I might have gone on an adventure today.

So, first, I woke up hella early to get on the road so I could get to my exam on time, mostly because there was a fire on the freeway last night, so I didn’t want to get caught in anything to do with the repairs.

I got to my exam at 9:20am…my scheduled exam time was 11:15 am. Traffic was a lot better than expected, okay? But they let me take it early, so I was done at 11:18 am. So I thought, you know what, that’s great. I’m gonna snag some lunch and head home.

Well, at the I-15/I-215 junction, I realized that I really, really like driving that car (it’s my dad’s Chevrolet Prism), even if it’s a bit banged up. I also realized that I hadn’t done anything really interesting lately, and I kinda wanted to send loveddearle some awesome pictures. 

So, I went a bit out of my way (read: a fuck ton out of my way) to go up to Crestline and take a picture of the city from the summit. So I hopped onto the 138 and made my way up the mountains. 

Here’s what I learned today:

• Curvy roads are FUN
• The car can take a 10 mph (16 kph) turn at 35 mph (56 kph). Whoops.
• When I’m really focused on navigating difficult roads, my anxiety disappears
• I feel like an indycar driver going up the 138
• I missed the forest enough that I was in tears at the summit (a motorcyclist asked if I was okay, and I just said ‘it’s just breathtaking’, and she spent 10 minutes hanging out with me enjoying the view)
• A 7% downhill grade is a lot more interesting on hairpin turns
• Pine needles do fly up into the car from the left front tire
• Driving with the window down through the forest is a spiritual experience
• Cops apparently can hear maniacal laughter around an S-curve if your window is down (I explained that it was my first time driving up by myself and he just shook his head. I was going 15 in a 30 zone, but my laughter had him concerned)
• Said maniacal laughter carries in a forest
• People around here love dips as much as I do
• There are some big ass ponderosa pines in the San Bernadino Nat’l Forest.
• I want to spend a day up there basking in nature
• Having to drive a bunch of S-curves for over an hour leads to very sore shoulder muscles
• I should have been terrified of some of those turns without guardrails, but I simply viewed them as another learning experience
• Despite the car being banged up and 16 years old, she’s still got some life left in her
• The cars brake pads need changing

So yeah, it was an adventure that I was so pleased to have embarked upon. I think it was a celebration of freedom and success in my book.