California Recap: Left Dizzy in San Diego

Wow.  The last six weeks have been full.  Full of sweat, smiles, flat tires, sleeping in hammocks, and so much love and support from our friends and family.

We started our California journey with two weeks of forest conservation work in Redwood Forest National Park.  Though I was nearly hospitalized for heat exhaustion and despite Hollis's strained back, we left our friends at Green Works in one piece after restoring 16 miles of trails.

Me with two of my students in Los Angeles

From there, we headed south to Los Angeles where we partnered with Culture Clash, leading activities to integrate children of different ethnic backgrounds in inner-city elementary schools.  It was truly amazing to see how the atmosphere of the classrooms changed when the little ones realized how similar they all really were.  I expect that, when this trip is all said and done, Hollis might return to this cause.  She showed tenderness and strength with those kiddos and they adored her.

After saying goodbye and giving a hundred tiny hugs, we made our way to San Diego where we have spent the last two weeks working on ocean conservation projects and promoting shark safety guidelines for beach goers.  Since I am scuba certified, I worked on coral restoration and building underwater shark barriers.  Hollis stuck to the mainland and did an excellent job with strategy and promotions.

Tiger shark in La Jolla, San Diego

Now, we are exhausted!  It has been a rich, challenging, and eye-opening journey so far.  We are encouraged not only by the support we have been receiving from our sponsors, but also by how many people are already out there giving their lives to improve our planet.

We have been on the road for a total of 4 months and 12,000 miles.  For the next few days we will be holed up in San Diego, resting and celebrating the first leg of our journey.  Hollis has a stack of books to read; and, I just rented a surfboard.  We hope to soak up some sun, restock on supplies, and touch base with our sponsors before turning our sights on Central America.

All the best,

Sara