During my years in Mexico, I lived in a ranch surrounded by nature and not many people. I would go tend to the cattle almost every day during the Summer, walking about 8 miles up hills, dreading every moment. I think that perhaps it was because of this experience and many others like it growing up that I associate nature with hard labor which in turn conjures up negative emotions. This is probably why during most of my years, I have never really cared much for hiking, camping, our the outdoors in general. Recently, though, I feel my appreciation for nature, and my desire to to experience it, have increased. It is for this reason that I decided to travel to the Old Coast Road for the first time with my new Jeep. Maybe it was my yearning for road tripping that made me want to trade in my Mercedez for an SUV. In any case, my friend Elliot and I decided to drive there for a day. We went up the Old Coast Road and drove for what I think was 10-12 miles of hilly dirt roads. The views were amazing. The hills were really foggy on the ascend, but then it got sunny on the descend and we were able to see everything clearly, including the very blue beach that got closer as we neared Highway 1. With the windows and the top off from the Jeep, the whole experience was very serene. The Jeep feels like the right vehicle for this time period in my life. The Old Coast trip was the first time I took the car off the pavement and it will definitely not be the last. I have a big Mexico road trip in December and I am trying to put together a caravan for weekend trip up the Lost Coast.