The Maiden Voyage

The first post on this blog! Hopefully the first of many. Hope you all enjoy this image and the accompanying story.

(Editorial: this blog will definitely keep my mind occupied; it took me like 20 minutes to decide which photo to do first!)

In December, I took a new job in Newport Beach. For those unfamiliar with the geography of Orange County, the drive from La Habra to Newport Beach should be a 25-mile, 35-minute drive due South using the series of freeways that lead directly to my new workplace. But alas, rush hour traffic in Orange County is nothing to sneeze at; any and all plans are at the mercy of the millions of workers (with about one car per person) trying to find their way home from their jobs.

So, still being a relatively new resident to the area (3 years now), I take pride in exploring and finding new roads.

The freeway route The scenic route

Sure, it still takes over an hour to get home but...it's worth it. For me, to drive 45 mph with my windows down, driving through hills during the golden hour and reaching the occasional vista is completely worth it, compared to sitting in traffic on a freeway with 100,000 other cars.

There's one section that is always my favorite...downhill & residential on my right, steep uphill & open space on my left. I spotted a tiny little dirt path cutting through the cacti up the hill, and I always thought: "one of these days, when daylight is longer, I'll walk up there and take some pictures."

Enter March 29th, 2010. Something was seriously wrong with my brakes. Every time I stepped on the pedal, a stress-inducing grinding that I could feel in the seat was heard. I got to this very area, and knew I had to pull over and let the brakes/damaged rotors cool down. So I parked the car on one of the streets to the right, and began walking.

After the uphill walk that wound through hundreds of cacti, I reached the top and the view was incredible - I could see snowy mountains, the ocean, and desert hills/mountains depending on which direction I looked.

I'm truly in the Wild West.

So this picture fulfills my inner need for strong leading lines winding through brush and/or natural terrain. When I get a picture like this, I feel complete.

So to end, I feel this bible verse (as suggested by my sister Kaylee) is an appropriate caption for this scene.

‎"...But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:14