The Road Back Home

Greetings!

WE ARE MARRIED! More to come on this. First, I want to catch you up on our adventures so far. (Reminder that the full video/photo blog is available on Sarah’s Story Highlights on Instagram, HERE.)

From where Sarah last left off, we were on our way to Saguaro National Park. This one may have been Sarah’s favorite park, and I must say that it was quite stunning. Saguaro cacti cover the desert mountains that overlook Tucson, Arizona. We went for a couple of small hikes which included Valley View Overlook Trail and Signal Hill, where we saw several prehistoric rock carvings by some of North Americas earliest inhabitants. I was able to throw on my trail running shoes and run some laps around Sarah as she hiked. Sarah and I were both very glad for this, as it put me in a much better mood. The long hours of driving and lack of sleep were taking a toll on my well-being.

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Cacti Central @ Saguaro National Park

We left Arizona in high spirits and were able to get to Joshua Tree National Park right as the sun was starting to set.

One thing we had failed to realize was that 11/11 (our wedding day) was also Veteran’s Day. Though we are honored to share that holiday with our wedding anniversary, we didn’t realize that county clerks offices would be closed, and we needed to get a marriage license to be legally married. Not only that, but we found out that due to COVID, most county clerks were only giving licenses to residents in that county, and all of them were requiring appointments — some of which were booked out months in advance. We were panicked on the Monday before our wedding, thinking we may have driven all the way out here only to have a wedding for show!

Thankfully, the Mariposa county clerk (right outside Yosemite) did not have residential restrictions and were able to squeeze us in on Tuesday morning. So, instead of camping in Joshua Tree, we trekked to not-so-scenic Bakersfield, CA (this would end up being the first of two unexpected journeys to Bakersfield), so that we would have a short drive the next day to get our license. Shout-out to all our friends who chipped in on hotel rooms through our registry, because this was the first of two unplanned hotels on the trip.

Sunset @ Joshua Tree National Park

We woke up in Bakersfield early and booked it to Mariposa, where getting our license was a breeze. We also had a comical moment when Sarah found out she could pick whatever new name she wanted, and ended up adding not one but two names to her already-way-too-long name. Once we finished there, we drove to Oakhurst, the next town over, for a celebratory lunch at an all-vegan restaurant called Love Cafe. I don’t know if we were just relieved about getting our license at the “11th” hour, or if it was simply the food, but we both agreed that our meal there was one of the best we had ever had. We liked it so much, we ordered another $200 worth of food for us to bring into Yosemite (knowing the vegan/GF options there would be slim)!

[See the full photo/video blog for this leg of the trip HERE]

We stayed at an Airbnb in Oakhurst that evening and got up early to drive into Yosemite to get hitched! It was much colder than we expected in the park, but it was freaking gorgeous. Snow covered most of the valley, and the temps were in the low 40s. We arrived a few hours early, so we dropped off the camper at the hotel and drove around Cooks Meadow to pick out a spot for the ceremony. We found a beautiful spot under a massive redwood, an oak, and another evergreen that overlooked the valley. Directly in front of us was a full view of Half Dome, and to our left was Yosemite Falls. I was in heaven and getting very excited about marrying the woman I love! We then drove back to the hotel to get into our wedding attire. The rooms weren’t ready yet, so we changed in a very small family bathroom. I tried not to spend too much time looking at Sarah or her dress, but I couldn’t help myself. She was stunning! After dolling up, we met our officiant (Cindie) and husband-wife-duo photographers (Steph and Shawn) at Cooks Meadow.

Candid from our photo shoot after the ceremony @ Tunnel View

The ceremony was really sweet (and cold). We personalized our vows to fit in some things that are important to us, including our mindfulness/meditation practice and our recovery. It started off with a short silent meditation and a chance to become present. After some beautiful readings, prayers, our vows, some “we wills,” “I wills,” and “I dos,” I kissed my new bride (a few times) and we were married! Then my new wife bossed me around for the next couple of hours in the freezing cold for our photoshoot. Ha! It was actually a lot of fun. We loved our photographers and they took us to some of the most scenic views in the valley. One of the spots they took us to was called Tunnel View, because it overlooked the whole valley and showcased all of the major peaks. The whole process was beautiful, iconic, and surreal. I will remember this day fondly for the rest of my life. I’m thankful to have found my person, and to have shared this amazing experience together in such an iconic location.

After photos, we officially checked into our room at the beautiful Ahwahnee Hotel, where I immediately drew a bath to thaw myself out. After a week of mostly camping and all the prep work that comes along with setting up and tearing down, we were both so glad to have a fancy hotel room for a couple of nights. It was nice to enjoy the room, eat our Love Cafe leftovers, and indulge in some chocolate covered strawberries that the hotel left us. We were both happily asleep by 9PM.

View from our hotel room @ The Ahwahnee

The next morning we woke up to an amazing view of Yosemite Falls (minus the falls, which are dry this time of year), and Sarah took a time lapse video of the sun shining its way to the base of the mountain. I then dragged her on a strenuous 13 mile hike to the top of the the falls and back. If you ever have a chance to go to the top of any peak in Yosemite, I highly suggest you do it. In my book, there’s nothing better. Seriously! At the top, I cooked us up some dehydrated quinoa and black beans in my jet boil. I was so happy to get to do that hike, and with my wife no less. My wife! Feels fun and gooey to say it.

The top of Yosemite Falls

That night we had a tasty meal from the hotel restaurant, listened to the piano player play a rather eclectic mix of songs (including, the theme songs from Jurassic Park and Titanic), and played Phase 10 by the huge fireplace filled with burning cedar logs. It was about as perfect of a day that you could ask for.

After leaving Yosemite we’ve hit Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Death Valley National Parks. In the mountains of Sequoia, it started smelling like something was burning under the hood off the van, so we canceled our RV site for the night, and made another detour to Bakersfield for another unplanned hotel, so we could find a mechanic in the morning.

[See the full photo/video blog for this leg of the trip HERE]

The next day we lucked out and found a small shop that was open on Saturday called ARCO, and they figured out that the smell we were experiencing was a zip tie that had somehow fallen on the engine of the van. (Sarah and I are having an ongoing debate about whether this is/was the actual problem, lol.) They did notice that our emergency brakes needed some love, so they fixed those and topped us off with some fluids, and we were back on our way.

That brings us to today, day 13 of our trip. I woke up before sunrise at our RV campsite in Death Valley National Park and went for a 4-mile run in the desert. It was a spiritual experience running under the stars and watching the sun rise over the mountains in Death Valley. This trip has had some super highs and some difficult times as well. Pairing up two very strong-willed personalities on an adventure like this can be challenging, but I think we are doing a really good job with it. I’m learning a lot about myself, about the dynamics of our relationship, about my love for Sarah, and how to be a good partner.

Sunrise @ Death Valley National Park

Right now we’re passing Hoover Dam, and hot damn this has been one scenic adventure <knee slap>! We have seen the world’s largest tree, camped at the hottest location on the planet, and were wed at my favorite place on Earth. I’m humbled by and entirely grateful for all of the support, love, encouragement, and well-wishes we have received to make this trip possible. It has been a wonderful way to start our lives together.

Next stop, Sedona, Arizona!

❤️ Jeremy