Taking off on a Sabbatical

I wanted to ignore the fact that I have obligations, a non-existent husband (he has been enslaved by his job) and the fact that my house is tore apart and disgustingly messy (still under massive construction), so I decided to take myself out of the city and on a mini trip away all by myself. Now I was a tiny bit worried, I am not afraid to be alone, in fact I relish my time by myself to pursue my own interests, but five days straight alone, without another person to talk to or hang out with was a little bit daunting. Still I was determined to go and try a trip alone and since Yosemite was supposed to get snow I decided to go to Joshua Tree and the Salton Sea. I planned my itinerary, gave Mr. Rogue the list of places I would be, packed up the car and was off.



There was no reason to worry, absolutely NONE, I LOVED being on the trip by myself. I could do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. There was not another person to worry about and cater too and I got a tremendous amount of gratitude at being able to accomplish everything I did all by myself. I got a closer appreciation for nature and an escape from all the technological distractions of my life. I was able to successfully make a fire all alone (which took MANY MANY TRIES) and spent a lot of time introspecting, clearing the static, becoming better acquainted with the settings of my camera and reading at night.

One thing I was not prepared for is the certain amount of healthy fear you have when you are truly alone. Usually we are all surrounded by loved ones and if something bad happens we can rely on our network to take care of the situation. Camping alone however brought home the fact that I had only myself to rely on and had to make conscious decisions to make sure I stayed safe. Courage is something that you would need in spades if you want to take a trip alone. Courage and knowing your limitations, you have to be smart because there really is not a plan B.

The best thing about this trip is the photos that I was able to get and the new birds that I saw. I am already contemplating my next mini getaway!