified organic Jojoba farm in the world, and is still the only one in California. My friend Boomer hooked us up with the job, and we jumped at the opportunity. It is supposedly hard work....it is on commission, so the harder you work, the more money you make. We plan to work for a week or two, then head for Mexico and Latin America once we have some money saved up.

This also may be the last blog entry for the Road Less Traveled. I have decided not to bring my computer along with me, in an effort to force myself to live with the bare essentials. It will also cut down on weight in my backpack. I am still going to be writing all the time, only now I am going to be using an old-fashioned pen and notebook. Who knows, maybe I will try to publish a book some day.

You can still get a hold of me by email, or any of the other social networking sites. I am also going to start writing more letters to people, so don't be surprised if you get something in the mail. Thank you to everyone who was interested enough to read my writing, and so long for now.

Return to Santa Barbara

My traveling buddy Justin and I just arrived in Santa Barbara on Monday. We decided to take the scenic route along Highway One from Santa Cruz to Santa Barbara, which is one of the most beautiful stretches of U.S. coast in my opinion. It is good to be back here, even though I have always had a love/hate relationship with this town. I think I prefer just visiting here, rather than living here. Santa Barbara is a beautiful place, and it is easy to get sucked in. With it's gorgeous scenery, beautiful people, warm weather most of the year, and easy-going lifestyle, it is very easy to see how someone would not want to leave. But beneath the glittery gold surface, there are some not-so-nice characteristics about this place that you come to know after living here for a while. It is getting more and more expensive by the day, and the once-unique shops of downtown are being forced to relocate because of high rent prices, and more franchises and corporations are taking their place. There is also a lot of wealth in Santa Barbara, as it is the fifth richest zip code in the country. With all that wealth, comes a high level of snobishness. I don't think I have ever known a city that was so wrapped up in itself. But of course, every place has it's negative and positive aspects, so it's best to just take it as it is.

We also have the luxury now of traveling by vehicle. Luckily, Justin places the value of experiences over the value of money. So he does not really mind what happens to his truck, as long as we have a helluva time along the way. With a 4x4 Toyota 4Runner, the possibilities are endless...especially in Mexico and Central America. The only major cost will be for gas, but that should be reduced when it is split between three or four people. The idea of going all the way down to Costa Rica has been thrown out there, and it is actually seeming quite possible. Supposedly, the drive can be done in about eight days. So my friend Justin and I are going to go to Labor Ready and try to work for a week, then my other friend Joey will meet us here and the adventure will begin...

No money and no direction to go

So here I am in Santa Cruz, CA, with practically no money and no idea what tomorrow will bring. I love this feeling of freedom, but I also miss the security of a steady job and a place to live. I feel like I am stuck somewhere in between, being restrained by my lack of options. I have so many visions of things I'd like to do with my life, but I have always had trouble putting them into action. I hate how I always have to worry about money....money is my worst enemy. It is the only thing preventing me from living out my dreams. I feel like I am on the verge of something new, fun, and exciting, but the lack of money is preventing me from breaking through. I can't seem to find any work here, and I dread the idea of getting a real job. I just don't think I can cut it at a normal job anymore.

If I had left for Mexico right after Santa Cruz the first time, I would have had enough money to easily travel around for a bit. But I felt there were some things I need to do first, such as experiencing the Pacific Northwest, Burning Man, and going back home to see family and friends. Now I am pretty much drained of cash, and not sure what to do next. I have a few options: I can stay in Santa Cruz and try to find work for a month or two, and hope that I could find a place to stay, or I can get a ride with my friend Justin down to Santa Barbara. My instinct is telling me to take the little money I have and keep traveling on. Plus, my friend Justin is in the same traveling mind-set as me, and it would be nice to have a travel partner.

I just have to keep a positive attitude and remember that everything will work out the way it is meant to......it always has before.

Return from Burning Man

I have returned from the week-long, eccentric arts and music party in the middle of the desert that is known as Burning Man. It is quite difficult to describe the sheer scale and massiveness of this festival to someone who does not know what it is. To sum it up: it is a huge week-long gathering of thousands of people in the middle of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. Artists work all year round creating these unbelievable art pieces, a lot of them mobile. It is a party that never stops, with bass beats blaring in the distance all through the night. But I will not tell you any more than that, you will just have to find out what it is like for yourself...

A dust storm sweeps across the Playa as we approach Black Rock City.

A view of our camp at 8:30 & F. Photo by Justin Costanzo


I was able to get a ride into San Francisco with my new friend Justin, and from there I took the Caltrain to San Jose, where my buddy Joey gave me a ride down to Santa Cruz. So Santa Cruz is where I am once more temporarily residing for the moment. It has been wonderful to see all my friends here again, and tell them stories of the past few months. Burning Man was a blast, but I have come to face the fact that it pretty much drained me of most of the money I had saved up. Not to mention that my wallet was lost(or stolen) somewhere along the way.

I honestly have no idea how long I will be staying here or when I will be able to make the trek down into Mexico. The fact is: I need money. I figure I could make money while still here in California, or try to find work down in Mexico, but I have no idea how easy or difficult that would be. My friend is trying to set me up with some landscaping work in San Jose, so I am really crossing my fingers that that will pan out. If I do get this job, I may end up staying in San Jose for a month or two while I save up money.